BETHLEHEM, Pa. — They're hoping for a three-peat.
Officials with the Historic Hotel Bethlehem announced on Monday, July 10 that it has been named a finalist in USA Today's 10Best Historic Hotel in America list.
If selected, it will be the local landmark's third time taking the No.1 spot and the fifth time on USA Today's Historic Hotel list.
- The Historic Hotel Bethlehem has been nominated for the Best Historic Hotel in America by USA Today
- The local landmark is launching a community project on Facebook where guests can share their favorite memories
- The hotel celebrated its 100th year in business in 2022
To celebrate the news, staff have created a new Facebook group, which will serve as a community history project where anyone can share their photos and memories.
Rich in history — and ghosts
Take a step into the hotel, which opened in May of 1922, and it's easy to see why it was named among the best.
History jumps out of the walls and décor — just as much as the three named ghosts who are rumored to wander around the corridors.
Don't worry, aside from the occasional tap, they are known to be friendly spirits.
Sous chef Paul Miller has had a few run-ins with the spirit of Mrs. Brong, who used to be a landlord of the venue when it was called the Eagle Hotel.
She is said to frequent the kitchen and bar area.
"The two really crazy experiences I had was one day I was pushed and there was no one else in the kitchen expect for the cook and she was standing in front of me when it happened and I literally got shoved [from behind]," Miller said. "The second one was when I was in the kitchen by myself and the glass racks in the back of the kitchen just started shaking like crazy out of nowhere."
Another spirit, May Yohe, roams the third floor and the lobby appearing as a young girl.
When her grandfather, Caleb, a Moravian, was the owner of the Eagle Hotel, she sang and danced in the lobby for guests.
She later married Lord Francis Clinton Hope, a wealthy British lord, and is said to be the first woman to wear the famous Hope Diamond.
Celebrity stays
The guest list of the 200-room property is equally as impressive as the haunted tales.
Among notable patrons: U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and musicians including Sting, Bob Dylan, Tony Bennet, the Grateful Dead and Counting Crows.
In Gun N' Roses heyday, guitarist Slash stayed the night wearing his signature black hat and leather attire.
"He was here in the middle of the week, which is known as corporate travel. The tap room was full of guys and suits and ties and polos," Kelly Ronalds, Director of Room Sales and Guest Experience said.
"Kiss was also here," Ronalds added. "Gene Simmons was a lot of fun. He's hilarious."
If the walls could talk
Visitors dining in the Pioneer Tap Room, located off the lower lobby, may notice the large-scale murals by artist George Gray from the 30s.
Gray, who passed away in 2004, spent the summer of 1936 at the hotel and became acquainted with staff.
He used many locals as models for his work, which depicts historic moments such as the founding of Bethlehem, the Liberty Bell's stop in the city and Benjamin Franklin's visit in 1755 to the Moravians.
"He painted over 200 murals and we are the only hotel in which they hang, for which they are actually painted," Ronalds said of the art that hangs the first-floor ballroom. "There are only 37 or 38 paintings of Gray's in existence and we have eight of them."
Family affair
Staff gathered at a news conference for the announcement and cheered for the hotel as Miller cast the first vote onUSA Today's 10Best portal.
Miller, who has worked at the hotel for 23 years, started his culinary career at the hotel as a pastry chef.
Perhaps his favorite memory: meeting his wife on the job. The couple recently celebrated their 13th anniversary.
The staff are like a family, he said.
Ronalds agreed. Her daughter even got married at the venue, otherwise known as her families' "second home."
"I've worked here 13 years and I had to kiss a lot of frogs to get this job," she joked.
As far as the recognition in USA Today, she said it has brought new guests to the property, ushering in a new generation of hoteliers.
"It's hard to gauge because of COVID, but we've seen new guests and some of our repeat guests have been coming back over the last year and a half," Ronalds said.
To vote for the hotel in USA Today's list, go to votehotelb.com.
