Hidden Library at St. Paul's Cathedral on Airbnb

Source: Airbnb

Here are two diverging forces colliding in great spectacle … the fall of libraries/book-stores and the rise of curated experiences. Throw in a partnership with BookTok’s @AbbysBooks and here goes …

There is a Hidden Library at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London that is now available for a stay on Airbnb. It’s the first time anyone has (officially) stayed overnight in the Cathedral since World War II.

Source: Airbnb

Guests go up the famous staircase to the recently renovated haven for over 22,000 books. The experience includes breakfast (it is Europe of course) as well as dinner at a local restaurant. Usual library rules apply except this experience should include lots of content on TikTok (it is social media of course). This is all a part of Airbnb’s Creative Spaces filter where guests can choose these kinds of experiences for “romanticists.”

It’s such a great way for the brand to not only reinforce its brand essence of local experiences but also tap into passion points for its consumers in a way that no other hospitality brand can. Sure in this case it may be more hype and promotion, but it’s also reinventing the love of books and the unique experience of visiting a library … something that could use a boost. And the love of architecture and history. To all of that I say “bravo”!!

What’s your experience? JIM