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Lancaster Arts Hotel
Rating Details »
Category: Hotels & Travel
300 Harrisburg AveLancaster, PA 17603
(717) 299-3000
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9 reviews for Lancaster Arts Hotel
Short answer: definitely a great place for a good night's rest! But seriously, eat & drink elsewhere...
I was hesitant to stay here after reading the mediocre reviews on yelp, but was only going to be in Lancaster one night for a friend's art opening, and the gallery that was showing his work recommended this hotel, so I figured it was just easier to go with this than try to pick and choose amongst other unknown hotels...
I was so pleasantly surprised after staying here this past weekend that I felt compelled to offer up my opinion.
The only thing from the previous reviews that I could remember when I got into my room was the comment about "you can't swing a cat in these rooms" -- well, while the room wasn't ginormous, it was certainly large enough and well appointed enough to more than serve *my* hotel needs: sleep (without worrying I'm gonna catch bedbugs) and shower (without worrying I'm gonna catch some fungal infection) comfortably.
(And, as a side note, I'm not sure why anyone would want to swing a cat, anywhere, for any reason, anyway...? If your vacation includes feline acrobatics in your bedroom, then perhaps this is indeed the wrong hotel for you...)
My room had a dead-center view of the post-game fireworks from the baseball field across the street, so I got to watch a first-rate fireworks show while lying in THE MOST COMFORTABLE BED i've ever slept on (ever! not just in relation to other hotel beds)!!
The staff seemed sincerely pleasant and helpful.
So why not 5 stars?
(1) it's very noisy -- not all the time, but when someone's in the hall talking (or running, as the kids from the room next to us were), it's fully audible inside YOUR room. Don't know if this is b/c of the large gap under the door or what, but for us late-sleepers, it was an early-morning irritant...
(2) the same reasons others mention: the food. While I don't normally care so much about hotel food, I do have to say the little bit I had was particularly dreadful. The cosmos we had at the bar were the ABSOLUTE WORST drinks I've ever tasted. Not just bland or weak, but outright BAD. So bad that I couldn't even finish one. No idea what recipe the bartendress followed, but it sure wasn't any recipe the rest of this country (west OR east coast) follows. The appetizer we ordered (some kind of little pizza on a pita thing?) was so unmemorable that I can't even remember what it was. I don't understand this, considering all the local farms and markets with amazing foods available...?
And the bread basket we requested (which the waiter described with specific breads that were being featured) was never delivered to the table (and no, it wasn't busy...).
Finally, I was sadly frustrated with the continental breakfast. It was the type of selection you'd expect to find at a "budget" hotel... ALL carbs, and other than the fresh fruit, all *processed* carbs... bagels, bread, muffins, toaster waffles, syrup, canned whipped cream, instant oatmeal, sugared-yogurt, and one kind of bulk-cereal. No protein to be found here! At one point they brought out what appeared to be fresh breakfast burritos, and the possibility of having SOME form of protein (egg) made me happy, but upon serving myself one I found they were still frozen!?! So I microwaved it (guessing at an amount of time) and upon getting half way through eating the damn thing found it had tiny chunks of ham in it... for a vegetarian (of 20+ years), this is more than mildly disconcerting......!!! why were the blessed burritos not labeled?
The breakfast "dining room" itself was a really nice space and folks were sitting around reading their newspapers and occasionally chatting, which was really a nice way to start the day, but unfortunately my "breakfast" really left a "sour" taste in my mouth.
I would definitely stay at the hotel again, but would plan on saving my dining budget for elsewhere...
I'm going to review this as a hotel only, not as a restaurant or bar.
The hotel is probably not everyone's taste - if you like your hotel rooms to be completely predictable, find a chain. If you like to stay somewhere with some character, then LAH is your ticket. It is housed in a beautiful old brick industrial building, so the rooms have very high ceilings with exposed brick walls and beams.
Everything is very "cool and trendy" and just about every piece of art you see in the place is for sale - none of it is cheap, so don't go hunting for bargains, but it is interesting and beautiful. The amenities in the hotel are very high quality, from the toiletries to the flat screen LCD TV, to the free WiFi. The staff is extremely friendly. The room rates are NOT cheap, but you're paying for the trendiness of it all - you'd never think you were in Lancaster, PA!
