Lobby Libraries

Bringing book club energy to the world’s gathering place.

I connected the brand experience with editorial and author programming, bringing book club energy to three cities over a year of gatherings, content, and discovery.

My role

Partnership Strategy
Brand Strategy
Global Campaign Management
Experience Programming
Author Relations
Editorial Strategy
Event Moderation
Content Strategy
Creative Direction
Community Marketing
Content Production

Los Angeles → Toronto → London

Something worth gathering around.

Sheraton calls itself “The World’s Gathering Place,” and Reese’s Book Club is, well, a book club. Gathering is kind of the whole point. When Sheraton proposed Lobby Libraries for its redesigned hotels, I immediately loved the connection.

My job was figuring out how to bring our book club into their world—the stories, the authors, the recommendations, all of it. A year of programming later, we’d gone from Los Angeles to Toronto to London in one of our first truly global partnerships.

Two brands, one space.

I spent a lot of time looking at renderings with the Sheraton and CAA teams, figuring out how Reese’s Book Club could feel at home in their lobby. We got into everything from bookshelf height to how our brand would show up. Very different from choosing a font for an Instagram post.

My favorite part? The bookmark chandelier. So intricate, so bookish, and somehow completely at home in a hotel lobby. It captured the balance we were working toward: a space that felt like both of us.

Jane arranging Reese’s Book Club picks on the Lobby Library shelves — Making the space feel like Reese’s Book Club · Photo: Jennifer Chong

An open book with a Reese’s Book Club and Sheraton bookmark — Lobby Library details · Photo: Jennifer Chong

A year of reasons to visit.

I helped develop and oversee monthly and seasonal programming: Pick of the Month event kits, book clubs, author conversations and signings, recommendations, community activities, and gifting. Newsletters, editorial, social storytelling, and geo-targeted campaigns extended the experience beyond the lobby.

London had its own mix: locally relevant book selections, author programming, publisher meetings, and RBC-inspired bingo. And yes, we had book-themed food and drink ideas, too. There’s a lot you can do with a good book.

Readers gathering together with books inside the Lobby Library — The library in use · Photo: Jennifer Chong

04 · Three cities, one gathering place

The partnership evolved as it traveled.

Los Angeles · October 2023

The first chapter.

We launched at Sheraton Grand Los Angeles with Tembi Locke and Tia Williams, readers, and press there to introduce the Lobby Library. It was also the first time the two authors had met, which made bringing them together extra fun. And yes, there was a gelato station as a nod to From Scratch. Books, good company, and gelato? A pretty good way to kick things off.

Toronto · January 2024

A strong start to the year.

Our first event of the year brought Marissa Stapley and Ashley Elston to Sheraton Centre Toronto, where I moderated their conversation. Ashley’s First Lie Wins was our January Pick—a thriller to get everyone going on their reading goals. I paired the authors because both books followed con artists on their own little journeys of self-discovery, with a road trip along the way. We had plenty to talk about.

London · March 2024

Part of the literary calendar.

Timed around London Book Fair and World Book Day, our conversation at Sheraton Grand London Park Lane brought together Jojo Moyes and Bolu Babalola. I’d read Me Before You in college and that book hit me hard. Sitting across from Jojo years later was just…the freaking coolest. Later, I spotted the two authors laughing together at the photo booth. A very good day to be a book person.

Bookmark chandelier hanging above the Reese’s Book Club Lobby Library in Toronto — Bookmark chandelier · Toronto · Personal archive

Ashley Elston and Marissa Stapley speaking together at the Toronto Lobby Library event — Toronto author programming · Personal archive

Guests gathered for author programming at the Toronto Lobby Library — Community gathering · Toronto · Personal archive

And while we’re here…

Only my manager and I could travel to London, and our social lead couldn’t make the trip. So I added content capture to partnership management and moderation. We had this many of our UK authors in one place! Of course I wanted to film something with them.

Alongside capturing the library and social moments, I asked authors to read from page 100 of their books. Those recordings became content for our upcoming Reese’s Book Club 100 campaign. Apparently I was already working on the next campaign, too.

That content would eventually become part of another story → RBC100 ↗

Jane reading a Reese’s Book Club pick inside the Lobby Library — Inside the Lobby Library · Photo: Jennifer Chong

A gathering that traveled.

Three international markets, a year of programming, and an audience that reached well beyond the hotel lobbies.

3 citiesLos Angeles · Toronto · London
4.6MVideo views
3.9MSocial reach
2.5MStories reach
663KNewsletter opens
57%Average newsletter open rate
100+Stories supporting the partnership
1 yearGlobal partnership

A bigger role in the conversation.

In Toronto, I went from planning author programming to moderating it myself. I wrote questions I genuinely wanted answered and pushed myself on the public-speaking side. Apparently I did okay because they asked me to do it again in London.

I hadn’t pictured all of this when we started talking about hotel libraries: reviewing renderings, planning across markets, interviewing authors whose books I’d loved for years. But the book person in me had something to bring to every part of it. I knew the stories, I cared about the questions, and I left a little more willing to pull up a chair.

A new chapter in the world’s gathering place.