Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants launched a partnership with world-renowned literary platform Literary Hub offering a curated book club for travelers. The partnership includes seasonal, themed reading lists with books selected by Literary Hub’s discerning editorial team, and an on-property lending program for guests to check out the recommended books while staying at select Kimpton hotels. Everyone interested in joining along from home is encouraged to purchase the texts on their own to take part in Kimpton’s lively conversations around the selected books.
Kimpton and Lit Hub will unveil each season’s curated books on both brands’ social media channels, blogs and email communications to fans and guests. Over the course of this year-long partnership, Kimpton and Literary Hub will also offer one-of-a-kind experiences like virtual Q&As, readings and more with both established and up-and-coming authors, publishers and local independent bookstore owners.
“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. “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. Bibliophile or not, we hope this partnership gives Kimpton fans a safe way to bring a bit more humanity to their life – whether they are travelling or in the comfort of their own homes.”
The Kimpton x Lit Hub spring reading list is themed “Women Write Now.” Timed to Women’s History Month in March, each of these titles is written by a female author exploring contemporary issues and what it’s like to be human in this day and age. These bold writers do not shy away from timeliness – they confront topics like race and freedom, family obligations and crises, expectations for women, and the highs and lows of internet culture. The first collection of curated book recommendations from Kimpton and Literary Hub includes the following thought-provoking texts:
- How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue: This extraordinary novel reads like an update of Things Fall Apart and Imbolo Mbue shows what happens when a diverse cast of people living in a village decide to stand up to an oil conglomerate taking over their area and destroying their land.
- Why We Picked This: How Beautiful We Were is simultaneously a story of darkness—exploring topics like corporate greed, colonialism, and destruction, while also a tale of hope – in the form of sacrifice, revolution and freedom. While set in a fictional town, the story exposed many of the harsh realities of the world we live in while also reminding us of the power we have as both individuals and communities to create a brighter more equitable future.
- No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood: The first novel by Lockwood is as close as we’ve ever seen a book get to recreating the way the internet—mindless absurdity, stuff about butts, random profundity—feels.
- Why We Picked This: Patricia Lockwood has an unmatched wit, infusing hilarious jokes and cultural commentary into a narrative that then takes a heartbreaking turn to grapple with real tragedy. As we all continue to navigate the internet age, this brilliant and moving book dives into what it feels like to be alive right now.
- Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener: There are lots of memoirs about the tech industry, but Anna Wiener’s “literary-minded outsider’s insider account” does more than reveal the surreal extravagance of tech-bros in Silicon Valley. Come for the unmasking of start-up culture, stay for the personal narrative of aspiration and disillusionment.
- Why We Picked This: As technology and humanity continue to converge, we are all forced to really think about the way tech culture is shaping society and impacting our everyday lives in both positive and negative ways. We loved the personal account in this story of a woman not only changing career paths but also forging her way through a male-dominated industry and learning more about herself against the backdrop of the competitive, at times sexist, Silicon Valley.
To kick off the book club and hear directly from these incredible writers, Kimpton and Lit Hub are hosting a virtual discussion with Imbolo Mbue and Patricia Lockwood today, March 22, at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Social followers of Kimpton and Literary Hub can tune in to hear more about the partnership and engage with the broader communities on Facebook Live, and join the Kimpton x Lit Hub Facebook group for all the latest updates.
“We’re thrilled to be helping Kimpton provide their guests with the very best in contemporary literature. And really… Why fill that extra suitcase with books when they’ll be waiting for you at your destination?” said Literary Hub editor Jonny Diamond. “The books we’ve selected for this season display the variety and depth with which literature by contemporary women writers reflects and responds to our shifting world. They are brilliant, moving works of art that also function as incisive, up-to-the-minute commentary on these times.”
In addition to launching the book club, Kimpton will be partnering with Literary Hub to provide additional enrichment experiences for fans of both brands. Literary Hub regularly pens its beloved Literary Long Weekend series, highlighting the best spots to visit, places to eat and of course bookstores and libraries for literary lovers on the road. Kimpton will be sharing these city-specific guides on its social media channels and at its participating hotels for guests looking for unique itineraries infused with literary culture. Literary Hub will also be 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.
The following 29 Kimpton hotels are participating in the program:
- Kimpton Hotel Palomar in San Diego, CA
- Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Los Angeles, CA
- Kimpton Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles, CA
- Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood, CA
- Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood, CA
- Kimpton Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, CA
- Kimpton Rowan Hotel in Palm Springs, CA
- Kimpton Shorebreak Huntington Beach Resort in CA
- Kimpton Hotel Vintage in Seattle, WA
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Seattle, WA
- Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Phoenix, AZ
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Denver, CO
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City, UT
- Kimpton Armory Hotel in Bozeman, MT
- Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, TX
- Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Dallas, TX
- Kimpton Harper Hotel in Ft. Worth, TX (opening Spring 2021)
- Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel in Omaha, NE
- Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans, LA
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Chicago, IL
- Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago, IL
- Kimpton Schofield Hotel in Cleveland, OH
- Kimpton Sylvan Hotel in Atlanta, GA
- Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia, PA
- Kimpton Hotel Arras in Asheville, NC
- Kimpton Muse Hotel in New York, NY
- Kimpton Hotel Eventi in New York, NY
- Kimpton Banneker Hotel in Washington, DC (opening Spring 2021)
- Kimpton George Hotel in Washington, DC
For Kimpton guests looking to check out one of the book club texts while staying on-property, swing by the front desk! To see more on the Kimpton x Lit Hub partnership and to stay up to date on the latest book lists, join the Kimpton x Lit Hub Facebook group, author Q&As and more, check out blog post and follow along on social @Kimpton, @LiteraryHub and #KimptonxLitHub.
