Traditional bed-side read the Gideon’s Bible has been replaced by “Kindle equivalent” e-reader gadgets at a hotel in Newcastle.
The four star “boutique” Hotel Indigo is believed to be the first in the world to herald new age tech in delivering the Old Testament to its guests and the good book is pre-loaded onto e-reader tablets found in all of the hotel’s 148 rooms. Other books will be available through the e-reader’s supporting online store at a cost which is then added to the customer’s bill.
Not to totally offend other visiting religions, additional scriptures will be available to purchase and exempt from the guest’s bill – provided the digital copy of their chosen religious reading material costs no more than five pounds.
Newcastle is also known for its history in the print industry, so it’s interesting to see the Hotel Indigo embracing modern technology General Manager Adam Munday says “In the 18th Century, Newcastle was one of the largest print centres in Britain and we’re in Grainger Town, close to the Literary and Philosophical Society” – adding “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 Gideon’s Bible will be available on e-reader in the Newcastle hotel until July 16th when judgement will be delivered on whether or not the scheme is successful and will be continued, extending to the Hotel Indigo chain and its branches worldwide. Annual sales on the paper based Bible are estimated at 25 million. We’d be interested to find out how many have been digitally downloaded since the arrival of gadgets such as the Kindle and Kobo!
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