TheNittany Lion Inn is Penn State. Sure, it's hokey to say that, but it is tradition. June Gamble of State College and her husband Hays, both Penn State alumni, spent their wedding night there in 1948. It was the ideal stopping place. The marriage stuck.
Many students have fond memories of working at the inn.
At one time, hotel administration students were required to work at the inn as part of meeting their academic requirements for the program. A number of those post-World War II graduates went on to become enormously successful. The University took over operation of the hotel in 1948. The inn is self-sustaining, according to Fran Levin, director of sales and marketing for the past seven years. Back then, guest accommodations were furnished with a bed, either wooden or metal frame, a dresser, a writing table, an armchair and a lamp.