Celebrating the written word

Libraries with creative selections of newspapers, magazines and books are becoming necessary amenities for hotels. Photos Provided to China Daily

Who says the art of reading is lost? For World Book Day, hotels are joining in the celebrations and embracing the literary traditions. Ma Xue reports from Beijing.

Designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a celebration of books and reading, World Book Day has gradually gained international recognition in the last two decades.

This fun festival is traditionally celebrated on April 23 worldwide, except for readers in England and Ireland, who prefer to distinguish it on the first Thursday in March to avoid clashes with the Easter holidays.

In hotels, reading materials are considered necessary amenities. They often have a creative selection of newspapers and magazines in the foyer, and also in every guest room.

According to a 2012 USA Today survey, 50 percent of frequent business travelers and 45 percent of leisure travelers report reading more print newspapers and magazines while traveling than at home.

At the Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street, in addition to in-room magazines, the hotel provides guests with glimpses into China's rich literary traditions by offering collections of bilingual Chinese-English Tang poem and Song prose in the lobby. Other genres of classical Chinese literature are also available in its executive lounge.

The hotel also encourages its own staff to read more as well, creating a unique kind of engagement and bonding among employees.

To do this, the hotel set up a book corner in the staff room, providing employees with popular, practical and professional books on the hospitality industry, ranging from best-selling coffee books to easy-to-read wine guides.

This small gesture has inspired reciprocal acts from employees, many of whom brought in their own reading materials, from home decor books to fashion tabloids, to share with colleagues.

The book corner has now doubled in size, as the old "tradition" has been passed down to new faces in the hotel through the years.

Aside from directly offering book choices, the Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street organizes a flea market every couple of months within its Career Development Center, to raise funds to buy equipment that can read bedtime stories for the children of migrant workers who are left behind in rural areas.

Since then, hundreds and thousands of left-behind children in more than 80 boarding schools have benefited from this charity, under the Ritz-Carlton "Community Footprint" program.

Many hoteliers believe reading goes far beyond this one-day festival. To some, it is a virtue of habit and culture.

"Personally, I have always enjoyed reading, ever since I was a child," general manager of InterContinental Beijing Beichen Alexander O. Wassermann says. "Especially fairy tales and adventure books."

Having inherited the love of reading from his parents, he now tries to pass it on to his children by reading them bedtime stories whenever he has the time.

Wassermann thinks the act of reading has changed in a major way in the hotel industry and a lot of people have moved on from print to pixel, as digital screens proliferate.

"As part of my daily routine, I read several international newspapers online and I benefit greatly from articles on the hospitality sector and leadership recommended by websites like LinkedIn.

"But I still love the distinct smell of old books," he says. "The scent evokes happy memories of the time I last read that particular book."

He often encourages his staff to read, and Wassermann thinks reading is a long-term benefit that will reward them in the future when it comes to career development.

The hotel chain has partnered with Harvard Business School, and now the "IHG Leadership Academy" is available to all its employees at a click of a button.

"The great thing about this program is that our employees now have access to more relevant articles and case studies whenever it suits them. This is a huge opportunity for anyone who craves additional education support," Wassermann says.

We cannot deny that the reading platform will change in the future, as the digital world continues its invasion into our physical world. But the necessity of reading will still remain relevant for many years to come.

Contact the writer at maxue@chinadaily.com.cn.