Penn Hills Resort was a honeymoon resort located in community of Analomink, in Stroud Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains region near the Borough of East Stroudsburg.
Initially opened as a simple tavern in 1944, Penn Hills was almost completely rebuilt in 1955 after a summer of massive flooding.
By the 1960s, it had grown into a sizeable vacation destination, with 100 rooms spread out over 500 acres. There was a golf course for the summer and ski slopes and an ice rink for the winter.
It specialized in honeymoons and romantic vacations and, during the ’60s and ’70s, the resort continued to grow not only in size but popularity. Guest villas featured floor-to-ceiling carpeting, round beds, and heart-shaped bathtubs.
Distinctive, modernist streetlights from the 1964 World’s Fair were installed, as well as an ice rink and a wedding bell shaped outdoor swimming pool. It was titled as the ‘Paradise of Pocono Pleasure’ and was especially set for romantic excursions.
In 2009, Penn Hills co-founder Frances Paolillo died at the age of 102.
The resort closed less than 2 months after his death. Workers’ final paychecks were never issued, and the resort owed the county over $1 million in back taxes.
Already in serious disrepair, flooding and copper thieves damaged the buildings further, and the resort was abandoned. The hotel quickly fell into extreme disrepair.
Some of the resort has been auctioned off; the golf course, ski resort and several undeveloped parcels of land have been sold.
The cottages, villas and other buildings on the hotel grounds remained untouched until March 2016, when Penn Hills Resort was finally sold.