The hotel's library and guest rooms are lined with a wide selection of books ranging from the arts, fiction, non-fiction, design, fashion and erotica. All books in the hotel were purchased from Housing Works, a non-profit committed to ending the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. Visitors can choose to bring their selection home for a fee and all proceeds will be donated to Housing Works.
Housing Works is the largest community-based AIDS service organization in the United States, as well as the nation’s largest minority-controlled AIDS service organization. Since our founding in 1990, we have provided lifesaving services, such as housing, medical and mental health care, meals, job training, drug treatment, HIV prevention education, and social support to more than 20,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS.
Housing Works also runs social enterprise businesses that raise millions of dollars every year to help pay for the services that we provide, spread awareness of our mission, and provide jobs to graduates of our Job Training Program. Our best-known businesses are Housing Works Thrift Shops, a chain of upscale thrift shops located throughout New York City, and the Housing Works Bookstore Café, a used bookstore, literary hub and concert venue located in Soho in downtown Manhattan.