December 18, 2007

The Bible has been a mainstay in most hotel and motel rooms since the early 1900s when the Gideons began placing them in guestrooms as an evangelistic tool. However, today, many trendy, upscale hotels are putting other initiatives in place that compete with Biblical principles and this innovative evangelistic approach that began nearly a century ago.

One example is the San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC, which has a diversity initiative that targets the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. "As a result of a formal diversity initiative, Kimpton has embarked on its first ad campaign specifically targeting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) travelers," the company Website states.

"Kimpton Hotels welcomes everyone. You'll find people from all over the world who feel at home in our stylish surroundings, including gays and lesbians, families, single women, pet lovers and even their pets. So whether you're looking for fun, adventure or a blissful night's sleep, you'll find that all our hotels have something in common - a sense of inclusiveness."

In addition, the site states Kimpton Hotels support dozens of LGBT organizations across North America. (Kimptonhotels.com)

In spite of the competition with technology and other recent initiatives akin to Kimpton’s, the Bible will remain a standard at the majority of economy and luxury hotels across the country, including Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Marriott Hotels and Resorts.

“At Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, including the Gideon Bible in every guestroom is a brand standard and a requirement that has been in place since the chain was founded 26 years ago. At the present time, there has been no discussion of removing the Bibles from Wyndham hotels. If a guest is interested in reading the Bible, he or she knows that it can be found in the drawer,” said Evy Apostolatos, Director, Media Relations, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

While some timeless standards like the Bible will remain, the company said it also continues to meet its guests needs in a variety of different ways. “From our new product upgrades to our service mantra and initiatives, brand is committed to delivering high quality programs and products that reflect the brand’s values of personalized service, flexibility and innovation. We have a new marketing campaign we launched this fall that features the company’s “Be Well” philosophy. Be Well is a powerful and succinct brand philosophy that resonates with our customers’ value system and leverages a brand promise that will be a significant part of the Wyndham culture. It embodies the essence of the brand – upscale, comfortable and casual, not pretentious,” said Apostolatos.

Marriott representative Roger Conner said Marriott Hotels and Resorts has the Bible in each of their guestrooms and will continue to make it available to every guest. “We do have the Bible in our guestrooms. It has been a long standard item in all of our guestrooms, and we continue to have the Bible in our guestrooms,” Conner said.