Hotel Bethlehem, which sits in the heart of Christmas City, has been nominated for yet another national award.

The hotel is in the running for USA Today’s Best Hotel for the Holidays. It’s the first year it has been nominated in this category, according to the hotel. A panel of travel journalists and editors made the nomination.

“This was something quite special for our team to hear because they work incredibly hard to make the holidays magical,” Hotel Bethlehem General Manager Kelly Ronalds said. “It takes over 1,000 personnel hours to decorate the hotel for Christmas. Plus, thousands more hours crafting special holiday menus and hosting events.

“It’s worth every second because we know Hotel B is such an important part of so many Lehigh Valley families’ holiday traditions. It’s a real labor of love for our beloved community,” Ronalds said.

In August, Hotel Bethlehem won the top spot in USA Today’s 10Best Historic Hotel/Resort contest for a sixth consecutive time.

It’s likely the hotel was already on the radar of the panel that selected it for the Best Hotel for the Holidays contest. That panel consisted of nine travel journalists and USA Today 10Best editors who considered hotels based on how special they make the holidays feel.

The nomination site notes that the selected hotels “are renowned for decking their halls, cranking up the holiday cheer to a whole new level, and making your visit memorable. Plus, you don’t have to clean up the wrapping paper and cookie crumbs.”

Visitors to downtown Bethlehem during the holiday season are familiar with the decorated hotel lobby as they duck inside to get warm, get a bite to eat or shop.

The Best Hotel for the Holidays category debuted in 2019. Last year, Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri took first place followed by the Oglebay Park Resort in West Virginia, French Lick Resort in Indiana and The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

“This is great company to be associated with,” hotel Managing Partner Bruce Haines said. “This award recognizes more than just historic hotels. It puts us in another league of all great hotels in America.”

To vote, which can be done online daily, go to VoteHotelB.com. Voting ends Nov. 30 and winners will be announced at noon Dec. 3.