Some Hotels Starting to Offer Author Readings

Posted on June 4, 2010

Authors looking for unique places to promote their books might want to consider hotels. A New York Times story says during the weak economy hotels are booking unusual events to draw in the public. The article mentions the Sorrento Hotel, which has started to offer events for business travelers. The events include author readings, cooking demonstrations and fashion shows.

"We wanted to make the Sorrento a cultural and social epicenter," she said. One offering is "Chamber vs. Chamber," which pairs, for example, an orchestral percussionist and a rock musician.
Among the other events there, Garry Wills has discussed his book, "Bomb Power," and two of the principal dancers of the Pacific Northwest Ballet shared stories of life behind the scenes at the ballet.
About a year ago, the Liberty Hotel in Boston started offering special events every night, including cooking demonstrations by its executive chef, art exhibitions featuring local artists, and fashion shows where models strutted though the lobby and up the escalators.

There probably are not too many hotels doing this yet, but it could be the start of a trend.