Hershey Lodge

The artificial chocolate scent everywhere eventually made me feel like throwing up. The idea of chocolate-scented products might sound nice, but I didn't want to wash my hair and body with those soaps and then go to an amusement park with bees. The building smelled musty too, so much that I suspect there may be mold in different areas. The outside buildings weren't labeled well, if at all. We paid $549 for the night, and the bill came to $609 with taxes. I'd never pay that much to stay in such a sub-par hotel again. Even the coffee shop let us down: its $9 breakfast sandwich had the cheapest ingredients, and they didn't even toast the English muffin. Hershey parks and hotel food is absolute trash. I would never stay at the Hershey Lodge again. For a premium price, expect the crappiest of everything. It was 0% worth it.

The indoor water park was a bright spot. We spent hours there and enjoyed it, and most of the food was good, better than at other hotels. Restaurant service was satisfactory. The rooms, though, were outdated, just okay, and not sparkling clean. Room service was a bust: it was expensive, and everything came in plastic containers like it was still a pandemic. The booking process was fragmented because they were installing a new system, and they accidentally charged me more than once. The reservation customer service team wasn't very helpful and could be curt. Check-in took 45 minutes, and the associate needed more training. One and done for me.

The water park is included for overnight guests, though it's very geared toward children and doesn't offer a place to swim for exercise. The hotel is enormous, almost like a little city. There are four restaurants, and friends' rooms can be blocks away from yours. I liked getting a Hershey bar at check-in, so cute! Staff were very friendly and helpful, both inside and outside rooms. The place is beautiful and huge. The conference side, including all the Great American halls, is really great and American.

I stayed here last year and am back again now. The difference is night and day. Last year, check-in, cleanliness, and service were all great, and it was quiet and relaxing. This time our room wasn't ready on time, the toilet didn't work, and hallway noise was unbelievably disruptive. Guests were yelling their plans to each other in the middle of the night, and staff were having what sounded like a social hour outside our door. We faced the parking lot on one side and the hallway on the other. Cars moving around all day didn't make any noise inside, but hallway conversations came through loud and clear. I may as well have taken down the do not disturb sign and invited everyone in. I guess you have to roll the dice and hope you get a good situation.