Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania, metropolitan statistical area

The Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania, metropolitan statistical area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as an area consisting of three counties in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley, anchored by the cities of Harrisburg and (to a lesser-extent) Carlisle. As of the 2010 census, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 549,475 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 536,919). In 2009, Harrisburg–Carlisle was the 96th largest metropolitan area in the United States. As of 2010, it is part of the defined Harrisburg–York–Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area, which includes York and Adams counties and has a population of 1,233,708 people making it the 43rd most populous in the United States.

Metro history

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg (Pennsylvania German: Harrisbarig) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 49,673, it is the tenth-largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, 105 miles (169 km) west-northwest of Philadelphia and 204 miles (328 km) east of Pittsburgh.

The Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry counties, had a population of 509,074 in 2000 and grew to 549,850 in 2010. A July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 528,892, making it the fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown−Bethlehem−Easton (the Lehigh Valley), and Scranton−Wilkes Barre. The Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon Combined Statistical Area, including both the Harrisburg-Carlisle and Lebanon Metropolitan Statistical Areas, had an estimated population of 656,781 in 2007 and was the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in the state.

Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn is a multinational brand of hotels, which are part of the LSE-listed InterContinental Hotels Group. Originally a U.S. motel chain, today it is one of the world's largest hotel chains, with 435,299 bedrooms in 3,463 hotels globally hosting over 100 million guest nights each year. The hotel chain is based in three cities: Atlanta, London and Rio de Janeiro.

History

1950s–1970s

Kemmons Wilson, a resident of Memphis, Tennessee, was inspired to build his own motel after being disappointed by poor quality and inconsistent roadside accommodation during a family road trip to Washington, D.C. The name Holiday Inn was given to the original hotel by his architect Eddie Bluestein as a joke, in reference to the 1942 Christmas-themed, musical film Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The first Holiday Inn opened at 4925 Summer Avenue in Memphis, the main highway to Nashville, in August 1952 as Holiday Inn Hotel Courts. In the early 1990s, it was demolished, but there is a plaque commemorating the site.

Harrisburg Area Community College

Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) is a community college system in the United States serving the greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area and south-central Pennsylvania. HACC is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

HACC serves 21,000 degree-seeking students as well as 50,000 in noncredit programs for personal and professional growth opportunities. The College has more than 30,000 alumni, many of whom support the College with both their time and gifts, have achieved distinction in almost every field, including business, medicine, law, the arts, education, human and public service, the military, and the technologies. Elizabethtown College partnered with HACC, where students can take one course at Elizabethtown for the price HACC offers. This was done so HACC students can further their education and Elizabethtown can enroll more students.

Campuses

HACC, established in 1964, was the first community college in Pennsylvania. It currently consists of five major campuses throughout south-central Pennsylvania, as well as several off-site centers, and a virtual campus, that provides online distance education courses. The college maintains its 212 acre (857,934 m²) central campus in Harrisburg and others in Gettysburg, Lancaster, and Lebanon. In the Fall of 2007 York became the fifth major campus. These facilities enroll over 18,000 degree students within a ten-county region.

Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express is a mid-priced hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands. As an "express" hotel, their focus is on offering limited services and a reasonable price. Standard amenities lean toward the convenient and practical which cater to business travelers and short-term stays. As of March 2015, there were over 2,300 Holiday Inn Express hotels worldwide.

The Holiday Inn Express concept was intended to target the "upper economy" market segment, offering limited service, low-price lodging.

History

In 1991, the first Holiday Inn Express locations opened, with three hotels opening in the United States. Plans at the time called for 250 locations to be open by 1995.

In 1996, the brand's first European location opened in Scotland.

Marketing

Starting in 1998, Holiday Inn Express started an ad campaign called "Stay Smart" ads that featured ordinary people achieving superior feats, such as averting a nuclear disaster or performing like rock stars. When questioned on whether or not they are professionals, they would attribute their skills to their stay there with the reply: "No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!" These ads have received positive reviews, and have been so successful they have crossed over into popular culture, having been featured in late night comedian jokes and political cartoons.