Electronic Bibles have been offered to guests at a hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne to replace hard copies of the traditional Gideons Bible.
As of last week, all 148 rooms at Hotel Indigo were equipped with a Kindle e-reader that has been pre-loaded with a copy of the Bible.
The scheme has the full support of the Gideons.
Inspiration
A Kindle is an electronic device for downloading, storing and reading electronic books, known as e-books.
In what the hotel claims is a first for Britain, cutting-edge Kindles will be offered to guests instead of the paper Bibles typically distributed to hotels by Gideons.
General Manager of the hotel, Adam Munday, said: “Every Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from its local area to give guests an individual experience.”
Hotels
Mr Munday pointed out that in the 18th century Newcastle was one of the largest print centres in Britain and the hotel sits close to the city’s Literary and Philosophical Society.
Guests can also use the Kindle to buy other texts, with the costs added to their bills.
After a two-week trial period, the chain could expand the project to its 44 hotels worldwide.
Support
Last year Gideons International distributed more than 84 million printed copies of the Bible around the world to students, members of the military and hotels.
Commenting on the new hotel scheme, Gideon spokesman Ken Stephens gave his full support to Hotel Indigo’s plans.
He said: “Anything to put the Bible in people’s hands is a good thing.”