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Fewer Hotels Have Bibles Beside Beds
Some Luxury Hotels Pull Religious Texts
POSTED: 5:17 pm MST November 27,
2007
UPDATED: 5:38 pm MST November 27,
2007
DENVER, Colo. -- It’s something weary travelers have come to expect at hotels: a Bible in the bedside table.But in Denver and across the nation, some luxury hotels are pulling the Good Book out of their rooms.A study from the American Hotel and Lodging Association shows the number of luxury hotel rooms that have Bibles in each room is down 18 percent from 2001.
At the Hotel Monaco in Downtown Denver, the 60s classic artist suite comes complete with custom décor, a tie-dye robe and a pet goldfish.It does not, however, include a Bible in the nightstand."We made the decision about a year ago to make it available at the front desk or in the library in the living room," said Allen Paty, general manager of Hotel Monaco. "For a couple of reasons. We are a very ecologically friendly company, and we are a very diverse company. We have a wide diversity of guests and we want to appeal to them."But the trend has some Christian groups concerned.Dr. Thomas Fortson, president of Denver-based Promise Keepers, said removing Bibles from rooms is an appalling business decision, and that more than ever travelers need easy access to the Good Book."I believe it's not offensive. What’s offensive is that some of these hotels have porn on the television. That’s offensive to some people," said Fortson.He said it is a sad testament to the changing times."I do believe if a person doesn't have a Bible in their hotel room, they should call the front desk and get one up there as soon as possible," he said.Not all types of hotels are removing Bibles.Hotels outside of the luxury category have actually had an increase in the number of rooms with Bibles over the last two decades.
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