• by Tanya Gazdik , March 25, 2021

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is partnering with the worldwide literary platform Literary Hub.

The activation, which runs through the end of the year, includes a curated book club and on-property book lending for travelers at select Kimpton locations, 29 of the brand’s 60 locations. It is being created by Kimpton's internal creative and social media team.

Books will be selected by Lit Hub’s editorial team and an on-property lending program for guests to check out while staying at select Kimpton hotels.

It will also include digital extensions for fans of the brands to join in from home, including virtual Q&As with authors, an online book club on Facebook and book giveaways. Consumers can join the Kimpton x Lit Hub Facebook group to learn more.

Seasonal and themed reading lists are planned. New lists will launch in March, June and September.

To kick off the partnership, the spring list is themed “Women Write Now.” Each of the three curated titles is written by a female author exploring issues ranging from race and freedom, family obligations and career growth. 

The selected books are  “How Beautiful We Were” by Imbolo Mbue, “No One is Talking About This” by Patricia Lockwood, and “Uncanny Valley” by Anna Wiener. 

“Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to connect with others safely and virtually, hear diverse perspectives and become part of a larger community,” said Kathleen Reidenbach, Kimpton’s chief commercial officer, in a release. “Travel has historically been one way to meet those very human needs – but since in-person contact with others is limited, we decided to come up with a creative solution to bring people together.”

Kimpton and Lit Hub hosted a virtual discussion with two of the authors earlier this week on Facebook which drew more than 100 attendees, per a spokesperson. Social followers of Kimpton and Literary Hub were able to tune in to hear more about the partnership. The conversation was recorded and can be viewed on Facebook.

Literary Hub is creating new guides for cities with Kimpton hotels to add even more destinations to its Literary Long Weekend series. Additionally, participating Kimpton hotels will also offer recommended local bookstores to visit while in town, as curated by experts at Literary Hub.