Harrisburg
- Hampton Inn and Suites Harrisburg/North (717.540.0900; www.hilton.com) opened in June. The new property offers 106 guest rooms and an 850-square-foot meeting room with complimentary high-speed Internet, audiovisual capabilities and a business center.
- Following a $1.5 million renovation and reflagging from Comfort Inn, the 80-room Holiday Inn Express Harrisburg NE (717.540.8400; www.hiexpress.com) opened in May.
- Sleep Inn & Suites Harrisburg (717.545.7715; www.sleepinn.com) opened August. The property offers 44 guest rooms and a boardroom.
Hershey
- Hershey Lodge (717.533.3311; www.hersheylodge.com) completed renovations of all 665 guest rooms this year. The property has 100,000 square feet of meeting space.
- The Hotel Hershey (717.533.2171; www.thehotelhershey.com) upgraded guest rooms in the main building earlier this year. All guest rooms in the west tower were renovated in 2011. The property has 276 guest rooms and 23,500 square feet of meeting space.
- A new 108-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott (www.marriott.com) is slated to open in Hershey in spring 2013. The new property will feature an indoor pool, gift shop and oversized guest breakfast area.
Lancaster County
- The historic Montgomery House, contained within the lobby of the Lancaster County Convention Center (717.239.1600; www.lancasterconventioncenter.com) in downtown Lancaster, is slated for development into an intimate, high-end meeting space opening early in 2013. Each of the three levels of the house can welcome approximately 50 people. Integrated with the 297-room Lancaster Marriott Hotel, the center offers a total of 90,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space.
- Slated to open in March 2013, the 65-acre Spooky Nook Sports Complex (717.945.7087; www.spookynooksports.com) will offer 600,000 square feet of indoor athletic courts, several outdoor sports fields, retail space and a restaurant. Located west of downtown Lancaster, the complex will also offer team-building activities and 130,000 square feet of exhibit space.
- Performing arts venue Ware Center of Millersville University (717.871.2308; www.millersville.edu), located in Downtown Lancaster, added a large kitchen area this summer. The center comprises 25 meeting rooms, a 361-seat auditorium, two view spaces suitable for groups of 175 and an atrium that can host 350 for banquets.
- The recently opened Ironstone Ranch (717.902.9791; www.ironstoneranch.com) provides a unique meetings venue outside Elizabethtown. Its restored barn can accommodate 180. The working ranch can also offer group trail rides, hayrides and carriage rides.
- In July 2012, the historic Cork Factory Hotel (717.735.2075; www.corkfactoryhotel.com) in downtown Lancaster opened a new event space. Called the Warehouse, the 2,555-square-foot venue features cork-lined walls and rustic chandeliers. Altogether, the property also offers a 5,225-square-foot ballroom and a 985-square-foot assembly room.
- Luxury property Inn at Leola Village (717.656.7002; www.theinnatleolavillage.com) recently added an upscale 2,000-square-foot event space. The venue, called Bella Giardino, features an intimate, European feel. The property offers a total of 7,000 square feet of meeting space and 63 unique guest rooms and suites.