Every day, hotels become “smarter” as the industry plunges headfirst into an era of text message-
powered front desks and robotic room service. While guests certainly crave connection in tech-savvy hotels, hoteliers are beginning to realize that a love of technology does not outweigh the enjoyment derived from simple pleasures, such as a selection of old school, paper-based reading material.
The Jefferson in Washington, D.C., provides vintage novels, while, as one would suspect given its name, Library Hotel in Midtown Manhattan provides visitors with a selection of books in each guestroom. The Chatwal, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Manhattan’s Theater District, features the Stanford White Studio, a historical landmark suite lined with wood-paneled bookshelves. Though the hotel has always had a library culture, Ashish Verma, vice president of the luxury division for Hampshire Hotels Management, has noticed the amenity has grown in popularity in the modern age.
“You can download War and Peace on an app and read it on your phone, but it doesn’t give you same satisfaction as holding the book in your hand and feeling the heft of 1,000 pages as you sip a glass of wine—that is the ultimate leisure,” Verma says.
Verma estimates that The Chatwal offers over 1,000 books—everything from novels, coffee table books, periodicals, and magazines for the casual reader, to selections that keep guests in tune with the hotel’s history, focusing on its architecture and the room’s namesake, architect Stanford White.
“Of course, we provide all the modern amenities, such as complimentary WiFi and tablets upon request,” he says. “But guests tell us the Stanford White Studio is the most charming room in the hotel, full of history and character.”
By creating a place that encourages relaxation and comfort, hotels are able to keep guests indoors in a way that appeals both to millennials’ desire to be among others and the older sets’ want for quiet, dedicated reflection time. And, notably, the more time spent on property means more dollars spent on the perfect reading companion, from coffee and tea to a glass of wine.
