Openings, closing and renovations: Changes coming to State College-area hotels

Renovations are underway at The Graduate State College, which will be replacing The Atherton Hotel at 125 S. Atherton Street this fall.

After more than 30 years of operation in State College, The Atherton Hotel was acquired by Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners in October. Since the acquisition, The Atherton has remained open and is operating independently until the renovations are complete this fall, when the hotel will be officially converted to Graduate State College.

“The town of State College and its vibrant university community have such a rich history and a fantastic, engaged alumni base,” Julie Saunders, chief marketing officer of Graduate Hotels said in an October release. “It’s the perfect fit for Graduate Hotels and marks our eighth Big Ten Conference location. We look forward to welcoming guests and the State College community next fall.”

Recently, the hotel shared a preview of what some of its guest rooms might look like on social media. With pinstripe wallpaper, plaid curtains, wood furniture, botanical prints and vintage art — complete with a stately Nittany Lion lamp — the rooms are set up to resemble a “classic college clubhouse,” according to the company.

“Guests can expect design that pays homage to the city of State College and nearby Pennsylvania State University,” Harry Jones, the hotel’s general manager, said.. “With each corner turned, there’s an excitement that will keep everyone in awe. Some elements are discrete, and others are more obvious. The goal is to create design that keeps guests curious and in a constant state of discovery throughout their Graduate Hotels stay.”

The hotel will also feature a 24-hour fitness center, complimentary bike rentals and Poindexter Coffee — a cafe by day and cocktail bar by night. The Graduate will also be pet friendly, and offer a free stay and complimentary BarkBox treats for its four-legged guests.

The company also plans to make renovations to the exterior of the building, but did not elaborate on its plans.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to re-imagine a local landmark,” Jones said. “For years, locals and returning guests knew this building as a community gathering place. It will be that and so more when we open Graduate State College.”

What’s going on at the Imperial Motor Inn?

A metal fence has been surrounding the Imperial Motor Inn at 118 S. Atherton St. for about two months now.

Almost everything inside the building was sold in a liquidation auction in April, according to Skip Dreibelbis, of True Blue Auctions. He does not know what the owners plan to do with the property now.

The State College borough Planning Department said it has not received any change-of-use permit requests for the property, and Public Works has not received any permit requests to cap the sewer, a step that will need to be taken before demolition.

The Centre Region Code Administration confirmed Thursday that it has not received any demolition requests for that property.

A new hotel is coming to College Township

A new Holiday Inn is set to break ground in College Township on June 12.

The 63,000-square-foot, four-story hotel will have 101 guest rooms, a fitness center, a bar and lounge area, a restaurant, banquet and meeting spaces and an indoor swimming pool, according to the hotel’s owners.

Holiday Inn University Park, which will be located at 1414 Dreibelbis St., is owned and operated by StarGrande LLC, a subsidiary of Star Group, headed by Mohan Reddyreddy.



The company purchased the land for $800,000 from Dreibelbis Road State College I, LP.

State College was chosen as the site for StarGrande’s newest hotel due to its proximity to Penn State and because of the vitality of the whole Centre Region, the company said.

York-based Kinsley Construction will be the general contractor on the project, which is expected to be complete by late summer or early fall 2020.

The business plans to hire for 30 part-time and 10 full-time jobs.

A groundbreaking ceremony with the owners, members of the construction team and local officials will take place at 9:30 a.m. June 12 at the 1400 Dreibelbis Street site.

This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 9:37 AM.