Hotel Bibles are as commonplace as curious stains on bedsheets. Whenever I travel, I always take a peek in the drawers to see if one has been provided, should I decide to save my soul during my stay. Because I’ve watched way too many movies in my day, I secretly flip through the pages in case someone has left behind a key, a hastily-scrawled note, or, perhaps, a small collection of unmarked one hundred dollar bills. Alas, the only thing I’ve ever found is a stick of gum and a condom wrapper.
However, the days of physical copies in hotel rooms may be coming to a close in the near future. The Hotel Indigo in Newcastle, UK has recently started putting Kindles in their rooms, which come pre-loaded with a copy of the Bible. Not a Christian? Don’t get too worked up, as the hotel allows guests to download any religious text they want for free. Assuming, of course, your religion charges less that $7.50 for enlightenment.
If the last thing you want is to be preached to during your stay, you can always download other e-books to the device, though you’ll have to pay for this heathen literature yourself. Fair enough.
Hotel manager Adam Munday explained the decision to start carrying Kindles alongside such luxuries as mini-bars and high thread count linen. “In the 18th Century, Newcastle was one of the largest print centers in Britain and we’re in Grainger Town, close to the Literary and Philosophical Society,” he said. “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.”
What happens if you decide to take the Kindle home with you? Well, besides incurring the wrath of God, chances are you’ll be stuck with the bill. On the extreme end of the deal, you might get charged with theft. Either way, you’ll have some explaining to do to the big man upstairs.