Chocolate Express Hotel & Suites Hershey

Never again!! So first, the positives of staying at this hotel. One, it is close to Hershey Park and all the Hershey related activities. Two, the gentleman who checked us in and out was very friendly. That is it. When we pulled in the parking lot, there were only two other cars in the entire lot (ok, maybe one more positive, the parking lot had recently been resealed and striped and looked very nice). As we approached the front door, we noticed that the previous business signs had just been covered up, but thought that this is just temporary if someone has just purchased this business. It was a bit disconcerting that there were only a couple of cars in the lot besides ours. Also, approaching the front door, there was a doorway along the side of the building which was standing partially open, no lights on inside, and junk falling out of the doorway. Once we entered the building, it was quickly apparent that this hotel was in trouble. Everything was unkept and the lobby was very hot. To the left was the dining room, which was packed with tables and chairs (nothing like the spacious dining room in the pictures). There was a sign that said because of COVID, there was only a limited, cold breakfast. There was and area with advertisements which was unkept. Everything just looked unprofessional. The gentleman at the front desk was very pleasant and quickly got our keys for our room. As we walked down the hallway, there were bags of trash sitting on the floor outside of several rooms, along with used towels. It looked like housekeeping had partially completed their rounds and just stopped. These items where still in the hallway when we were leaving the next morning. The hallway was very warm and did not smell clean. Upon entering our room, initially, it looked ok, but it was soon apparent that it hadn't been deep cleaned in a while. Everything just looked unkept and the room had a musty smell. I decided to take a shower and upon entering the bathroom encountered a rather large cockroach on the wall. I was able to capture it and flush it, but was not happy to see that. It looked as if someone had attempted to do some remodeling in the bathroom, but it just looked shoddy. After ensuring that everything we owned was off the floor, we decided just to go to sleep. I have to say, it was VERY QUIET during the night, but if there are only a couple of rooms being used, it would be. We did not check out any of the amenities, such as the pool, hot tub, or game room, so I can not comment on those. In the morning, the same man was as the front desk and was pleasant at our check out. My daughter and I took a peek at breakfast and basically it was some dry cereal in dispensers, a few items in a mini fridge, and bananas. We took a couple of bananas for the trip to a local restaurant for breakfast. So, to sum up, if you want a place to stay which is fairly inexpensive, close to Hershey, and you aren't concerned about your accommodations, this could work out for you. If you are wanting an updated, clean, hotel and room (that doesn't remind you of a movie where the people go in but never come out) this probably is not where you want to stay. Would my family and I return for another stay? Nope, not again! Sometimes you just get what you pay for and I am willing to pay a little more for a better experience. I hope the owners will be able to improve their establishment so that others can give a better review.