This Catskill Hotel’s ‘Book Butler’ Handpicked 5 Perfect Reads for My Fall Vacation
Literary travel is having a moment. From solo bookcations to girlfriend getaways, the book you pack has graduated from suitcase afterthought to the cornerstone of the trip itself. Plenty of hotels are leaning into the trend with themed suites and curated shelves—but one tucked-away resort in Upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains takes it a step further by recommending exactly what you should read while you’re there.
At Wylder Windham, a 20-acre all-season resort along the Batavia Kill River, guests can meet with the property’s Book Butler, a thoughtful service launched through a partnership with publisher HarperCollins. Browse a literary menu, “order” a title and settle in beside the hotel’s heated pool, on a hammock or one of the old-fashioned tree swings scattered across the grounds. The curated selection pulls from publishing partners William Morrow and Mariner Books, with options spanning swoony rom-coms, mom-rage-fueled murder mysteries and lush mythological retellings. You can read them during your stay—and if you fall in love with any, you have the opportunity to buy them to bring them home.
On my recent stay, I delighted in the fact that I could pack that much lighter, comforted in the knowledge that the hotel’s Book Butler would have a TBR stack ready and waiting for me—with reading chairs set against the dreamy fall backdrop of leaf-peeping country’s finest.
By Julia Dennison