Super 8 Burnham/Lewistown

The room and the service were fine – precisely what I would expect of a lower-​end hotel chain such as Super 8. Usually, the tradeoff of a Super 8-​level stay is a Super 8-​level price. Unfortunately for us, that wasn’t the case. Their own website lists the average nightly stay at $ 75; however – due, apparently, to Penn State parents weekend, our three-​night stay averaged more than double that amount. While I understand the basic concept of supply and demand, this ranged into price-​gouging territory in my book. I would have been completely satisfied with our stay had it cost seventy-​five dollars per night.
I grew up around here. Twenty years ago, the Super 8 was newish but still had a reputation for cheapness. This was the hotel to which high-​schoolers would joke about taking their dates after the prom. I wonder if they gouge the horny local teenagers as badly as they do Penn State parents.
Anyway, everything was fine. The room was spacious, with a large living area containing two wing-​back chairs, a couch, a coffee table, and an end table, plus the standard desk and chair. The sink and shower/​toilet are separate.
Other details:
+ Potable water from the sink
+ Fast, responsive heat
+ Exhaust fan in the bathroom
+ Breakfast: two cold cereals, make-​your-​own waffles, oatmeal packets, coffee and tea, orange and apple juice, bananas, yogurt, bread, and pastries
+/​-​Good water pressure in the shower, but a low-​mounted head
+/​-​When we checked in, the lobby television was playing a horrifying show entitled Monsters Inside Me. However, all the other times we passed through that weekend, it was tuned to news or weather.
— Only one layer of curtain, which does not fully close
— An old-​fashioned tube TV – remember those?
— A «welcome» note from the housekeeper… written on an envelope. So tacky.
Finally, I saw something in this room that I have never, ever seen anywhere in any hotel, ever. Can you guess what it was? You never will. A paper towel dispenser! While we found this occasionally convenient, it was also bizarre. Humorously bizarre, thankfully, not infuriatingly bizarre like the room rate or terrifyingly bizarre like Monsters Inside Me.

One of the things that happened during our recent three night stay was not the fault of Super 8. On our second night, we returned to find that another couple had «parked» their pick-​up and giant trailer halfway down the driveway, making it almost impossible for anyone to enter or squeeze by. They claimed there was nowhere to park, which makes them liars, lazy, or blind, in addition to being totally rude to staff which we witnessed while informing the front desk of the situation.
One thing that definitely was Super 8’s doing was the enormous inflation of the cost of a room because it was Penn State’s parent weekend (mind you, State College is 30 miles away). We apparently paid $ 25 more for Thursday night, and EIGHTY DOLLARS more for Friday and Saturday, EACH. And we are not even Penn State parents.
Then, in a development I feel uncomfortable even mentioning, we entered our room and found an empty envelope with a note from the housekeeper, thanking us for our stay. It remained empty.
Otherwise, the stay was serviceable. The room was not what you’d call modern, but it was comfortable enough. The breakfast included DIY waffles, yogurt, two cereals, oatmeal and pastries. The location is extremely convenient to the highway as well as my husband’s grandmother’s house, which is where we usually stay when visiting. And where we will always stay from now on.

Great for the price! Clean, convenient, and friendly! What more can you ask? Plus, free breakfast!

I spend ¹⁄₃ of my work year in hotels and cannot wait to review more. I have to take into account the budget ones have different expectations than the powerhouse boutique ones in major cosmopolitan cities.
It had a clean room, with a great bed and warm shower. Amenities were refilled daily and the in room coffee was decent. There is nowhere else nearby and this would definitely be a winner pick for anyone.