Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Hershey / The Hotel Hershey
The Hotel Hershey
Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
Milton Hershey broke ground in October 1931 so Depression-era workers would stay employed, and opened The Hotel Hershey, a Spanish Colonial hilltop house, on 26 May 1933. D. Paul Witmer designed the Circular Dining Room without corners so no guest sat in a slight. Three hundred twenty-six rooms now look over formal gardens, with Hershey Gardens down the hill, and the Spa that opened in 2001 still serves a Whipped Cocoa Bath and a Chocolate Fondue Wrap, and Forbes rates the house Four-Star while AAA rates it Four Diamond.
- 326 rooms
- Opened 1933
- Rooms from 220 sq ft (20 m²)
- Architect: D. Paul Witmer
About The Hotel Hershey
- Hershey told Witmer he did not want corners in the dining room because poor tippers got seated in them elsewhere.
- The Spa at The Hotel Hershey opened in January 2001 and is still sold as the Chocolate Spa, Forbes Four-Star.
- Originally 170 rooms; the house now counts 326 including Villa rooms, Historic Hotels of America since 1991.
- Entry-level rooms start at 220 sq ft (20 m²).
History
The Hotel Hershey crowns a hilltop above Hershey, Pennsylvania, built by chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey during the Great Depression as part of his "Great Building Campaign" to keep local workers employed. Ground was broken in October 1931, and after construction employing up to eight hundred workers at a cost of roughly two million dollars, the hotel opened on May 26, 1933.
Designed by D. Paul Witmer, head of the Hershey Lumber Company, in a Spanish Colonial Revival style, the hotel drew inspiration from a postcard of a thirty-room Mediterranean hotel and features the famous Circular Dining Room, built without corners so that no guest would feel slighted by being seated in one. Originally offering one hundred seventy rooms, it now has three hundred twenty-six, including ninety-eight Villa rooms, and has been a member of Historic Hotels of America since 1991.
The setting
10-minute walk to Hersheypark amusement rides.
Restaurants and bars
- The Circular — Restaurant · American
- 1933 Restaurant & Tavern — Restaurant
- Poolside at The Hotel Hershey — Restaurant
- Trevi 5 — Restaurant · Italian
Amenities
- Indoor and outdoor event options with panoramic views
- Wedding celebrations
- Family get-togethers
- Holiday parties
- Client entertaining
- Menu options for every taste and occasion
- Online celebration/event submission form
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
Open The Hotel Hershey in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.