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The Historic Hotel Bethlehem<\/a> is entering its next chapter on Sunday as Kelly Ronalds<\/a> takes over the role of general manager.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Ronalds, who has been with the hotel for 16 years, most recently as director of room sales and guest experience, will take over the role\u00a0from\u00a0Bruce Haines, who will remain managing partner of the hotel.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Haines had decided to take over the role himself after the retirement of Dennis Costello in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ronalds said coming\u00a0off of\u00a0the COVID-19 pandemic, Haines felt it was important to concentrate on rebuilding the\u00a0brand and\u00a0wanted to oversee operations himself.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n He had been around in the late nineties when the hotel\u00a0closed for a year, and he wanted to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n But since that time, the hotel has gained a great deal of success.\u00a0<\/p>\n For five consecutive years the hotel topped USA Today\u2019s list of Top Historic Hotels \u2013 making the list a total of seven times.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n It has also increased its national and international marketing\u00a0efforts\u00a0drawing businesses, event organizers and tourists to the hotel and the surrounding historic district,\u00a0shops\u00a0and restaurants.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Ronalds said in her new role she will build on those national and international marketing efforts, promoting the hotel as a top destination.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Besides her 16 years with the hotel, she has further background in that work. Prior to joining Hotel Bethlehem, she worked for what was then known as the Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors\u00a0Bureau but\u00a0now goes by Discover Lehigh Valley<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She said she learned how to draw in major conventions,\u00a0events\u00a0and corporate meetings to the region, but now concentrates her efforts on her little piece of Bethlehem \u2013 noting that the entire region\u00a0benefits\u00a0from the\u00a0tourism draw to Bethlehem.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The hotel also has another extra boost to help market itself as a destination now, since\u00a0a\u00a0US UNESCO World Heritage Site\u00a0was\u00a0designated\u00a0in the heart of Historic Moravian Bethlehem.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n