Hotel Indigo, a boutique hotel brand from UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group, has replaced the traditional bedside Bibles with pre-loaded Kindles with Biblical text at its Hotel Indigo Newcastle, in Newcastle, UK.
The hotel is one of the first to replace a religious text, Gideon’s Bible, with the preloaded digital device. The kindle, offered to the hotel guests, can also be used to download other religious texts using the hotel’s WiFi services.
Adam Munday, the general manager of Hotel Indigo Newcastle, said, ‘Every Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from its local area to give guests an individual experience. In the 18th Century, Newcastle was one of the largest print centres in Britain and we’re in Grainger Town, close to the Lit & Phil. We wanted to reflect this literary history in a very contemporary way so are offering guests the use of cutting-edge Kindles pre-loaded with The Bible, instead of the more traditional hardcopy Gideon’s Bible that they would expect to find in a hotel.’
The 148-room hotel has rooms themed around the Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian architectural heritage of the city, along with the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, and the Grainger Lounge.
Mike Greenup, the vice president of marketing in Europe, for InterContinental Hotels Group, said, ‘Putting Kindles in guests’ rooms is a great way to give our guests a flavour of Hotel Indigo Newcastle’s story and location near the Literary & Philosophical society. No two Hotel Indigos are the same; each has its own theme, which brings to life the local area.
Earlier this year we opened Hotel Indigo Edinburgh in Scotland, which has decor and details throughout the hotel in reference to some of the world famous festivals, which take place in Edinburgh every year. We plan to open a total of 11 new Hotel Indigos in Europe in the next three to five years.’