Tru by Hilton Lancaster East

The location is a real plus, close to the shops and Sight & Sound. The lobby has a fun feel, with board games and foosball tables, but the rooms are small and there’s no closet. Breakfast was average, and the bathroom floor looked like it hadn’t been mopped. I could see footprints, so the cleaning could be better.

The staff made this stay especially good. They were always polite, waved me off to work in the mornings, welcomed me back at night, and even made fresh coffee for me when I asked. I didn’t want housekeeping coming into my room, and they were happy to bring me plenty of clean towels and washcloths. They also picked up the trash and beer bottles I left outside my door. I was here nearly two weeks for work training. My room was clean and comfortable, with a good bed, a nice bathroom, cold AC, and a flatscreen TV. I’m picky about cleanliness, and didn’t see any dirt, bugs, grime, or cobwebs. It wasn’t amazing, but it felt properly cleaned and was perfectly fine. The hotel has a large lobby with lots of breakfast seating, two elevators, and wide hallways, so getting around was easy. I only ate a bagel and had orange juice, but the coffee was hot and fresh every morning. The breakfast crowd seemed to enjoy the food. There’s a big parking lot, coin laundry behind a locked door, and the other entrances are locked too. Stores are an easy walk away, and LongHorn is right next door. I ate there quite a few times. I never heard noisy guests through the walls. For the price, I’d recommend it to friends and family, and I’d stay here again.

The breakfast was a letdown. Both mornings, the oatmeal was lukewarm and the brown sugar was rock hard. My room was noisy even though it didn’t face the road, and the mattress on its plywood base creaked every time I moved. The hallway was visibly dirty and looked as if it hadn’t been vacuumed in a while. Check-in also took too long because the clerk was chatting with another employee, and nobody acknowledged me as a Hilton Honors member. I sent in the post-stay questionnaire asking for a follow-up, but never heard back. I stayed at this Tru by Hilton in Lancaster a few weeks ago and left very disappointed.

Check-in was excellent, and the location is great. The problem was the cleaning: the hallway carpets were filthy, the pool area was just as bad, and the floors in the rooms hadn’t been cleaned around the furniture. If they paid more attention to basic floor cleaning, this would easily be a five-star review.