Shelf Life: Hotel Libraries

The Economist LogoASK many travellers what books are found in hotels, and they will mutter feverishly about Gideons Bibles, Readers’ Digest hardbacks and dog-eared Catherine Cookson novels. The very idea of a hotel library is enough to send them running to their Kindles for some sort of digital experience, even though a couple of well-filled shelves can provide a welcome surprise and a decent source of local insight.

This is why I’m rather taken with the work of a company called the Ultimate Library, which chooses and supplies books on behalf of its hotel clients for use in library, lounge and individual rooms. The company was started by Philip Blackwell in 2007 after a few too many stays in book-impoverished lodgings. A former CEO of his family’s chain of bookshops he had the knowledge and the contacts to launch such a business, and in the years since he has sold his library vision to the likes of Aman Resorts, Swire Hotels and the Savoy.

Read the full article @ The Economist.

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