My only complaint does have to do with food - the breakfast included with the room leaves a LOT to be desired. I would recommend skipping it and finding someplace else.
THE best bed, great design, fabulous bar downstairs
We had a great stay in the hotel, but didn't eat in the restaurant (which is where all the negative reviews appear to come from).
The hotel itself is lovely, they have a lot of different art displayed on the walls, all of it from local artists which is good.
All the staff were friendly and helpful, recommending places to go eat, activities to do as well as organising a complimentary taxi back to the station.
The room was very nice - we stayed in their 'loft suite' having found a very good deal on expedia. Great cozy bed, good bathroom and big jacuzzi tub in the room itself. The only criticism would be that there was little natural light - there was only one window as it was in the roof.
The complimentary breakfast was ok, a continental breakfast, toster oven waffles plus the ability for you to microwave your own breakfast burritos (but they were tasty). We did have a drink in the bar, and they were indeed pricey - but what hotel bar isn't.
I'd stay there again.
Stayed here on government business and the hotel honored the local per diem rate. The hotel was clean and well maintained. It definitely caters to an "artsy" crowed as evidenced by the patrons in the bar and restaurant each night. I had some issues with house keeping taking the used soap without replacing it on two occasions. The continental breakfast could have been more substantial, but the turn down service with the chocolates and rose were a nice touch.
This place has both a hotel and restaurant; I am rating it as a restaurant.
This place is ridiculously overpriced and snooty to the point of being comical. Our waiter came out initially to fill our water glasses and said with an affected tone: "This is the *house* water, triple filtered by reverse osmosis." Our group had to work hard to restrain our laughter.
This place prides itself on organic and local foods, which is a good idea, but this alone won't make a restaurant and honestly, this place doesn't have much else going for it. The food looks and tastes like the product of a failed attempt at gourmet creativity...it is artfully presented, and some of it tastes decent, but much of it is outright bland and/or poorly executed. And the bill--much too high, given the quality. If you're going to spend this much money, you ought to do yourself a favor and go somewhere where you'll get genuinely good food. If you want good food, Lancaster is practically overflowing with restaurants that offer better food at a lower price.
You're not really paying for the atmosphere either. Also in Lancaster you can find a number of restaurants where you can spend less money and yet find a much classier atmosphere. The place has brick walls and too many hard surfaces--it is a bit too loud and generally "live" sounding inside, not a good atmosphere for an upscale place like this. The decor isn't particularly impressive either.
If I could sum it up in one sentence--I've only eaten here once, in a large group of people, and I do not plan on going back.
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First of all, I agree with the first reviewer who said that the food, while nicely presented, isn't worth the money. This restaurant (it's actually called John J. Jeffries) tries very hard, and I admire the effort they put into using fresh, organic ingredients, but it just doesn't thrill me.
Second, I want to say that the hotel where JJJ is located, is a really nice hotel. Definitely the nicest hotel in Lancaster. Very comfortable, "cool" and the only place I'd choose to stay (at least for now... they're building a new Marriott hotel downtown that looks like it will be pretty nice).
Third -- and I want to make sure everyone knows this -- the restaurant (John J. Jeffries) and the hotel (The Lancaster Arts Hotel) have NOTHING to do with each other, besides sharing the same building. They are completely separate businesses (you can't even charge your dinner to your room if you're staying at the hotel) and I don't think that the Hotel should have to suffer from the bad reviews of the restaurant!
People thought this was:
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A small, very "above trend" hotel, 20 some rooms, that I think rich people, who may have their kid attending F&M, would stay, using Daddy's corporate credit card. The place, at least to Lancaster's standards, is really quite over- priced. I think my martini was $14. Bartender was snooty. Actually a real asshole. I guess i wasn't wearing a $2000 HUGO Boss jacket, with $1200 armani scarf....... you get the point. Hey, if Daddy wants to lend me his credit card, i'll blow a few bucks, but not on my dime. The rooms are equally expensive. an effort to create a very special experience for those willing to pay.
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The hotel section is very nice. I avoided the bar area as it did not seem to be my style. The rooms aren't cheap (~$200/night) but they really are something special. Most, but not all, rooms are in an old tobacco warehouse and many interesting details have been preserved and complimented by some modern touches. I was very glad to find a nice place to stay in the city because before this opened there were very few options.
