Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company

What Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company does

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company is a privately held, diversified hospitality and leisure operator headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and owned by the Milton Hershey School Trust. The company runs an integrated destination centered on Hersheypark — a 121-acre theme park with 70+ rides and attractions — and complements it with three lodging properties (Hershey Lodge with 665 rooms, The Hotel Hershey with 326 rooms, and the upcoming Hershey Inn & Suites with 130 rooms opening Spring 2026), Hersheypark Camping Resort, Hershey Country Club, MeltSpa and Chocolate Spa, ZooAmerica, the Hershey Bears AHL hockey franchise, and a portfolio of entertainment venues including Hersheypark Stadium, the GIANT Center, and Hershey Theatre.

Revenue is generated across multiple streams: theme park admissions and in-park spending, hotel room revenue and meeting/group bookings, food and beverage across 15+ restaurants, ticketed events at stadiums and theaters, golf and spa services, camping and resort fees, and retail. Go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer via brand.com and on-site channels, augmented by group sales for corporate meetings and conferences at Hershey Lodge and The Hotel Hershey.

Operationally, the company has begun deploying technology such as a facial recognition-based photo validation system (launched 2025) to streamline park re-entry, indicating an early but narrow use of computer vision in guest operations. The company employs roughly 2,182 people and is led by President and CEO John Lawn. Awards including Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond, Historic Hotels of America, and Platinum Club of America reflect the premium positioning of its lodging and club assets.

Name

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company

Legal name

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company

Website

https://hersheyentertainmentandresorts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts is a privately held, Trust-owned hospitality and leisure operator in Hershey, Pennsylvania, running Hersheypark, three hotels, a country club, spa, zoo, sports franchise, and entertainment venues for mass-market leisure travelers and group/corporate meetings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theme Park and Resort Hospitality

NAICS

Amusement and Theme Parks (71311), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort-Area Full-Service Hotels (Non–All-Inclusive) (THAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Resort Convention Hotels (THAGALAC), Golf & Leisure Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAH), Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Theme park operations
• Resort hospitality
• Entertainment venues
• Food and beverage services
• Spa and wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

Hershey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Theme Park Admissions and Tickets: Revenue from daily admission tickets, season passes, and special event tickets to Hersheypark amusement park, The Boardwalk At Hersheypark water park, and ZooAmerica wildlife park.
2. Hotel Accommodations: Room nightly rentals at The Hotel Hershey (326 rooms, 25 suites, 19 villas), Hershey Lodge (665 rooms), and Hershey Inn & Suites (130 rooms). Includes upsell opportunities for upgrades and extended stays.
3. Food and Beverage Operations: Revenue from 15+ owned dining venues including casual coffee shops, family dining, four-star cuisine restaurants, bars, and confectionery operations. Venues include The Circular, The Chocolatier, Fire & Grain, Devon Seafood + Steak, Milton's Ice Cream Parlor, 1933 Restaurant & Tavern, and others.
4. Entertainment Events and Tickets: Revenue from concerts, shows, sporting events at Hersheypark Stadium (outdoor venue), GIANT Center arena (hockey, concerts, family events), and Hershey Bears AHL hockey games.
5. Camping and Outdoor Recreation: Revenue from Hersheypark Camping Resort featuring 300+ sites including 46 log and deluxe cabins, tent sites, and partial/full-hookup sites.
6. Golf Club Memberships: Private club memberships and green fees at Hershey Country Club featuring two championship-level courses. Club has hosted LPGA Lady Keystone Open for nearly 20 years.
7. Spa and Wellness Services: Revenue from The Spa At The Hotel Hershey (Chocolate Spa, 40,000 sq ft, 61 treatment areas) and MeltSpa by Hershey (9 premier treatment rooms) offering chocolate-inspired treatments and salon services.
8. Retail Merchandise: Revenue from retail shops at Hersheypark, ZooAmerica, and resort properties selling Hershey-branded merchandise, candy, apparel, and souvenirs.
9. Corporate Meetings and Conventions: Revenue from corporate events, meetings, and conventions at Hershey Lodge (one of Pennsylvania's largest convention resorts with 100,000+ sq ft) and The Hotel Hershey (25,000 sq ft meeting space).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company operates a diversified portfolio of theme park attractions, resort hotels, entertainment venues, restaurants, spas, a wildlife park, a camping resort, and a golf club — anchored by the 121-acre Hersheypark and historic resort properties in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company sells daily admission tickets, season passes, hotel accommodations, dining experiences, spa treatments, sports and concert tickets, and corporate meeting services to leisure travelers, families, and corporate clients.

