Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Writers' Hotels

Some hotels are designed for book lovers.


Some establishments are categorized as writers’ hotels because they have a history of being the home base where famous authors worked; others are known because they are landmarks where momentous occasions in literary history occurred. Not all hotels, however, have specific ties. Some simply have rooms tailored for bookworms or have lavish libraries for guests.


The Library Hotel


There are over 6,000 books in the The Library Hotel's library.


Rooms at the Library Hotel are named after literary subjects: Arts, Social Sciences, Literature, History and Philosophy. The hotel uses the Dewey Decimal system to organize rooms per floor. For example, the eighth floor is the literature floor with Mystery at 800.006, Fairy Tales at 800.005 and Poetry at 800.003. Math and science rooms such as Astronomy, Dinosaurs and Geology are on the fifth floor. Each room is stocked with books on the related subject. The hotel also has more than 6,000 books in its library, a Writer’s Den complete with a fireplace and a terraced poetry garden.


The Library Hotel


299 Madison Avenue at 41st St


New York, NY 10017


212-983-4500


libraryhotel.com


The Alexander House Booklovers’ Bed & Breakfast


Rooms at the The Alexander House Booklovers’ Bed & Breakfast are designed after specific writers.


Alexander House is a B&B with rooms tailored to reflect the personalities of specific authors. The Mark Twain Room conjures up images of the Old South thanks to wallpaper with magnolia and wisteria-patterned wallpaper and parlor, while the Jane Austen Room is complete with robin’s egg blue walls and claw foot tub. The inn doesn’t allow children under the age of 14 and has a no-shoe policy, so visitors should bring bedroom slippers. In addition to the full breakfasts, accoutrements include afternoon tea and evening nightcaps.


The Alexander House Booklovers’ Bed & Breakfast


30535 Linden Ave


Princess Anne, MD 21853


410-651-5195


bookloversbnb.com


The Algonquin Hotel


The Algonquin Hotel has long been the place to be for both writers and jazz musicians.


Since its 1902 debut, New York City’s Algonquin Hotel has been the setting of significant literary events. Authors Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley were among the Round Table members. After World War I, a group of writers gathered daily in the Algonquin’s Rose Room to brainstorm storylines, share ideas and sarcastically critique other writers. The hotel was also where Harold Ross started "The New Yorker" magazine, where William Faulkner wrote his Nobel Prize speech and where Mario Puzo signed the contract that turned his novel "The Godfather" into a movie. The hotel’s Oak Room Super Club helped launch the singing careers of jazz chanteuses Jane Monheit and Diana Krall.


The Algonquin Hotel


59 West 44th St


New York, NY 10036


212-840-6800


algonquinhotel.com


The Sylvia Beach Hotel


The Colette room has an ocean view, which was always important to the writer.


Like the Alexander House Bed & Breakfast, Oregon’s Sylvia Beach hotel has rooms designed with writers in mind. The Agatha Christie Room is stocked with her books and has a fireplace to help create a mystery-type ambiance, while the Colette Room pays tribute to the French author’s love of the ocean with its oceanfront view. In the Tolkien Room, hobbit lovers can read his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy while reclining in a bed wrapped in vines.


The Sylvia Beach Hotel


267 N.W. Cliff


Newport, OR 97365


541-265-5428


sylviabeachhotel.com







Tags: Alexander House, Algonquin Hotel, Library Hotel, Alexander House Booklovers’, Booklovers’ Breakfast, House Booklovers’