First, the name is misleading. Not actually the original historic Carnegie Hotel. It burned in a fire.
Second, while a very nicely decorated and comfortable lobby, there is nothing special about the rooms. All rooms on front of building have a view of ETSU and a peekaboo view of Buffalo Mountain, but there is a lot of road noise so bring a noise machine. The rooms are large and comfortable at 400sqft, but the furniture is quite beaten up. Rooms on the top floor on the front have larger windows which are really nice. There is a mini refrigerator, but no microwave which was unfortunate because we did not want to use the in-room coffee maker because one can never tell if it is cleaned between guests (who could use their used cup to refill with water). Very convenient to everything in and around Johnson City. Free parking. Free local daily newspaper at the front desk. Restaurants within walking distance. We can not see what justifies the higher price versus other hotels in the area.