If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel such as Acqualina Resort in Miami, Waldorf Astoria in Chicago or Conrad New York Downtown, you may have noticed a fresh collection of books on the nightstand. You have a company called Bedside Reading to thank for that. Started by Jane Ubell-Meyer, this program places new books from every major publisher, as well as independent publishers and self-published authors, for guests to read (or take) for free in hotel rooms. Books change out monthly and are tailored to the hotel’s demographic, meaning guests have the opportunity to gain a fresh read every time they stay.

Now, Bedside Reading has introduced a new concept as a response to hotels and meeting professionals needing to reach out to clients amidst COVID-19 in a new era of doing business. Bedside Reading On the Download was created to help reduce the number of items that guests were touching in rooms, but still help bring books to their fingertips — now through downloadable e-books as well as audio books.

“We wanted to provide a safe and touchless way to continue to share the many wonderful authors to the meetings industry, and [for] this amenity to reflect the focus of each meeting topic and loyalty program,” says Lisa Rosenstein, co-founder of Bedside Reading On the Download. :Downloadable books as a virtual amenity for the hospitality and meetings industry was the answer – books can be curated per meeting or per property, shared globally and across many platforms, and provided complimentary to attendees and travelers.”

At any of the company’s partner hotels, the download program will include eight downloadable digital books to be provided to guests before they arrive, which they can enjoy while on property or on their return home. For meeting professionals, these books can customized and curated to reach your event, meeting or training audiences, or used as a loyalty reward or as part of a virtual gift bag. For hybrid meetings, get the option of working with the hotel to provide the books in-room or send them directly to the attendees’ electronic devices.

The first collection of books (for placement in meetings gift bags and/or as incentives) will available through Oct. 31 and includes the following books. Special requests can also be arranged.

• The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (Fiction)
• Never Say Goodbye by Kim Sakwa (Fiction)
• Just Feel by Mallika Chopra (Children’s Book)
• The Changemaker by Deke Copenhaver (Business/Memoir)
• Challenge Everything by Scott Cullather and Kristina McCoobery (Business/Events)
• LiveTrue by Ora Nadrich (Wellness)
• Never Sit If You Can Dance by Jo Giese (Memoir)
• Fille Perdue by Charles D’Amico (Thriller, Audiobook)

Mission Critical, a virtual telecast for meetings and events, recently incorporated Bedside Reading On the Download into its event. “We were able to secure incredible speakers who were on-message with our show, as well as provide our viewers with a selection of books in our virtual VIP bag,” says Joseph Lara, executive producer and creator of Mission Critical. “The custom downloadable e-library was the most downloaded gift we offered, with more than double the click-through and traffic of the next most popular gift, which was two free nights at a Luxury Park Avenue Hotel in New York City.”

Additionally, The Event Planner Expo, which took place online Oct. 13-14, provided a virtual book bag to all attendees and speakers through Bedside Reading On the Download. And as part of its partnership, the company is providing books for 10 of the Expo’s upcoming events as well, matching the themes of each meeting (think technology and leadership), as well as providing books written by keynote speakers and panelists.

Learn more about Bedside Reading here.