The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center marked a new chapter in its 31-year history on Thursday afternoon with the celebration of a yearlong, comprehensive renovation.
Owner Scholar Hotel Group, which acquired the Penn Stater and the Nittany Lion Inn from Penn State in 2023, welcomed community members for a ribbon cutting and to showcase the top-to-bottom refresh of the hotel and conference center at 215 Innovation Boulevard in Innovation Park.
It came a year after Scholar reopened the Inn following a much lauded, extensive renovation there.
“I think most people like what we did [at the Inn]. I think it’s been pretty successful,” said Gary Brandeis, CEO and founder of Scholar Hotels and a Penn State alumnus. “We were really happy, but we weren’t done yet. We had this great project to do as well, much different than the Nittany Lion Inn, but just as important. This hotel is very special to the community, the Penn State community, the Centre County community and, frankly, the entire state of Pennsylvania.
“This was a challenging project. Not as challenging as the Nittany Lion Inn, but it certainly was a challenge.”
Brandeis said the cost of the Penn Stater renovation was “eight figures… more than $10 million.”
All 302 hotel rooms at the Penn Stater received an overhaul, modernizing the furniture, bathrooms and amenities while creating a warm and welcoming ambience. The rooms had been updated at times over the years, but had simply become worn, said Dawn Nixon, director of sales.
Lodging offerings now include 75 double king bed rooms, Nixon said, along with standard and deluxe single king and double queen rooms
The 55,000 square feet of conference center space — making it the largest conference center hotel within 100 miles — got a remodel as well, from meeting rooms to lobby and common areas.
“We’re ready to raise the stakes here at the Penn Stater,” Brandeis said. “I think one of the things that we weren’t able to do previously was go after higher rated business. We’re gonna be able to compete with the best conference facilities in the state of Pennsylvania now, and even farther than that. So we’re gonna go after those bigger conferences, those more expensive conferences, if you will, and go out and get that type of business and bring it here to Centre County, to Happy Valley, and let other people get accustomed to this experience.”
The grand lobby at the hotel entrance has been revitalized, with an inviting, updated atmosphere and new seating. The Gardens restaurant has a fresh but familiar look as well, with new flooring and countertops.
Legends Pub will be getting some smaller renovations over the holiday break in December, Eric Olbrich, conferences and special events manager, said.
A Dear Joe coffee shop, also one of the newer features at the Nittany Lion Inn, will replace the gift shop and is tentatively expected to open Dec. 1.
The renovation also included remodeling of common seating areas and hallways and the replacement of roofs, mechanical systems and other behind-the-scenes items.
“Not only did we fix all the things that you can see, but we fixed, replaced and repaired everything you can’t see,” Brandeis said. “So not only do you see a lot of new things, but things that you don’t see are also operating and functioning much better than they used to.”
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said Brandeis has been “such a good caretaker of the brand” since the university Board of Trustees selected Scholar to take over the hotels. (Scholar owns the businesses and has a long-term ground lease for the properties, which the university continues to own.)
The Penn Stater, she said, has remained a hub for education, counting among its 300 employees students who gain relevant experience in fields of study such as business and hospitality management. Brandeis has also “created a community” in improving the Penn Stater as a conference center and hospitality destination for the entire Centre County area, she said.
Bendapudi added that Brandeis has “created a home” by ensuring the Penn Stater is a welcoming place for prospective students, their families and alumni.
“The name says it all. This is the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center,” she said. “So whether it’s prospective families, students that are here to say, ‘is this my home?’
This will be their welcoming space. If alumni come back 50 years later, as they do, we hope they know that this is the place that they can come and stay, and know that there’s always home here for them.”
In addition to the two campus hotels, Scholar Hotel Group’s State College properties also include Scholar State College, Hyatt Place, Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott.
The company will be adding another property to its portfolio as operator of The Nittany Residence Club, a condominium hotel to be constructed at the corner of West Beaver Avenue and North Atherton Street, which is scheduled to hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.
