Although the Pennsylvania region encompassing Lancaster County, Hershey and Harrisburg has been for many years a wildly popular family-friendly vacation destination, with everything from its famous "chocolate town" to the laid-back, farm-based lifestyle of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, important developments are driving a new era of meetings growth that is diversifying the tourism and hospitality sector.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County is the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the region is unveiling impressive developments that are expanding its meetings reach.
The new $177 million Lancaster County Convention Center and the 300-room Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square opened earlier this year in downtown Lancaster with 90,000 square feet of combined space for conventions and exhibits. Both sites offer contemporary technologies, amenities and visitor experiences behind historic walls. They occupy the iconic 19th century Beaux Arts facade of the former Watt & Shand department store, which anchors Lancaster’s historic centerpiece.
Monica Thomas, director of meeting and convention sales for the Pennsylvania Dutch CVB in Lancaster, says the new complex is ideal for groups ranging in size from five to 5,000 people.
"The location is very convenient to several major Northeast cities, but is not as demanding on the budget," she says. "We are focusing our marketing on state associations and smaller groups in the D.C. and Baltimore markets, though we can now do citywides of 17,000 people or more."
And there’s more to the new Lancaster facilities package. Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center is undergoing $7 million in renovations to rebrand its conference side to the 184-room Doubletree Resort & Conference Center. The resort’s original side will be renamed the Willow Valley Family Inn & Restaurant. The conference center is also getting a new restaurant. The two separate resort facilities will begin operating under new names in June.
Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center is another top meetings property that has recently been upgraded.
Cork Factory Hotel, a 75-room boutique hotel with 4,000 square feet of meeting space, is rising inside a converted industrial building in downtown Lancaster. The 4,000-square-foot ballroom will open this fall, and the hotel will open in March.
Meanwhile, Bird-in-Hand Corporation now offers complete meetings services through its family restaurant’s Banquet and Conference Center, accommodating up to 300 people, and Bird-In-Hand Village Inn & Suites, a property with 24 rooms and suites in four preserved historic buildings.
Besides all that’s new, Thomas says Lancaster’s accessibility remains a huge draw, especially in the prevailing economic climate.
"Pennsylvania associations are excited to add another drive-to destination to consider," she says. "They look at us now, along with Hershey. We didn’t have a facility to accommodate many groups in the past."
A new downtown vibe is yet another development that’s piquing planner interest in Lancaster. Bistros, bars, ethnic restaurants, shops and art galleries are transforming the core into a visitor magnet.
"Planners who visit us these days are shocked at all there is for attendees to do in the city center," Thomas says. "We have wonderful new restaurants with a variety of cuisines, and the arts are on parade in all the galleries and our First Friday events. That’s when more than 70 arts venues extend their hours until 9 and later."
Some of the new faces include Loxley’s Restaurant at the Heritage Hotel Lancaster and Crush Wine Bar, which recently opened above Carr’s Restaurant. Live jazz is on tap at the new Rosa Rosa Late Jazz venue at Rosa Rosa Ristorante. The new home of The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen also opened downtown at Prince and Walnut streets. It’s an organization that teaches, promotes and exhibits traditional hand-made Lancaster arts and crafts. Performing arts have been a big visitor attraction in Lancaster for some time, including the world-famous Sight & Sound Theatre, sometimes called inspirational Broadway.
Many visiting groups still want to touch rural Lancaster County, where the descendants of those who immigrated to the region from Europe over three centuries ago continue farm-based lifestyles. The rolling pasturelands and small towns draw millions of visitors annually, and popular ways to experience it include working farm tours and meals at traditional Pennsylvania Dutch restaurants. But something new has been added even to these mainstays. Thomas says some have obtained liquor licenses and now serve wine and beer to patrons, along with the whipped potatoes and shoofly pie.
Hershey/Harrisburg
When it comes to marketing and serving meeting groups, Lancaster County frequently partners with nearby Hershey and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital.
"Our destinations complement each other, and we are doing very well in bringing people into the region," says Sharon Altland, director of sales for the Hershey/Harrisburg CVB.
With all that’s new and coming into central Pennsylvania, the region’s hospitality managers are extending their marketing reach to markets such as Chicago, according to Altland.
The Hershey/Harrisburg area offers the nationally known destination of Hershey, along with the urban tempo of Harrisburg, with its nightlife and restaurants.
"We have a lot of big-city amenities without the high prices," Altland says. "And that’s of great interest to state associations and others, such as religious groups."
PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center is Harrisburg’s main group venues, while the nearby Carlisle Expo Center is another top option, with 30,000 square feet of function space for events such as trade shows, conventions, exhibitions and conferences.
Two top meetings properties in the region that have recently completed upgrades are the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center and the Holiday Inn Harrisburg East.
One way any group can experience the vibrancy and diversity of Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg is to take walking tours of the downtown grid past historic homes and churches. They can stroll along the Susquehanna River and delve into the city’s role in the Civil War era. Theatrical and musical performances can be enjoyed at stops like Open Stage of Harrisburg and the Sunoco Performance Theatre at Whitaker Center. Restaurant Row on Second Street allows visitors to indulge in a variety of culinary choices.
Harrisburg is also the location for the riveting National Civil War Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. This very contemporary interactive museum portrays the war story without bias to Union or Confederate causes, and it offers a stunning setting and design for private events. Situated on a hilltop above the skyline of Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River, the museum has a grand staircase in its rotunda that lends drama to events.
Groups can also visit nearby Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for a day at the horse races. The site’s several restaurants, 2,000 slot machines and meeting space that overlooks the tracks combine for a productive and entertaining day, according to Altland.
She also recommends the Antique Auto Club of America Museum in Hershey as a unique 71,000-square-foot venue for tours and seated and standing events.
Hershey’s array of accommodations and attractions has reached new heights of sweetness with this year’s completion of The Hotel Hershey’s Grand Expansion project, a $67 million, 75th anniversary project that celebrates Milton Hershey’s venerable lodging creation. Ten new Woodside Cottages featuring 48 upscale guest rooms, a leadership training center and a meetings cottage are now located behind the hotel, which has also received recent upgrades. Also part of the new facilities package is Harvest restaurant. New recreational facilities, including a multi-swimming pool complex and a year-round ice skating rink, are also in the lineup of additions.
Devon Seafood Grill is also a new face at Hershey. Located in the restored historic Hershey Press Building on Chocolate Avenue, the upscale-chic design offers private dining areas and culinary events in fall and winter.
The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue also recently opened, showcasing founder Milton S. Hershey’s business and personal story and the chocolate empire and town he built and inspired. Private events and team-building classes are available.
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, with 100,000 square feet of meeting space, has undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation in recent years, and its 665 guest rooms continue to receive upgraded decor.
In nearby Grantville, the Holiday Inn Harrisburg Hershey is also undergoing renovations.
