Yes, Newsweek has an article entitled: "So Long, Gideons." The subtitle is: "The one thing travelers could reliably count on in their hotel rooms: a Bible in the bedside table. But like many traditions, this one may be dying.."In the rooms of Manhattan's trendy Soho Grand Hotel guests can enjoy an
eclectic selection of underground music, iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs
and even the living company of a complimentary goldfish. But, alas, the word of
God is nowhere to be found. Unlike traditional hotels, the 10-year-old boutique
has never put Bibles in its guest rooms, because "society evolves," says hotel
spokeswoman Lori DeBlois. Providing Bibles would mean the hotel "would have to
take care of every guest's belief."
Unfortunately, it is no surprise. Even more distressing is not the realization that they want to preserve space in the drawers by the hotel beds. No. They want to replace the Bible with other items. The article continues...
Edgier chains like the W provide "intimacy kits" with condoms in the minibar,
while New York's Mercer Hotel supplies a free condom in each bathroom. Neither
has Bibles. Since its recent renovation, the Sofitel L.A. offers a tantalizing
lovers' dice game: roll one die for the action to be performed (for example,
"kiss," "lick") and the other for the associated body part. The hotel's "mile
high" kit, sold in the revamped gift shop, includes a condom, a mini vibrator, a
feather tickler and lubricant. The new Indigo hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., a
"branded boutique" launched by InterContinental, also has no Bibles, but it does
offer a "One Night Stand" package for guests seeking VIP treatment at local
nightclubs and late checkout for the hazy morning after.
placeAd2(commercialNode,'bigbox',false,'')The reason for hotels' shift in focus? Leisure travel is up, business travel
is down, and younger generations are entering the hotel market. Leisure now
leads business by more than 10 percent in U.S. hotel stays, according to travel
research firm D. K. Shifflet & Associates. With the lead in technology,
design and nightlife, the boutique market is where Generations X, Y and young
baby boomers want to be, says CEO Doug Shifflet. And with the boutique sector
booming (boutique hotel rooms have grown by 23 percent since 2001, compared to
only 7 percent for standard rooms), more traditional chains, which once catered
to business clientele, are now desperate to emulate.Sofitel's brand, for example, is taking "a new direction," says Daniel
Entenberg, the "romance concierge" at the chain's flagship Los Angeles location.
He was brought in two years ago in an effort to reposition the entire company's
image. The chain once had Bibles in all guest rooms, but the corporate office in
Dallas recently removed them due to guest inquiries about why other religious
texts weren't available.
2 Timothy 3:1-4 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
Read the full article here at Newsweek. And you can read Mohler's comments on his blog here.