New Marriott Hotel Celebrates Opening Near State College Regional Airport

After opening near State College Regional Airport on Sept. 25, the Centre Region’s newest hotel celebrated its arrival on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony .

TownePlace Suites by Marriott, located at 118 Donald Drive next to the Nittany Valley Sports Centre, welcomed hotel representatives, local officials and community members for tours of the 96-room property and a meet-and-greet with Penn State football players.

The hotel was developed by Nittany Valley Hotel Partners LP, a joint venture between Decibel Partners and Shaner Hotel Group.

Mimi Driscoll, area director of sales at Shaner Hotels, said the project came about after the developers identified a need for additional accommodations near the airport.

Driscoll said planning began about two years ago, with construction starting in August 2025. The location was chosen for its proximity to the airport, Penn State and the Nittany Valley Sports Centre, with which the hotel has established a partnership.

Although primarily designed for extended stays, the hotel has already attracted visitors attending Penn State football games and other sporting events. Driscoll said all 96 rooms were booked for the weekend of Penn State’s Oct. 10 game against USC.

The hotel was also accommodating visitors attending the PIAA Golf Championships this week at the Penn State Golf Courses, Driscoll said.

Beyond sporting events, the hotel expects to welcome traveling medical professionals, corporate workers and people relocating to the area who may need accommodations for several weeks or months.

The suites include cooking facilities, full-size refrigerators and dishwashers, with some rooms also featuring full ovens. Guests have access to complimentary hot breakfast, outdoor grilling areas, board games and cornhole. The hotel is pet-friendly and offers shuttle transportation.

Driscoll also discussed the hotel’s connections with nearby businesses, including Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens, a farm-to-table restaurant on Fillmore Road that offers dining and event space.

Both Driscoll and general manager Felicia Crane highlighted the hotel’s fitness center.

“The fitness room is extraordinary,” Driscoll said. “It’s huge compared to some of our other properties and has tons of equipment in it.”

Crane said guests could get in a lengthy workout without leaving the property.

“They could literally do a three-hour workout for Ironman in my fitness center. That’s how amazing it is,” Crane said.

For Crane, opening TownePlace Suites marked another step in a career with Shaner Hotel Group that began in 2013.

She started at the front desk before becoming assistant general manager at SpringHill Suites in State College within a year. Crane said she was promoted to general manager in 2020, around the time the hotel closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She subsequently took on assignments at other Shaner properties, including work in DuBois, Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Toward the end of 2025, Crane was offered the opportunity to oversee the opening of TownePlace Suites, her first time leading a hotel opening and managing an extended-stay property.

“I’ve never opened a hotel, and I’ve never actually done extended stay before either, so why not?” she said.

Crane said working with the construction crews was one of the most memorable parts of the project. She credited the workers with keeping hotel staff informed throughout construction and maintaining open communication as the building came together.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Crane also spoke about the challenges of opening a hotel with a small staff, particularly in State College, where she said hiring can be difficult.

“And even the team, I’m sure all of you know, in State College, it is very hard to hire people,” Crane said. “And we opened this hotel with less than 11 people at that.”

The hotel currently employs fewer than 20 people and is continuing to hire, particularly for housekeeping positions, according to Driscoll.

When asked what sets TownePlace Suites apart from other hotels in the area, Crane credited her employees.

She recalled speaking earlier that morning with a guest from New Jersey who complimented the staff for going out of their way to make visitors feel comfortable.

Local business and tourism leaders also spoke during the ceremony about what the new hotel could mean for the surrounding area.

Greg Scott, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, discussed the airport’s role in the county’s economic development strategy, which identifies infrastructure improvements and tourism as priorities for future growth.

“If you think about airports around the country, there’s usually a lot of economic activity happening in and around the airports,” Scott said. “And so I think we have a tremendous opportunity here.”

Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins was also recognized during the ceremony.

Eric Engelbarts, president and CEO of the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, spoke about the hotel’s location next to the Nittany Valley Sports Centre and its potential to accommodate athletes, coaches and families visiting for tournaments and other events.

“Having a quality hotel next door makes it easier for those visitors to stay close to the action and enjoy more of what Centre County has to offer,” Engelbarts said.

He said those visits also benefit restaurants, shops and other businesses throughout the county.

“A young athlete may remember the tournament where they scored their first goal. A parent may remember cheering from the sidelines with the family,” Engelbarts said. “A team may return year after year and come to think of this place as part of their story.”

Additional development could eventually take place on the property. Driscoll said the ownership group is considering a family-style restaurant for an undeveloped area in front of the hotel, which is currently a dirt lot. No restaurant or construction timeline has been announced.

The celebration also featured a meet-and-greet with Penn State football players Malach Goodman, Ben Brahmer, Marcus Neal Jr., Josiah Zayas and Will Tompkins.

As the hotel continues welcoming guests, Crane said she hopes visitors will remember their experience with the staff as much as the accommodations.

“We are striving to make every single person that comes to this hotel feel like they have a home away from home,” Crane said.

“And it’s just building those relationships because we know these people are eventually going to come back.”

A Wave of New Hotels in Centre County

TownePlace Suites is one of several new hotels that have recently opened or are currently in development in Centre County.

On Benner Pike near Bellefonte, Avid Hotel and Candlewood Suites by IHG opened in late 2025 and Tru by Hilton began booking rooms in March.

A Home2 Suites by Hilton, which will be the first phase of the the planned Shiloh Commercial Park, is under construction at the corner of Shiloh and East Trout roads in Patton Township, with an anticipated 2027 opening.

Site work got underway in early October for the long-planned Bellefonte Waterfront Project, which will include a six-story boutique hotel and restaurant in one building and a parking garage, retail and condos in another.

In downtown State College, the Nittany Residence Club condominium hotel is under construction at the corner of South Atherton Street and West Beaver Avenue, while a a Canopy by Hilton will be constructed as part of the State College Town Centre project on South Allen Street.

Geoff Rushton contributed to this report.