City Hall Grand Hotel

This is a unique hotel that may not suit everyone. It’s located in a renovated old city hall building, and you can tell that attention has been paid to the design during the conversion. The high ceilings, distinctive character, and historical photos add to its charm. We booked at the last minute and immediately received a payment confirmation email. We had to call in to get the entry code (they answered on the third try). We arrived after dark, entered the code, and went up to our room. There’s no reception desk and no traditional lobby; instead, there are two seating areas on the second and third floors. The larger area on the third floor has three sofas and a vending machine for snacks and drinks. The beds were large, and the room was clean and nicely designed. Pros: This isn’t just another average roadside hotel; the price is reasonable, and communication with the hosts is efficient. Cons: At least when we arrived (late September), the entire area felt dark and deserted. Entering the building (after receiving the entry code) felt uninviting, and the ground floor had a cold atmosphere—likely the vibe the owners intended to preserve from the old office building. At night, and as it gets colder, this feeling was somewhat amplified. To the right, there’s access to a restaurant/bar that was closed when we arrived. Perhaps when it’s open, the atmosphere is different, but I would recommend that the owners add functional lighting at the entrance (both inside and out) to soften the cold ambiance, especially for those arriving after dark. A note for anyone booking a room for five: the room has two double beds (one king and one queen) and what is described on the site as a “futon bed.” In reality, it’s a short sofa that folds down into a surface the width of a bed but is shorter. Anyone taller than a small child won’t fit comfortably, which surprised us. We requested another room (the hotel doesn’t have any other rooms for five), asked for a folding bed (not available), or a mattress to place on the floor (also not available), and they were unwilling to provide a refund. In the end, we rearranged the sleeping arrangements, but it felt a bit unpleasant since it wasn’t disclosed anywhere that this was not a futon and the setup isn’t suitable for older children. That said, for those who are mentally prepared, the hotel is unique, very quiet, and clean. It can’t be described as “cozy” (the atmosphere is quite distant), but it’s definitely an experience. If I return to the city (as a couple or alone with a good book), I would seriously consider staying there again.

We only learned of City Hall Grand Hotel after our son graduated from Penn Tech in August. We were wanting to spend our 24th wedding anniversary in some place unique, and after looking at the website we decided to give this a try. And this was a fabulous decision. The renovation of the building from a public building into a private hotel was amazing with maintaining things from the past while adding current themes. The facility is extremely well-kept, clean, and very well lit while incorporating motion sensor lighting in the common areas. When we had a problem with our door code, the management responded immediately. There is an elevator with windows for the upper rooms which is really cool. The room we had was incredibly decorated, functional, and maintained. We found the bed and sheets to be very comfortable, the bath towels soft, and were pleased with the bath products provided. What was really nice was the location of this facility as it is within easy walking distance of close to a dozen bars, restaurants, and stores. It's literally a couple blocks. Not once did we feel unsafe as we walked downtown and back to the hotel. We will definitely return, and we have already recommended the City Hall Grand Hotel to many if our friends.

We were in route to the Finger Lakes wine region and decided that a stop in Williamsport would be fun. The old city hall has been restored and repurposed into a wonderful lodging. There are multiple room choices to choose from. We selected room #209 "The Room of Refuge". Plenty of lighting illuminated the large space with a seperate, private bathroom. All rooms on the 2nd & 3rd floors are accessable using the elevator. One note is that there is a staircase from the parking lot to the 1st floor, so very heavy bags may take some work to get to the elevator on level #1. Plenty of free parking right in front of property. The hotel provides a pass code on the day of arrival and any additional needs can be requested thru a contact phone number. There is a fitness center on the lower level, but we decided to take a walk thru Lycoming College and added steps in Brandon Park just one block north of the college. Take a step back in time while enjoying a historic property.

Okay, I understand this isn’t the cheapest option for lodging. But the experience we have here has been worth every cent. Character abounds in the building, but every modern amenity comes with. Def a boutique as every room is different, and you won’t find a *chain* vibe. Local artwork and hand-salvaged furniture. Free parking, but expect that someone else will be parked in the spot marked for your room. Just choose another. Housekeeping is EXCEPTIONAL. They will ask - repeatedly - if you need anything. And make it happen. Put two selected Keurig cups in my room after other guests kinda emptied the stash in the common area and left stuff I didn’t prefer. Beds are comfy, and we’re within walking distance to downtown/grocery/department store/restaurants/bars. I really don’t want to stay anywhere else when we here and 12/10 recommend!

Enjoyed our stay in the Flood Room. Shower is out in the open in the corner of the bedroom, so be prepared. Nice kitchen/lounge area adjacent. Room was clean and everything was fine. My husband was annoyed that our code wouldn’t work until 3:00 sharp. That should be spelled out in the confirmation.

The exterior of this hotel is impressive and historic. Inside is modern and industrial and a little European. (By European, I mean the shower and/or toilet may not be as secluded as Americans prefer and expect.) There's a very nice common living room with a coffee maker and glassware, and snack and drink machines. Here's the twist: there's no front desk or staff onsite. I wasn't sure I liked that, but in fact, we didn't need anyone. And the day we checked out, we talked to a friendly staff member who had come to clean and told us the hotel's background and showed us another room. Overall, it was fantastic. We recommend City Hall Grand Hotel and will stay again if we're in the area.

This hotel has the worst customer service, and I haven’t even been there. I booked a room through ******* to stay during the Little League World Series in August, and then another commitment arose and I had to cancel. I canceled the reservation on the ******* website, but never received the refund, which should have been 90 percent of the booking’s total charge, due to high demand for the rooms during the baseball series. After contacting *******, I was informed that the refund would come from the hotel directly, a situation I’ve never experienced before with them. I’ve made at least 8 phone calls to the hotel, during which I got through to the person in charge of billing once. She told me she’d look into the matter, although stating that the hotel did not give refunds for rooms booked during August. The ******* website clearly states the 90 percent refund policy when booked through them. Since that call, I have not been able to reach any of the hotel staff. It’s the only hotel I’ve experienced that has an answering machine pick up calls during the middle of a business day. I would not recommend booking this hotel, they obviously don’t have well trained, or enough, staff to deal with basic issues, and no sense of customer service.

The concept of converting the old city hall into a hotel was intriguing. We were not disappointed.. we loved our stay here. The exterior is wonderful, and the interior renovated to modernize without detracting from the history. The staff on site was friendly, and the rooms and lobbies spotless. I would highly recommend this location.

This is a self-service hotel (no front desk, key codes to enter) with a gorgeous history-meets-modern ambiance. My room was spotless with spectacular original woodwork, no window, and a very modern wet-room style shower. I loved the cozy feeling and the industrial-modern-1880s vibe. My traveling companion got the same style room (no window, open shower) and found it claustrophobic - she called the service number and the helpful staff immediately moved her to a more traditional room with a window and enclosed shower. She loved it. So five stars for cleanliness, super-creative and tasteful decorating, and accommodating service. Will *definitely* stay here again if I’m in the area!