Travel Tip: Testing E-Readers At Hotels
them all apart: Kindle, Nook, Kobo … am I even speaking English anymore?!
Fortunately, there are ways to test them out before you buy. Ten Fairmont Hotel
locations are now loaning their Gold members a Kobo eReader that comes loaded
with best-selling titles.
In Miami, guests at Kimpton’s EPIC hotel can access books with its Page Turner
program. You get to borrow a Reader Digital Book by Sony which comes stocked
with books–or you can download your own choice for a fee. Upon check out, you
get to pick one book and they’ll give you a hard copy to bring home.
The Algonquin hotel in New York is known as the hangout for literary legends, so
of course it has a reading program. Here, guests can borrow a Kindle or Sony
e-readers during their stay.
Just remember that the hotels partner with certain publishing houses, so you’re
limited to their titles when it comes to free reading.
And there are other ways to test-drive these products for free. Barnes and Noble
has installed Nook Boutiques in its stores where you can try out the Nook
without making any commitments.
As for me? I’m the guy who likes holding an old-fashioned book in his hands. But
as a tool for travelers, a portable reading device definitely has its benefits.
For more travel tech, visit our Travel Gadgets & Gear section.
