With Pulitzer Prize season upon us — nominations are now locked and loaded with the winners to be announced in April — you might be feeling a little bookish. Good news: While bookstores might be becoming a thing of the past, book-themed hotels are suddenly hot. These hotels appeal to book-lovers for the tomes that line their walls, their literary associations or their writer themes. Reserve a room and find inspiration for your own prize-winning story — or simply curl up with a good old-fashioned book for the weekend.
Library Hotel, New York City
The Library Hotel takes its name very seriously. Each floor of the New York City hotel is devoted to one of the Dewey decimal system’s major categories — literature, history, philosophy and so on — with a corresponding collection of books in each room. If you like history and biographies, request a room on the ninth floor. Public spaces are lined with more books, including the rooftop writer’s den and poetry garden — where you can sip a literary-inspired cocktail — and the reading room, where you’ll find coffee and tea throughout the day and wine and cheese in the evening. All in all, the hotel is stocked with more than 6,000 hardcovers.
The Algonquin Hotel, New York City
Any bookworm already knows that The Algonquin Hotel is famous for its legendary round table — the group of writers that included Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott and Edna Ferber, who all regularly lunched at the property in the ’20s. Today, the hotel’s public spaces are still full of people nostalgic for such writer hangouts and the passion that inspired them. After soaking up the vibe, hang the do-not-disturb sign on your door and get to work — it reads: “Quiet Please. Writing the Great American Novel.”
Twin Farms, Vermont
Harry Sinclair Lewis, the first American recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature, and his wife, journalist Dorothy Thompson, once owned Twin Farms. The all-inclusive Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hideaway set amid 300 Vermont acres is certainly an ideal place to hole up with a good book. Rooms in the main building, a 1795-era farmhouse, are dedicated to the couple. Red’s Room (the author’s nickname) was the original master bedroom and includes a claw-foot tub, an antique writing desk, a fireplace and a needlepoint rug. Dorothy’s Room has pine walls, a wood-burning stove, a four-poster bed and photos of New York City by Berenice Abbott.
The Plaza Hotel, New York City
Who hasn’t dreamed of living on the “tippy-top” floor at The Plaza Hotel just like Eloise? The hotel that inspired the children’s book series has been designated a literary landmark. The Plaza celebrates all things Eloise with a Betsey Johnson-designed suite, an Eloise shop and a special tea. There’s also the Live Like Eloise package, which includes a $100 gift card to the Eloise shop, a copy of Eloise by Kay Thompson, a super-duper sundae from in-room dining and Eloise postcards and pen.
Le Pavillon des Lettres, Paris
Each of the 26 rooms at Le Pavillon des Lettres is assigned to a letter of the alphabet, and that guest room honors a writer whose last name begins with said letter (A is for Andersen, B is for Baudelaire, C is for Calderon). For a brief bedtime story, quotations from the author’s work are stenciled on the walls. Otherwise, peruse the in-room iPad, loaded with bestsellers and newspapers. The cozy hotel also houses a library filled with classic books and a fireplace. What more could a reader want?
Photos Courtesy of Library Hotel, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and Twin Farms
