Nemacolin, the exclusive Fayette County resort known for its luxury accommodations, fine dining and expansive grounds, was named Pennsylvania’s top hotel Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

The Laurel Highlands destination earned the No. 28 spot nationwide — one of only two businesses in Pennsylvania to crack the top 100. Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center came in at No. 74.

The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh, Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa, Omni William Penn Hotel and Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel ranked within the top 25 for just Pennsylvania.

U.S. News & World Report describes Nemacolin as a “sprawling mountain resort with ample on-site amenities,” but dings it for having a $49 nightly resort fee. Most hotels on the influential list are said to have pricey fees or room rates.

When accounting for taxes and fees, a room at Nemacolin starts at close to $1,000 on Expedia.

The honors for Nemacolin come less than two years after work finished on a $500 million overhaul of the complex’s hotels, golf courses, bars, restaurants and casino. It’s also a much-needed boost after a decline in bookings led Nemacolin to lay off about 150 of its more than 1,000 workers last month.

Resort staff were hit hardest, but job cuts also occurred in the casino and pet care center.

Nemacolin was started in the 1980s, when 84 Lumber founder Joseph Hardy III bought a few hundred acres in Wharton Township. The resort has grown to more than 2,200 acres over the years.

Hardy died in 2023. His daughter, Maggie Hardy Knox, runs the business alongside her son, PJ Magerko Liquorice.

For most of Nemacolin’s history, its zoo, annual Christmas light display and at least some of its restaurants were open to the public.

That changed during the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, when the resort become restricted to guests and members only.

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