You try to travel light so pack just the one book… only to end up finishing it on the journey to your holiday and being left with nothing to read for the rest of your stay.

One hotel has come up with a solution to this oh-so-frustrating problem.

The Ben West Palm, in Palm Beach, Florida, has launched a new service called the Book Butler.

The concept is simple. Guests will be given a specially curated in-room menu of books. They take their pick of what they fancy reading, ring up the Book Butler by dialing 0, and then a copy will be hand-delivered straight to their room.

A custom tasseled bookmark is included, of course, and you can order from the Book Bites menu if you like to snack while you read.

There’ll be classic literature and more modern offerings that change on rotation, so repeat visitors will have plenty of options to choose from.

There’s no pressure to finish the books in one night.

You can take your book home with you

The service is complimentary, and you can choose to either take the book home with you or leave it to be donated to the West Palm Beach Library.

It’s all part of a partnership with The Palm Beach Book Store, and ties into the hotel’s literary leanings.

‘The Ben West Palm property has always been grounded in literature and storytelling,’ reps from the hotel said.

‘Byrd Spilman Dewey, a bestselling author and celebrated columnist, moved to South Florida in 1892 and lived in an estate originally named Ben Trovato, The Ben’s namesake and a term loosely derived from an Italian phrase meaning, “Even if it isn’t true, it’s still a good story”.’

We reckon bookworms will also enjoy the literary displays dotted around the hotel’s interiors, plus the secret sliding bookcases.

The book menu changes regularly so there’s always something new to choose from

Bernardo Neto, General Manager of The Ben, said: ‘We are thrilled to introduce The Book Butler program to our guests, not only because it offers another glimpse into the rich, literary-inspired backstory of The Ben and its muse, Byrd Dewey, but also because it celebrates a fine local establishment through our new partnership with The Palm Beach Book Store.

‘We understand the value in supporting independently-owned, neighbourhood businesses and giving back to our community, particularly during the current economic climate, and are pleased to be able to introduce our guests to such a revered local bookshop as part of this new program.’

Other perks on offer include ‘professional distancing’ rooms, available at a discounted rate during the day for anyone working remotely, free cocktails for those taking advantage of that deal, and pet-friendly rooms.

So yes, this is definitely a place to add to your post-pandemic travel list.