One London hotel is offering a new service alongside the more usual minibar and the breakfast tray: it has installed a ‘reader in residence’ who will come up to your room and read you a bedtime story. And yes, several guests report successfully falling asleep.
The reader in question - wearing a hotel uniform of pink pajamas - is Damien Barr. Guests staying at the Andaz Liverpool Street in London can select a book from a carefully edited selection and have excerpts read to them at their bedside. The hotel’s ‘Book Menu’ has 25 books within categories such as Classic & Comforting, Guilty Pleasures and Books You Think You Should Read But Probably Never Will. Or guests can be prescribed suitable reading material by Damien in a service called ‘Bibliotheraphy’. The service was trialled during 2008 and is back in celebration of London Book Week (April 17-25, 2009).
Guests should be aware that the Reader has three rules: 1. The reader must sit in a chair not on the bed (no snuggling), 2. Readings last an hour, maximum, 3. Damian won’t do voices. Ever.
Hotel Bedtime Stories
London Hotel Offers Reader-in-Residence Program For Lonely Guests
Trend Themes
1. Personalized Hotel Services - Reader-in-Residence program offers a unique personalized experience for hotel guests, creating potential for more services that cater to specific guest needs.
2. Therapeutic Leisure Activities - Bibliotherapy service highlights the potential for hotels to offer therapeutic leisure activities to promote relaxation and improve guest well-being.
3. Luxury Nostalgia - The Classic and Comforting book category indicates a trend towards luxury hotels leaning into nostalgia as part of their brand identity.
Industry Implications
1. Hospitality - Hotels can offer more personalized, unique, and therapeutic guest services to differentiate themselves from their competition and create memorable experiences for their guests.
2. Publishing - Publishers can explore partnerships with hotels and other hospitality companies to offer book selections for guest reading programs that help promote reading and literature to potential new readers.
3. Wellness - Bibliotherapy could be incorporated into wellness retreats, offering guests a therapeutic experience that supports mental health and well-being.