Bookmarking HotelsbyLaine Farley  Sometimes bookmarks find their way into my collection from such unexpected sources as hotels. While they provide an array of amenities for guests ranging from ubiquitous tiny bottles of shampoo and lotion to mouthwash, shoeshine cloths, and sewing kits, it is rare to find a bookmark, an equally useful object. During the 1980s, I was surprised to find a red bookmark in my hotel room. The round shape was a little odd for a bookmark, but it was clearly marked “A Bookmark For your reading pleasure.” Many years later, I found a companion blue bookmark left inside a used book.  Occasionally I have found accidental bookmarks in hotels like the one with Tinkerbell pointing to a list of television channels on the reverse. This piece commemorated Disney’s history as part of a campaign that used advertising motifs from the past on all of the Disneyland hotel’s printed material. The reverse illustrates Tinkerbell as part of the “television title” for the Wonderful World of Disney in the 1950s. I admit to deliberately keeping Tinkerbell for her nostalgic value; however, I’m sure another TV channel guide/bookmark from the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville, VA simply found its way into the book I was reading. Its graphics are unremarkable, using the Omni’s flower motif in black on white, but the laminated narrow card is the perfect size and weight for a good bookmark. A bookmark is a natural and inexpensive way to promote a hotel and its services while guests are engaging in the common activities of reading or watching TV.  Hyatt Hotels used a bookmark with the line “Turn over this book mark for some compelling reading” in a mailing to advertise their “Business Plan.” Unfortunately, the “compelling reading” was only a list of business services and fees, and the bookmark was on regular paper with minimal graphics. A more interesting example came from the Historic Hotels of America which suggested referring to “this bookmark when planning your future visit to any of our California Historic Hotels of America.” It was available at the front desk of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, and features small graphics of eleven historic hotels along with their contact information. Historic hotels have the added advantage of great graphics to use on promotional bookmarks. La Fonda in Santa Fe, NM used its distinctive tiles to catch the attention of guests on its bookmark displayed in the lobby. The reverse showcases current and historic photographs of the classic hotel. The gorgeous Ahwahnee Hotel appears on a commercial bookmark sold in Yosemite’s gift shops. Photographed at dusk, its striking image appears on one side of a folded bookmark containing a magnet to hold it to the page. Inside is a brief history of the hotel that was built in 1927 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.  There is also an association between travel publishers, tourist organizations and hotels that use bookmarks for promotion. The Italian travel publisher Gambero Rosso created a nice way to promote hotels near the historic Trevi Fountain with this iconic image from the movie La Dolce Vita. The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission provided complimentary bookmarks at the Rosen Centre hotel I stayed in during a library conference with the tag line “We know how much you hate reading between the lines. (We love non-fiction, too.).” Coincidence, or were they actually marketing to librarians? The marker advertised Orlando as a high tech center—who knew? Interestingly, I attended an awards ceremony in the library of nearby Rosen College of Hospitality Management so it is certainly a center for the hotel business. Among the higher end connections between hotels and bookmarks is the Library Hotel in New York. The hotel claims it is “the first hotel ever to offer its guests over 6,000 volumes of books organized throughout the hotel by the Dewey Decimal System. Each of the 10 guestroom floors honor one of the 10 categories of the DDC and each of the 60 rooms are uniquely adorned with a collection of books and art exploring a distinctive topic within the category it belongs to.” In keeping with the theme, it also has a rooftop Bookmarks Bar. Since most librarians couldn’t afford to stay there on typical library salaries, I can only wonder whether they provide bookmarks somewhere in the hotel.  
One of my friends was privileged to stay at the Lodge at Pebble Beach
in Carmel, California. Apparently, one measure of luxury is a leather
bookmark left on your pillow rather than a mint. It features the
stylized logo of the lone cypress above the ocean, a golfer wearing
plus fours, and a stirring testament to the character building
qualities of golf, a sport that “affords the chance to play the man and
act the gentleman.”
Bookmark News: Thanks to Alan at Bookmark Collector
who posted about a printing company in New Jersey that is offering free
bookmarks to all New Jersey libraries. Mariano Press in Somerset has
offered full-color custom bookmarks if they can put their contact
information on them. The reason is due to “paper inefficiencies” on the
large press sheets they use. The considerable blank space is just
wasted so they have come up with the idea to make it into bookmarks.
All paper will be cover weight stock and production will happen
whenever there is extra space, but that is often once a week. Contact
Jeremy Mariano at (732) 247-6828 for more information. You can also
e-mail him at
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