These Glam Hotels Host Their Own Book Clubs so Solo Travelers Never Get Lonely

One of the things — perhaps the only thing, honestly — that's easy to miss about one's younger, cheaper hostel-travel years? Having in-depth conversations with like-minded voyagers in all those communal hostel spaces, whether over breakfast or while waiting in line for the showers. But transitioning to a more elevated mode of lodging doesn't have to be all impersonal chats about the weather (although those can be nice, too) — certainly not at a Kimpton, where hobnobbing with fellow travelers easily includes literary analysis of today's most thrilling contemporary fiction, thanks to the hotel's new book club.

That's right: In addition to fulfilling your luxury-travel expectations with eye-catching art, craft cocktails, an impressive natural wine list, and cushy bathrobes, 31 Kimpton properties across the United States are partnering with bookish beacon Literary Hub to curate a collection of book recs that make you think — and, hopefully, make you motivated to borrow these tomes from the hotel's front desk, for free, and dive straight in.

It's a gimmick, sure, but one that's worth the visit — possibly nowhere more so than at the Kimpton Sylvan.

The Sylvan, in Atlanta's leafy Buckhead neighborhood, occupies an erstwhile luxury apartment complex from the 1950s. The hotel design preserves much of the building's mid-century glamour while injecting decidedly postmodern touches. It's the home to three dining standouts: supper club Betty, which also serves hotel guest daily breakfast at the bar; plant-based garden cafe Willow Bar, home the aforementioned stellar natural wine list; and rooftop bar Saint Julep, whose name basically speaks for itself to hint at the heavenly Southern cocktail you're about to enjoy as you look out over Atlanta's rooftops.

Something else that ties all three Kimpton Sylvan eateries/drinkeries together? They're all a fantastic place to plop down and read a book, creating an ideal environment for solo travelers.

Kimpton melts through that on-the-road-alone isolation even further with its daily complimentary wine hour, another perfect time and place to post up with a book by the impossibly chic Kimpton Sylvan lobby fireplace and kickstart a literary chat with a stranger. But if virtual lit chats are more your vibe, the Kimpton x Literary Hub Facebook group is there for you, so you don't even have to get out of that fluffy bathrobe to book-club it.

This fall, we're reading (yes, "we" — I clearly drank this particular cultural Kool-Aid and am a Kimpton Book Club lifer now) three selections. All the books are set in far-flung lands to appease your wanderlust, and all boast a mysterious bent that fits this spookiest of seasons: historical crime novel "Velvet Was the Night" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Soviet spy novel "The Mercenary" by Paul Vidich, and modern mystery "Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line" by Deepa Anappara.

Not too shabby for the hotel brand that previously launched a "Kick 'Em Off Your Couch" staycation package — complete with Champagne and sage for cleansing — for parents who recently dropped their kid(s) off at college. Now those well-deserving parents, and the rest of us, can kick back with a good mystery, too.

The best part? There's a Book Lovers' Exclusive discount that gets you 20% off the best available rate at your local or not-so-local participating Kimpton. So if Atlanta isn't your jam, pack your bookbag for one of the 30 other participating hotels and take your pick between Hollywood, Seattle, Key West, NYC, Asheville, Nashville, and many more.

This bookish discount extends to Dec. 31, 2022, so make sure your booking date and stay dates are before then.