The Hotel Hershey is a historic hotel packed with modern amenities and plenty of on-site activities! Located minutes from Hersheypark and other local attractions, it’s a must-see when visiting Hershey, PA!
The Hotel Hershey: Guest Review
As a Central PA native, I’ve been on The Hotel Hershey property many times, but it wasn’t until this past weekend that I actually stayed as a guest! It took 40 years for me to see the inside of one of the rooms, and I’m ready to tell you all about it! And you’ll have to excuse me now, because I think there will be lots of exclamation points in this post!
Curb Appeal
I can’t imagine sharing The Hotel Hershey with you guys and starting anywhere else than curb appeal! Located at the top of a hill and overlooking Hersheypark and the town of Hershey, even just driving up to the property is gorgeous. Regardless of the season you’re visiting in, the employees always have it show ready and looking its finest!
With it’s signature green roof and Italian style fountains, you’ll see hints everywhere to how much Milton Hershey enjoyed traveling the world!
And the curb appeal doesn’t just stop with the front of the hotel. You have to be sure to visit the back as well for even more fountains and the formal gardens!
As a local, this was always a hot spot to come for photographs! High school kids get prom photos taken, families get Mother’s Day photos here, and I have pictures of my kids as toddlers posed on these steps!
It’s so much more massive than pictures can convey and worth taking the time to stroll around and enjoy it! There are lots of benches scattered throughout as well, so you can even bring a book out to enjoy the peace and quiet!
Guest Areas of the Hotel
When we first entered the lobby of the hotel this past weekend, we were greeted by none other than the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! While a costume character isn’t always stationed in the lobby, there are times every day that they are so it would be fun to find those times out before you arrive so you can time it correctly for you kids!
If you’re looking for places to relax, one of our favorites is the fireplace seating area right outside The Cocoa Beanery and the Sweets Shop. Grab a specialty coffee and a cupcake and get comfortable!
You’ll find lots of spots like this tucked away throughout the hotel to hang out with friends or just to people watch!
On-Site Recreational Activities
While there’s plenty to do in the town of Hershey itself, you can easily keep yourself busy just staying at the hotel!
When you check in for your stay, you’ll receive a print-out of that weekend’s activities. It’s jam-packed with everything from tours of the hotel to chocolate Bingo to craft sessions and more!
You can also head to Harvest, the restaurant behind the Hotel for indoor game rooms. The perfect activity for a rainy day! They actually have 2 game rooms in Harvest: one for kids under 18 and one for 18+.
The Hershey Hotel grounds are massive and also filled with outdoors activities for everyone in your family. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a sports complex, disc golf course, hiking trails, a falconry center, basketball and tennis courts, sand volleyball and so much more! It’s really impressive when you take the time to explore just how much there is available for guests.
But our very favorite activity at The Hotel Hershey are the jazz nights they hold on the veranda during the summer months. You don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy them. We drive up on Friday nights, enjoy a glass of wine and some small plates and just enjoy the view. It’s such a relaxing way to spend an evening, and we always leave saying we should do that more often. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
Amenities at The Hotel Hershey
With your stay at The Hotel Hershey, you’ll receive all the common amenities available at most luxury hotels nowadays: in-room fridge, complimentary WiFi, flat screen TVs, etc. But there are some really amazing extra amenities that the Hotel offers that are worth mentioning!
- Complimentary valet and self-parking
- Hershey Spa products in bathroom
- Complimentary electric vehicle charging stations
- Complimentary shuttle service to all Hershey attractions
- Free passes for everyone in your party to The Hershey Story
- Free passes for everyone in your party to The Hershey Gardens
- Airport and train station shuttle (an additional fee)
- Best prices on Hersheypark tickets
- Access to 3 award winning gold courses
- SO MUCH MORE!!
Guest Rooms
Of course, what everyone wants to know is WHAT DO THE GUEST ROOMS LOOK LIKE?!
You won’t be disappointed! While they are a bit smaller than some hotels I’ve stayed at, that’s to be expected since this is a historic hotel (it was built during the Great Depression). But they’re so tastefully done and have every modern amenity that you won’t be missing a little extra room.
We stayed in a room with 2 queen beds. They also have rooms that have access doors between them if you need more space.
The bath products from the Spa were my favorite! You must smell them and then book yourself an actual appointment at the spa. You’ll be hooked!
If your party is large, though, and you’re looking for more room, they also have cottages located behind the hotel that are more secluded. They have curb-side parking and all of the same amenities.
Dining Options at The Hotel Hershey
The most famous of all the dining options at the Hotel Hershey is the Circular Dining Room! When Milton Hershey designed it, he said he didn’t want anyone to have to sit in a corner… so circular it is! It gives a spectacular view of the formal gardens out back and has the best brunch our area offers! It’s worth trying while you’re visiting.
For a more casual, family meal, I highly recommend Harvest. It’s located behind the Hotel and where we ate on our last visit.
The inside has stained glass ceilings and even more gorgeous views! Plus the food is delicious (I recommend the french toast!) and very reasonably priced.
They also have a bar if you’re looking for a more of an evening visit.
Back inside the main building of the Hotel, you’ll find even more dining options. My extended family always visits Trevi 5 each year for a modern twist to a classic Italian meal. The Iberian Lounge offers dim lighting, jazz on Saturday evenings and a limited light menu.
For a quick breakfast or lunch to go, try The Cocoa Beanery located right off the lobby. Beside it is Sweets where you can find ice cream, milk shakes and those famous Hershey cupcakes.
Or just be like us and order room service when you get back to your room! I was not complaining about this Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie with hot chocolate at 10:00 p.m.!
Location of The Hotel Hershey
If you’re visiting to explore more of the town of Hershey, you’ll be thrilled with the location of the Hotel! I mentioned before that it sits on a hill overlooking the town, but it really is just minutes from everything!
Directly in front of the hotel, you’ll see a domed building. That’s the main building of the Hershey Gardens and you can easily walk to it from the Hotel. It’s literally directly across the street!
Right beyond the Gardens, you’ll see the Kissing Tower sticking up along with some of the other rides at Hersheypark. While you can’t really walk to Hersheypark because of where the entrance is located, it’s only a couple minutes drive away. Just hop on the free shuttle that the Hotel offers so you can save on parking!
Downtown Hershey is about a 5 minute drive depending on the traffic. There is a parking garage located right off the Press Building (where Houlihan’s is located) that offers free parking and is central to the downtown area.
The Hershey Outlets and Troeg’s Brewing are about a 3 minute drive away. Pretty much right at the bottom of the hill, beside Hersheypark!
How to Book Your Stay
Ready to book your stay?! I highly recommend going directly through the Hotel Hershey website. They offer all kinds of packages depending on the time of year and will have the best prices available for you!
Be sure to also follow along with them on social media so you can keep up to date with any new special or upcoming activities!
The Hotel Hershey on Instagram
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