Skift Take
The luxury hospitality industry is trying to help guests unwind in these anxiety-ridden, tech-addicted times. It's refreshing to think that something as simple as a book can make a difference — plus drive repeat hotel visits and even foster community. Luxury properties should take note.
In this tech-obsessed era, it's hard to take a break from the endless alerts and notifications flashing on our screens. While the luxury hospitality industry can help travelers disconnect to a point — after all, at its core, travel is about escapism — chances are, vacationers and business travelers alike are still going to bed with their phones on the nightstand.
The solution to help luxury travelers find a moment of calm, away from their digital devices? The answer might be as simple as a good old-fashioned book — or at least that's the goal of Jane Ubell-Meyer, founder of Bedside Reading.
The concept of Bedside Reading is this: Ubell-Meyer works with publishers and authors who want to get their books in the hands of travelers staying at luxury hotels. Bedside Reading then provides these books to its roster of high-end properties. Hotels leave a few book options in each room, where guests can read them at their leisure and even take them home at the end of their stay.
To test whether the concept could really work, Ubell-Meyer ran a pilot program at the Mandarin Oriental in New York. Even though it was a success, she held onto the concept until two years ago, when the former TV and movie producer finally decided it was time to change her life and take the plunge into the niche hospitality-meets-publishing industry.
Ubell-Meyer is now living her dre
