This beloved holiday tradition encourages the public to focus on community and togetherness
Bethlehem, PA (December 22, 2025 ) – Three-hundred-sixty-three days a year, the neon red letters on top of Historic Hotel Bethlehem shine “HOTEL BETHLEHEM.” On Christmas Eve, the word “HOTEL” doesn’t appear and only the word “BETHLEHEM” glows in the night sky. “Through Christmas night, there’s a lot of hustle and bustle in the holiday season. It’s important for us to take a moment and reflect on what’s truly important. That’s our beloved community of Bethlehem here in Pennsylvania and the miracle that happened in the original Bethlehem more than two-thousand years ago,” said Bruce Haines, the hotel’s Managing Partner.
The sign switch off is a tradition that started decades ago. Hotel management believes it may be as early as the 1950s. Some hotel employees from that era say management stopped doing it in the 1970s. That was decades before Haines and his partners took ownership and restored the historic building. Haines heard about the old tradition in 2018 when local resident Debbie Helms told him about it. Haines said, “I thought it was such a beautiful sentiment that I had to bring it back. It’s a very special way to celebrate our history.”
Historic Hotel Bethlehem is located on the site of Bethlehem’s first house. It is where, on Christmas Eve in 1741, Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf named the town Bethlehem in honor of the place where Jesus was born. Haines said, “On Christmas Eve, we attend Christmas Eve Service at Central Moravian Church. I just love when we step out onto the church steps and see only the word BETHLEHEM in the night sky. It is the most magical moment of the year and reminds us of the true reason for the season.”
About Historic Hotel Bethlehem
Historic Hotel Bethlehem, located adjacent to the newest US UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, is celebrating over 100 years as a community hotel. Guests enjoy the luxury historic destination hotel’s original 1922 elegance in its 125 guest rooms, along with the grandeur of the lobby, two distinct restaurants, two elegant ballrooms and seven meeting rooms. The hotel also offers nine new Extended Stay Suites, an Executive Conference Center, Ladies Boutique Shoppe, Steel Magnolia Spa & Salon, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, and the Hotel B Ice Cream Parlor serving Penn State Creamery ice cream. The hotel is affiliated with Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. USA Today named Historic Hotel Bethlehem the “#1 Best Historic Hotel in the Nation” for five straight years 2021-2025. For more information visit hotelbethlehem.com.
