Hershey Lodge

Hershey Lodge opened on May 1, 1967 as the Hershey Motor Lodge, built by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company to address rising demand for convention-grade lodging in central Pennsylvania. A $8 million Convention Center expansion in 1974 anchored the property's pivot toward the meetings business. In 1981 the Cocoa Suites cluster of small breakout rooms came online and the property was renamed Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. The 1997 board approved the largest single capital reinvestment in the property's history, a $33 million expansion that opened in stages through 1998 with 231 new guest rooms, expanded meeting space, and a new exhibit hall. A $5 million interior renovation followed in 2002, and Cvent records a further renovation pass in 2014. The property today operates 35 distinct meeting rooms totaling 100,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, with a published per-room capacity range of 10 to 2,000 attendees. The largest single bookable space, Great American Hall, measures 32,004 square feet at 252 ft by 127 ft with a 22-foot ceiling. Cvent reports Great American Hall capacities of 2,400 banquet, 4,000 theater, 3,500 classroom, 4,000 reception, and 2,000 u-shape. The hall divides into three sections via airwall: the Red Room (9,389 sq ft), the White Room (11,303 sq ft), and the Blue Room (11,303 sq ft). The second-largest single room, the Chocolate Ballroom, runs 15,136 square feet with capacity for 1,180 banquet, 1,500 theater, and 1,700 classroom. Hershey Lodge has served as the anchor host of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Annual Educational Conference and Exhibit Show since 1979. Recent confirmed PSATS years include 2024 (April 14-17), 2025 (May 4-7), and 2026 (April 19-22). PSATS reports the conference draws approximately 4,000 attendees over four days. The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) held its 113th Annual Conference at Hershey Lodge June 1-4, 2025 and returns May 31 through June 3, 2026. The Pennsylvania Medical Society House of Delegates and the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention also lodge group attendees at the property. The closest commercial airport is Harrisburg International (MDT), a regional facility approximately 15 minutes by ground at 9 miles, the third-busiest airport in Pennsylvania for passenger enplanements. Larger groups stage through Philadelphia (PHL) or Baltimore/Washington (BWI), each approximately 90 to 95 minutes by car and both full hubs. The property is wholly owned and operated by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, the same operator that runs the sister property The Hotel Hershey roughly three miles away.