Finnish Scandic hotels not to remove copies of Bible from rooms

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Hilton's Scandic hotel chain has recommended to its Swedish hotels that The Bible should no longer be available in their hotel rooms. However, copies of The Bible as well as holy texts from other religions in various languages will be available at hotel receptions in Sweden.
     
The hotel chain began to remove copies of The Bible from its rooms after receiving a letter from a guest named Stefan Jansson, who wrote that a hotel should be a non-religious place, treating all people equally, regardless of their religion, the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reports.
      Finland's Scandic hotels have not taken similar measures.
      "We have discussed the matter, but it has not brought about any changes", says Jouko Liimatainen from Scandic Finland.
     
The copies of The Bible have been donated to the hotels by Suomen Gideonit ry, which belongs to The Gideons International, an evangelical Christian organisation dedicated to distributing copies of the book worldwide.
      According to Jukka Grogerus from Suomen Gideonit, no Finnish hotel chains have refused to accept their copies.
      "In fact, a copy of The Bible or the New Testament has become a part of the standard equipment at hotels", he adds.
      However, Robert Brotherus from the Union of Freethinkers of Finland feels that The Bible does not belong to a hotel room "any better than a cookbook does". He believes that anyone wishing to read the scriptures on their travels will buy their own copy.
     
Scandic's decision has not generated any debate on the general idea of placing copies of The Bible in hotel rooms.
      Furthermore, Kari Kallio from Restel Oy Ltd, Finland's largest hotel and restaurant company, argues that very few visitors have been irritated by the presence of the book in bedside drawers. "Rather the reverse, in fact. Travellers might have regarded it as a good idea", adds Kallio.
     
The Gideons' Bible has been a part of the furnishings of Finnish hotel rooms "for ages", and there is no need to change that, argues Matti Pulkki from Sokos Hotels.
      Saija Niemistö from Best Western Finland comments that all hotels in the chain are privately-owned and they are not given any commands either way by the central organisation. Niemistö herself is not willing to take any stand on the "potentially flammable" issue.


Links:
  Scandic, a member of the Hilton family
  The Gideons International
  The Union of Freethinkers of Finland

Helsingin Sanomat