Night out on the books for Waterstone’s fans
A WEEK after American tourist Dave Will, of Texas, was trapped after hours in Waterstone’s book shop in Trafalgar Square and turned to Twitter for help, the chain partnered with Airbnb on Saturday night to host a sleepover for 10 bookworms and their friends.
Responding innovatively to the Twitter sensation, the major chain tapped into the publicity to host a real sleepover with Airbnb, complete with a special after-hours tour of the eight-level shop.
There were airbeds and dainty unicorn slippers, as well as a talk by psychologist and sleep specialist Richard Wiseman on how to get a good night’s sleep.
And to cure the midnight munchies there were snacks as well as breakfast; and access to the shop’s 150,000 titles. Did anyone suggest trying to read Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Russell Brand’s Revolution? Perhaps not.
Applicants were asked to name the book they’d read if they were locked inside a book shop all night and winners were chosen from the top 10 answers. Lucky bookworms.