Hotels Hop on the Handheld Bandwagon

USA Today begins it’s report about a new courtesy to hotel guests as follows: “Electronic reading devices are kindling hotel guests’ interest.”

Last month, the three Gansevoort hotels — in Manhattan, South Beach and the Turks & Caicos islands — began lending Sony Reader Digital Books, handheld devices that allow users to peruse downloaded literature.

Meanwhile, popular Kindle readers are a hit at Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel and a good fit with its literary pedigree. Its Kindles are loaded with a variety of books, including some written by members of the venerable Algonquin Round Table, such as Edna Ferber and Robert Benchley.

Is it the same as stumbling upon shelf upon shelf of old wonderful looking books with a surprise or first edition here or there? No, but for some, it’s as good or maybe better.