what is the differance between the two? pros/cons of each. thanks!
will be traveling with my family 1 yr old and 3 year old

The Hotel Hershey is much fancier; it has an elaborate Italianate lobby and a fancy dining room. It sits on a rather tall hill overlooking the town.

The Hershey Lodge sits on the west edge of the town, just across the street from the medical center, and is less formal. It's a bit closer to several 'family style' restaurants than the Hotel Hershey is. Both places are about equally convenient to the amusement park; the Hershey Lodge is a bit more convenient for the town itself.

(Alas, I can't tell you anything useful about the rooms in either place, as I've never stayed in either one, but have just walked through them. Here's hoping that someone's who has actually stayed in them as a guest will speak up!)

Hershey Lodge is a tired, overpriced version of your basic chain motel. Rooms are basic 2Q hotel rooms. Long corridors, thin walls, tired carpets, very basic rooms. You can get much better value staying at a national chain such as a Hampton Inn or other chain that are experts in the hospitality business and have corporate standards.

It's not like at Disney where Disney-brand properties offer you some park entrance advantage or some special disney magic aura. Old Hershey kiss wallpaper just doesn't do it for me.

Spend less money elsewhere for better quality.

I have stayed at both and both have gone through some refurbishment. With young children you may be better off at the Lodge (expecially if the hotel costs more). The Lodge is spread out with two story buildings. They have an indoor and outdoor pool you children could enjoy.
The hotel is beautiful but much more formal with beautiful gardens.

I've been to both properties as well. The Hershey Lodge is your basic motel--nothing special. The Hershey Hotel is a historic hotel and the lobby, Circular Dining Room and gardens are very nice, but the rooms are small and not particularly special either. Although I have heard of people taking their children there, I think it's really geared to a clientele interested in architecture, spa treatments, and fine dining.
As J62 said, you'll do much better by choosing a place like the Hampton Inn or the SpringHill Suites--definitely family friendly, roomier and less expensive than the Hershey choices.

thanks so much for the insight. will look into a non hershey hotel

I live near Hershey and if you don't mind being about 15 minutes from Hershey Park, I had relatives stay at the new Hilton Garden Inn near the Harrisburg East Mall at Christmas and they loved it.
http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi...tyhocn=MDTHAGI
Pool, free breakfast, very clean and within walking distance to quite a few restaurants. A plus for the kids, it's right next to the Bass Pro Shop with their huge (free)aquarium and a new movie theater. You can buy discount Hershey Park tickets at any Giant supermarket.
Have fun!

I stayed at the Hershey Lodge for a conference. I asked for a quiet room, and they gave me a room in the (newer) tower. From what I could see, these rooms are much nicer than some of the others in the lodge.

We were surprised to find that our rooms at the Hershey Lodge were exterior-entrance motel rooms. The building has been built up in helter-skelter fashion and I'm sure the tower rooms are much nicer than our room was.