Rachelle Ogun

Review of Penn Stater Hotel and Conferen...

I attended the Penn Stater for a conference recen...

I attended the Penn Stater for a conference recently so this will be a thorough review of the hotel facilities:

Conference Space - it's a little confusing at first to navigate the conference room section of the hotel but after day 1 it became easier and the signage is pretty good to help get you on your way. Sections are fairly spread apart so you will get your exercise walking back and forth but I personally didn't mind that. The rooms are very large and comfortable. However if you are sensitive to cold blasting A/C I recommend dressing in several layers. I did just that but was still cold.....brrrrrrr! But this is not an unusual attribute for hotel meeting rooms. I found WIFI to be a bit tricky to work with. In some sections of the hotel it would work fine while in others I had to toggle various settings on my phone to get it work. Certain website certificates would not work however regardless what I tried. It could have been just my phone but I noticed in one of the workshops I attended the presenter was unable to connect to the internet as well so perhaps it wasn't just me! The food was 4 star level. Massive lunch buffet with more options that I could sample along with a big dessert buffet with all kinds of cakes and cupcakes, pies, etc. Truly heaven for a chocoholic like me. The breakfast buffet was equally well appointed with options ranging from cereal, eggs, and various pastries. The break area w/snacks between workshop sessions was also a nice touch, and included a wide variety of soft drink options. If you attend a conference at the Penn Stater you won't leave hungry!

Legends Pub - this was the only restaurant I tried on site and it didn't disappoint. I had a tasty prime rib sandwich and it was very reasonably priced. The bartender who waited on me was friendly and pleasant.

Rooms - My room (standard double bed) was nothing extravagant or fancy but it was very clean, well appointed and got the job done. One thing I like about this hotel is that each room contains a mini fridge. This is a very nice feature as I like to store cold water with a few snacks and was able to do that without hassle. The bed was super comfortable. Best sleep I've had in a hotel in a long time. The room was a bit dated and renovations would certainly enhance the appeal of the place, but this did nothing to detract from my stay. I would also add it was very quiet - maybe the hotel gets more rowdy during weekend PSU football games but I found the quiet to be very relaxing.

Fitness Center/Pool Area - this is the part of the hotel that stood out for me the most. The fitness room is quite large for a hotel and had an ample amount of newer equipment so I got some very good workouts in. The swimming pool was very clean with plenty of towels. Always plenty of towels everywhere which was great! The water was definitely on the chilly side but this is pretty standard for a lap pool. Adjacent to the pool is a jacuzzi which was a nice touch. The water wasn't too hot either which was nice as well. There is a large locker room adjacent to the fitness room/pool. This is something not a lot of hotels offer so I was impressed. It had several towels and plenty of room to change along with showers. It's very convenient to have this since I had to check out at 11:00 A.M. but was still able to use the facilities later in the day prior to my departure.

Shuttle Van - Again this was a very nice touch. The free courtesy van will take you anywhere within 5 minutes and I made extensive use of it throughout my stay. Shuttle drivers were friendly and polite.

In summary, I fully recommend this hotel. There were a few minor issues but overall it's very reasonably priced in terms of the amenities being offered.