These Hotel Libraries Look So Unbelievably Cozy

The Library at Baker’s Cay Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton was initially stocked with books purchased at the beloved local Florida Keys bookstore, Hooked on Books. The indoor communal library and reading room are covered with columns upon columns of books for guests to borrow, swap, and trade. The collection has expanded and includes titles from around the globe left behind by guests for the next curious traveler to enjoy.

Il Salviatino in Florence, Italy, is a 15th-century villa where Salvador Dalí once lived. In the ‘70s the villa was Stanford University’s Italian headquarters. With so much history, it’s no surprise that the hotel’s library is unparalleled. Timber bookshelves, plush brown leather couches, and a candlelit glow create an old-school ambiance making for the perfect setting to read for hours upon hours.

Bluefields Bay Villas on Jamaica’s rustic South Coast features an open-air library. Guests may borrow books to read at their leisure by their villa’s private pool or on a lounge chair on the resort’s secluded beach. The library is stocked with antique books, bestsellers, and Caribbean travel perfect for seaside reads.

Travelers can read while hanging out in the ocean at The Gates Hotel Key West. The hotel’s library has five waterproof books including Shakespeare’s Macbeth, W. B. Yeats’ The Cloths of Heaven, a selection of Mark Twain’s short stories, and more. Grab a waterproof book from the unique library—the books are stored in water in a fish tank.

The first Tattered Cover Book Store opened up shop in 1971 in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood. Today, The Jacquard Hotel & Rooftop library pays homage to the history of the neighborhood. Guests also have access to a short stack of complimentary books provided by Bedside Reading in their hotel rooms—you can even take a book home for free.

The newly-opened Wayfarer DTLA has a gigantic library of over 600 books in the lobby. The library was curated by David Lovejoy of L.A.’s The Last Bookstore. Each of the books was either written by a Los Angeles author or is about Los Angeles. Plush chairs near the handcrafted wooden bookcase are the perfect place to read about the City of Angels before heading out to explore southern California.

Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps has the largest hotel bookstore in Germany. The accommodation also features multiple libraries: the Silentium Library, the Wetterstein Library, and the Library Lounge at the Retreat. The latter is a favorite among guests as the lounge features open fireplaces and sweeping vistas of the Wetterstein Mountain and Ferchenbach Creek.

The Library Hotel is a book lover’s paradise with more than 6,000 books available to read around the property. Browse bookshelves located throughout the hotel and head to the Reading Room to find the perfect nook for curling up with a good read. If you’re not sure what book you want to read perhaps you can find inspiration from the display of 100 bronze plaques complete with famous literary quotes.

The Milestone Hotel & Residences is a quintessentially English mansion conveniently-located across from the Kensington Gardens. The Park Lounge serves as the hotel’s library and is lined with stacks of books on the walls featuring titles on politics, history, science, and other literature. The fireplace is always flickering in the soothing venue and in the evening a pianist plays mellow tunes.