Product overview

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts is a diversified entertainment and hospitality company operating a portfolio of themed attractions, resort properties, entertainment venues, dining establishments, and recreational facilities in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The core offering centers on Hersheypark, a 121-acre amusement park with over 70 rides, water park, and zoo, complemented by resort accommodations (Hershey Lodge with 665 rooms, The Hotel Hershey with 326 rooms and 25 suites, and the newly opening Hershey Inn & Suites with 130 rooms), spa experiences (The Spa At The Hotel Hershey/Chocolate Spa and MeltSpa), Hersheypark Camping Resort (300+ sites), ZooAmerica wildlife park, Hershey Bears hockey team, entertainment venues (Hersheypark Stadium, GIANT Center, Hershey Theatre), and Hershey Country Club. The company also operates 15+ distinct restaurant concepts including The Circular, The Chocolatier, Fire & Grain, and others. The portfolio includes both owned attractions and affiliated properties serving leisure travelers, group/meeting planners, and local guests.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Boardwalk At Hersheypark: Water park within Hersheypark featuring 11 acres of water slides, splash pads, wave pool, lazy river, and water coaster.
• Hershey's Chocolatetown

Products and services

• Hersheypark

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of visitors attracted annually to Hershey, PA destination
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington CapitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hershey Bears hockey team is an affiliate of the Washington Capitals NHL team. This affiliation provides organizational and player development support, connecting the AHL team to one of the NHL's premier franchises. The Hershey Bears are the longest consecutive running AHL team with 13 Calder Cup championships.
• Shippensburg UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Shippensburg University for the Hersheypark Leadership Development Internship curriculum. The university developed exclusive coursework exploring leadership fundamentals, with students receiving a certificate in leadership development from Shippensburg University upon completion. Curriculum may be eligible for elective credits.
• Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association for culinary apprenticeship programs. Combined with National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and US Department of Labor to offer apprenticeship tracks for culinary skill development.
• National Restaurant Association Educational FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for culinary apprenticeship programs alongside Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association and US Department of Labor.
• US Department of LaborminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with US Department of Labor for culinary apprenticeship programs, providing official apprenticeship certification and standards for training.
• CCI GreenheartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational hiring partner for J-1 Summer Work & Travel Program. CCI Greenheart, located in Chicago, IL, qualifies and sponsors international students for seasonal employment at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts during May-September.
• Milton Hershey SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHershey Entertainment & Resorts honors Milton S. Hershey's legacy by giving back to Milton Hershey School. The company provides educational support and donations that allow the school and its students to flourish. Every year the company contributes to the school's mission of helping students lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Six Flags Entertainment Corporation: Six Flags operates a portfolio of regional theme parks across North America (now including legacy Cedar Fair properties such as Cedar Point and Dorney Park). Hersheypark competes most directly with this category of multi-park regional operator, sharing similar ride-driven, family-leisure positioning.
• Great Wolf Resorts: Great Wolf Lodge operates an indoor waterpark resort chain with lodging, F&B, and family entertainment — a directly comparable integrated resort-waterpark-destination model to Hersheypark's combination of theme park, water park (The Boardwalk), and resort hotels.
• SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. SeaWorld operates regional theme parks (Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld Orlando, etc.) with combined resort, F&B, and live-event components. Closest publicly traded comparable in scale and integrated-resort model to Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.
• Kalahari Resorts & Conventions: Kalahari operates indoor waterpark resorts with convention facilities across the US, including a Wisconsin Dells property that competes for the same family leisure + MICE demand pool as Hershey Lodge and Hershey Inn & Suites.

Regional players

• Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Dorney Park (Allentown, PA) is a Cedar Fair/Six Flags-owned regional theme park with a water park, competing directly with Hersheypark and The Boardwalk At Hersheypark for Northeast family-leisure demand.
• Knoebels Amusement Resort: Knoebels is a family-owned Pennsylvania amusement park with free admission/pay-per-ride pricing and camping — a direct regional competitor to Hersheypark within the central Pennsylvania leisure market.
• Dutch Wonderland: Dutch Wonderland is a Lancaster, PA-based amusement park specifically aimed at families with young children — a regional competitor in the same family-leisure segment that Hersheypark's 20+ kiddie rides target.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Destinations & Experiences: Universal's destination resort complexes (Universal Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood) combine theme parks, hotels, dining, and entertainment under a single brand — a much larger and better-capitalized analog to HE&R's integrated resort model.
• Walt Disney Parks and Resorts: Disney's parks division operates the largest integrated theme-park-resort-entertainment portfolio globally (Walt Disney World, Disneyland). Disney represents the upper-bound benchmark for the integrated destination resort model that HE&R operates at a regional scale.

Others

• Invited (formerly ClubCorp): Invited operates a national portfolio of private golf and country clubs, including Platinum Club properties comparable to Hershey Country Club. While not a direct competitor in theme parks, it is a relevant comparable for HE&R's country club business unit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HersheyPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HersheyEntertainmentandResorts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hershey-entertainment-&-resorts
• Instagraminstagram.com/hersheyjobs

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company