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Relaxnews
Relaxnews
After collecting dust for nearly two years, the 228 rooms at Bethlehem’s Ararat Hotel were scrubbed last month in anticipation of a post-lockdown Christmas boom, hopes that have again been dashed by the coronavirus. A large Christmas tree and decorations did little to brighten a deserted lobby. Like other hotels in Bethlehem, the Ararat has no guests, with the tree offering cheer to no one but the seven out of 105 employees who have not been fired. “We were expecting 70 percent occupancy for Christmas but all overseas reservations have been cancelled,” said Augustine Shomali, a manager at the …