Hotel Libraries and Literary Hotels
Libraries are not only a bastion of knowledge and learning; they can be aesthetically and architecturally pleasing. I'll discuss some unique hotels with libraries and hotels with historical literary significance.
In Alex Johnson's book "Improbable Libraries" an unexpected library can be found in Trump SoHo in NYC - offering free Wi-Fi and a collection of luxury books on art, architecture, and design from publisher Taschen. This surprisingly quiet library is a welcome retreat from the noise of the city.
The Library Hotel, a boutique hotel in midtown Manhattan focuses on one distinct topic within the Dewey Decimal Classification category of the floor it belongs to.
Each of their sixty (60) rooms features a collection of art and books on a specific topic within a category.
The NoMad Hotel on Broadway, NYC is housed in a turn-of-the-century Beaux-Arts building.
The library is two-levels, connected by an original spiral staircase imported from the south of France.
Its curated library with titles ranging from New York history to mysticism and philosophy, is also a dining space that offers a food menu and drinks.
The NoMad Hotel library has been described as 'resembling a private reading salon of an eccentric well-traveled millionaire.'
A Uni Project pop-up library was installed on Governors Island in New York harbor during the summer of 2013 - with books, children's programs, and educational activities.
Dr. Williams' Library is a small research library in Bloomsbury, London. In 2010 they held an art installation that included Trompe l'oeil by British artist Adam Dant.
The Ambassade Hotel in Amsterdam, The Netherlands has a long-standing relationship with publishers in Amsterdam and surrounding areas - providing 5,000+ signed books in their Library Bar.
In the US and Canada, Country Inn & Suites boasts 447+ hotels with a 'Read it and Return' lending library. You can borrow novels and children's books, then return them to another participating location.
As for literary hotels, playwright Tennessee Williams was a resident of the Hotel Elysee by Library Hotel Collection when he wrote "A House Not Meant to Stand" in the lobby.
Author William Faulkner wrote his acceptance speech for the 1949 Nobel Prize for literature in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel, NY.
Author Maya Angelou, whose book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" has a ritual of rising at 5 AM, checking into a hotel where the staff is instructed to remove all stimuli from the walls.
Angelou brings legal pads, a bottle of sherry, playing cards, the Bible, and Roget's Thesaurus. She has been known to write twelve (12) pages before leaving in the afternoon and proceeds to edit the pages that evening.
After researching these hotels, I now have a list of extraordinary locations for future trips (some with libraries).
You can own "AFAR Magazine May, June 2019 The Best Hotels in the World," available here from Amazon.com.
In Alex Johnson's book "Improbable Libraries" an unexpected library can be found in Trump SoHo in NYC - offering free Wi-Fi and a collection of luxury books on art, architecture, and design from publisher Taschen. This surprisingly quiet library is a welcome retreat from the noise of the city.
The Library Hotel, a boutique hotel in midtown Manhattan focuses on one distinct topic within the Dewey Decimal Classification category of the floor it belongs to.
Each of their sixty (60) rooms features a collection of art and books on a specific topic within a category.
The NoMad Hotel on Broadway, NYC is housed in a turn-of-the-century Beaux-Arts building.
The library is two-levels, connected by an original spiral staircase imported from the south of France.
Its curated library with titles ranging from New York history to mysticism and philosophy, is also a dining space that offers a food menu and drinks.
The NoMad Hotel library has been described as 'resembling a private reading salon of an eccentric well-traveled millionaire.'
A Uni Project pop-up library was installed on Governors Island in New York harbor during the summer of 2013 - with books, children's programs, and educational activities.
Dr. Williams' Library is a small research library in Bloomsbury, London. In 2010 they held an art installation that included Trompe l'oeil by British artist Adam Dant.
The Ambassade Hotel in Amsterdam, The Netherlands has a long-standing relationship with publishers in Amsterdam and surrounding areas - providing 5,000+ signed books in their Library Bar.
In the US and Canada, Country Inn & Suites boasts 447+ hotels with a 'Read it and Return' lending library. You can borrow novels and children's books, then return them to another participating location.
As for literary hotels, playwright Tennessee Williams was a resident of the Hotel Elysee by Library Hotel Collection when he wrote "A House Not Meant to Stand" in the lobby.
Author William Faulkner wrote his acceptance speech for the 1949 Nobel Prize for literature in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel, NY.
Author Maya Angelou, whose book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" has a ritual of rising at 5 AM, checking into a hotel where the staff is instructed to remove all stimuli from the walls.
Angelou brings legal pads, a bottle of sherry, playing cards, the Bible, and Roget's Thesaurus. She has been known to write twelve (12) pages before leaving in the afternoon and proceeds to edit the pages that evening.
After researching these hotels, I now have a list of extraordinary locations for future trips (some with libraries).
You can own "AFAR Magazine May, June 2019 The Best Hotels in the World," available here from Amazon.com.
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