Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster, PA

The rooms are nice but the maid service is sporadic at best. There is no valet parking and there was no bell staff when we checked in. Waited over an hour for food at Plough one night, and decided to risk going back on Friday around 5pm. The restaurant was empty but we were refused due to there being so many reservations for 5pm. We left the hotel and upon return there was still ample seating available. Parking pass was hit and miss- the scanner didn’t work for most of our stay and we noted several other guests with issues as well. This is not the Marriott concept we have always enjoyed. For what we paid our stay was disappointing.

My wife and I routinely stay at this hotel when we visit Lancaster, PA and the Amish country. The hotel is centrally located near several restaurants, to include Passerine, numerous shops and the Central Market (oldest farmers market in US/check hours/days when opened). The hotel is also approximately a 20 minute drive to the heart of the area's Amish country. The hotel staff is pleasant, professional and accommodating. The hotel is ideal for conferences and special occasions, such as weddings. The parking lot to the hotel is attached on a seperate street from the main entrance. Over the years we have noticed continued improvement/renovations made at the hotel. For example, the hotel now has a nice lounge area, available to Marriott members with status. The hotel rooms have also been nicely renovated and the hotel has a spa, nice/impressive hotel gym and pool/jacuzzi. We definitely recommend his hotel.

Our room was nice and on par with a typical Marriott. However, there were numerous problems. The hotel was very understaffed. One elevator was broken. Waits for the elevator was 15-20 minutes. The hotel should have manned the service elevator and help guests to compensate for the broken elevator. They did not. A fight broke out in the lobby when someone tried to skip the long line for the elevator. The front entrance was under construction and access was difficult. There were numerous weddings the weekend we were there. I know of several problems with the wedding we attended and heard of problems with other weddings as well. My suggestion is to go to the brand new Holiday Inn around the corner.

This is a nice hotel but I can't recommend it due to noise. As others have mentioned, there is a loud bar with music going as late as 2 am. I was on the 17th floor in the West Tower and could not sleep due to the booming bass. Another issue was that some people in the adjoining room came in at midnight and started to party, shouting, arguing, banging on the wall, etc. They might as well have been in the room with me. Complaints to the front desk resulted in nothing. They eventually became irritated with me for complaining! I was comped $100 (on a close to $500 stay) but let's face it, if offered $100 to be kept up two nights in a row when I had to be up at 6:30 to present at a conference, I would have said, thanks, but no thanks.

All was well when we checked in Fri Nov 1, 2024 and then left to go out. Returned late that night and there was a paper slid under the door indicating 'additional security measures' would be implemented the next day. Measures including law enforcement officials conducting screenings including metal detection and xray screening of items and luggage. Also that vehicles entering the parking garage would be subject to search. And that re-entry would require re-screening. And that wrapped or sealed packages may need to be opened for inspection. Unilaterally and without prior notice when we made our reservation months earlier this hotel changed the terms of condition of our stay and threw our Constitutional rights 'under the bus' in order to accommodate a VIP that would be staying there. We most certainly would not have agreed to stay at that hotel under those police state conditions. I went to the front desk and complained to the indifferent lady there and she told me to 'take it up with security'. The next morning, scowling Secret Service personnel had turned the hotel into an armed camp and implemented the procedures noted above. Complete with long lines at their security checkpoints while SS subjected us 'valued guests' to the indignity of multiple violations of our cherished 4th Amendment and 2nd Amendment rights. All with the approval of hotel management in the name of increased $$$$ from all the SS personnel and support staff plus the VIPs. Furthermore, when we checked in, we in our party were all issued 2 sets of room keys apiece. Got on the elevator and tried multiple times with all the keys in both card readers before one of the keys worked. And that was after the elevator door closed and suddenly started upward toward points unknown. Plus, in the name of saving $$$$ the shower water pressure was pitifully low. Bottom line, if you want your Constitutional rights violated at the whim of hotel management, this is the place for you. Other than my complaints above, the room itself was adequate but our entire stay was ruined, otherwise.