Kobo e-reader sashays into ten Fairmont hotel properties, adds to your poolside experience
By Darren Murph 
posted August 11th 2010 12:45PM
posted August 11th 2010 12:45PM
Reading in Style: Kobo eReaders Available at Select Fairmont Hotels in North America
10 Fairmont Properties Offer Kobo eReaders Loaded With Random House Bestsellers
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kobo, a global eReading service, today announced that Fairmont Gold guests will have access to Kobo eReaders featuring a library of new and bestselling Random House books. The Kobo eReaders are now available at select properties in the US and Canada for guests staying on Fairmont Gold, a private, dedicated area offering guests the experience of an exclusive oasis with personalized service and enhanced amenities. The eReaders are loaded with a variety of fiction and non-fiction eBooks by authors including Bret Easton Ellis, Sophie Kinsella and Alexander McCall Smith. Upon returning the Kobo eReader, guests will receive a special offer for $2 off select Random House titles redeemable at www.kobobooks.com/randomhouse.
"We know that travelers do not want to carry heavy books in their luggage, and vacations provide the perfect time to relax and catch up on reading. This partnership allows Kobo to expand our reach and offer our service to an important segment of our customer base."
"Travelers are a great fit for the Kobo offering and a group that is eager to engage in eReading," said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. "We know that travelers do not want to carry heavy books in their luggage, and vacations provide the perfect time to relax and catch up on reading. This partnership allows Kobo to expand our reach and offer our service to an important segment of our customer base."
The opportunity to trial a Kobo eReader is a benefit of Fairmont President's Club (FPC), the brand's guest loyalty program. Free to join, Fairmont President's Club provides guests with special benefits and privileges designed to reflect individual travel preferences and offer an enhanced level of service. Personalized travel profiles afford members customized stay experiences, while in-hotel benefits include private check-in, complimentary room upgrades, and high-speed and wireless Internet access. Guests can enroll at time of booking or online at www.fairmont.com/fpc.
Brad Martin, President and CEO, Random House of Canada commented, "Random House is excited to partner with Kobo and Fairmont Hotels to give travelers the opportunity and convenience to read books by some of our bestselling and award-winning authors on Kobo eReaders. I'm sure guests will really enjoy this great reading experience."
In addition to the Random House library, Fairmont guests can easily access Kobo's eBook store at www.kobobooks.com to browse and purchase from Kobo's collection of over two million titles, thousands of which are available for free. Kobo also offers free eReading apps for today's most popular devices, such as iPhone, Blackberry®, Android, and the latest tablets, including iPad. Kobo's eReading service is being used by customers in more than 200 countries. A customer's Kobo library is bookmarked from one device to the next for a continuous reading experience. The Kobo eReader is available for $149 at Borders in the US and at Indigo Books & Music and Walmart stores in Canada.
Brian Richardson, VP Marketing and Communications, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts says, "Offering benefits that are valued and distinctive allows us to provide our most loyal guests with something unique - either during the stay or when they return home. The Kobo eReader is a great way for guests to enjoy entertainment while staying with Fairmont and a great partner for us."
The Kobo eReader is available at the following Fairmont Hotels & Resorts*: The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, The Fairmont Royal York, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Fairmont Château Laurier, Fairmont Turnberry Isle, The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, and The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel.
* Where Fairmont Gold is not available, guests can request Kobo eReaders through Royal Service.
"$2 off coupon for Random House titles"
you know what would be really cool?
a $1 off coupon for dollar stores
@Billy Mays
if i call in the next 15 minutes do i get two for that price? plus seperate shipping and handling?
@schultz
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! CALL IN THE NEXT HOUR AND RECEIVE A SECOND KOBO READER, ALONG WITH 4 PEDI BEANS! WE USED CHEESE GRATER TEHCNOLOGY TO SCRAPE CRAP OFF OF YOUR FEET. WE SELL AT HALF THE COST FOR DOUBLE THE PRICE. BUY TODAY!
They have these in Borders stores in Australia. The little rubbery blue directional key looks pretty tattered after a few thousand people have played with it.
Apart from that, it's a pretty standard ebook reader, I really wish they refreshed the page faster so I could get one.
@JackValentine You stop noticing afterawhile...
@NeoXY
really? cuz i have an opportunity to get a new sony ereader for 40 bucks and i was gonna get it til i saw how slow pages change
@how often do you flip pages? when you read a book the page turn is perfectly acceptable. it only seems slow when you're jamming buttons and not actually reading anything and just playing with it in a store.
I like the design
So where's the 10 location list? I stay at the Fairmont in Chicago often...
@surfernerd6987
"and if you're curious as to which ten properties will be involved in the offer, head on past the break and have a look."
well i'm "curious", and i "headed past the break", took a "look", and found nothing. I'll be at the Fairmont in pittsburgh later this month, but in all reality I probably wouldn't bother with this.
I love my Kobo. I also love that it does epubs.
@Flurby agreed. love mine. I read way more now.
it has glitches, but so did my diamond rio 32mb mp3 player. I liken this to that. great for what it is, but just the tip of something bigger. also no one gets it... just like the mp3 player. at the time everyone was like, "why don't you just use cd's or a mini disc, that's stupid". I liken ipad people to cd people. "It doesn't have wifi or play games". I know. that's becuase it's for books.
Well... I guess that's one way to sell of few eReaders.
The article's hero image looks rather strange which exaggerates the blue directional pad but for people who don't like the blue there is also a black version of the Kobo which has a dark grey button instead . . . .
I don't mind the blue although the black is a bit nicer (it wasn't available when I bought mine).
does eink have any long term goals for improvement in refresh rate? As fast as your average person flips a page would be a good one...
@bleep it's just as fast. my girlfriend bitched about that and I told her to flip a page while I flipped the kobo.
if you're trying to look through a textbook page by page to find something sure it would suck.
but if you're actually reading a book (what it's designed for) then you're not flipping pages every half second
Never thought of it before but really an e-reader is a perfect fit with a hotel stay.
I would prefer never to hear the term "sashays" ever again. Balls, I think I have found myself with my 2nd ever troll post?
Nice
Hey I have a Kobo and I like it. There is a black one available as well. These things were hard to find for the first couple of months.