July 14, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The Historic Hotel Bethlehem, the anchor of Main Street, has been nominated for the eighth time for USA Today’s “10 Best Historic Hotel/Resort.”
The hotel seeks to be named the best historic hotel/resort for the sixth straight time. Fans of the hotel can vote daily through noon, Aug. 3, on this USA Today website.
“Thanks to continuous energetic community support, I’m confident we’ll be able to defend our championship title. We’re inviting the community to join us on the road to number six by voting daily,” said hotel Managing Partner Bruce Haines.
Haines said the hotel remains the core of the local community in an era of look-alike, generic lodgings.
“From day one, this has been a community hotel,” Haines said. “In the 1920s, community members bought $50 shares to create this social hub. It has served as a gathering place for everything from business meetings to weddings. I love that we’ve seen people get engaged here, then married here, then host their baby showers with us. It’s beautiful. You just don’t see this type of deep community engagement in those big box hotels.”
Haines said community support has made the hotel a downtown fixture for more than 100 years, and he asked for local support for the USA Today contest. Again, votes can be cast daily at this website.
From USA Today Outreach Coordinator Terrisa Meeks: “There is no cost to participate in USA TODAY 10BEST’s awards program, and nominations cannot be purchased. Voting is open to the public for four weeks.”
During the hotel’s 10Best announcement news conference, Haines mentioned the hotel’s partnerships with St. Luke’s University Health Network and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
“As the saying goes, you are judged by the company you keep,” Haines said. “We are proud to be connected with these National Championship partners who continually strive to be the best.”
The IronPigs home field, Coca-Cola Park, is USA Today’s #1 Best Minor League Ballpark in America, while St. Luke’s was ranked No. 1 in qualify, safety and patient experience by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Hotel Bethlehem press release.
The IronPigs are also minor league baseball’s attendance champions.
Haines also discussed the hotel’s partnership with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) and the historic Moravian sites next to the hotel. The Moravian sites have been named a UNESCO World Heritage site, a distinction that will bring more tourists to the area.
Other World Heritage sites include The Great Wall of China, Mont St. Michel in France and the Acropolis in Athens.
The hotel has made the 10Best nomination list eight times, coming in third in 2019, second in 2020 and taking first place in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. No other competitor has won five straight times.
“Let’s defend that title and make history again,” said Haines, as he announced the hotel’s “Road to 6 in ’26” campaign.
The hotel at 437 Main St. has 125 guest rooms, a lobby that draws crowds year-round and particularly around Christmas, two restaurants, two ballrooms and seven meeting rooms. It also has nine extended-stay suites, a conference center, the Ladies Boutique Shoppe, Steel Magnolia Spa & Salon, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, and the Hotel B Ice Cream Parlor, which serves Penn State Creamery ice cream.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 