( CNN ) -- Last year , Gideons International distributed more than 84 million printed copies of the Bible around the world to students , hospitals , members of the military and , of course , hotels , where they are a ubiquitous sight in bedside tables . Starting this month , however , the InterContinental Hotels Group is modernizing that mission at one of its hotels , replacing the paper tomes with electronic versions of the Bible loaded on Kindle e-readers . Each of the 148 rooms at the chain 's Hotel Indigo in Newcastle , England , will be outfitted with a Kindle with Wi-Fi . Guests can use the e-ink devices to catch up on scripture , as well as purchase and read any other books available in the Amazon Kindle store . The hotel was chosen for the pilot program because of its rich literary and publishing history : It 's a few blocks from the Philosophical Society of Newcastle , one of the largest independent libraries in the UK . If it 's a success , InterContinental could expand it to other locations , and other hotels might follow its lead . The hotel 's Bible-on-a-Kindle initiative has no connection to Gideons , a Tennessee-based Evangelical group and association of Christian professional men founded in 1899 . However , the nonprofit group has no reservations about the hotel 's program . `` Anything to put the Bible in people 's hands is a good thing , '' Gideons spokesman Ken Stephens said . `` It is a fascinating idea , and I 'm sure somehow , some way , its time will come for us . But right now just the paper version is the best for what we do . '' Stephens pointed out that paper books are more economical for large-scale distribution . Each Gideons Bible costs the organization about $ 5 to print and distribute . Although there are many free e-book versions of the Bible floating around online , a 6-inch Kindle e-reader retails in the U.S. for $ 109 ( or about $ 139 in the UK ) . Given the high price tag , Hotel Indigo is keeping close tabs on the devices . Just like with fluffy hotel robes , the full cost of any pilfered Kindle will be charged to a guest 's credit card . For the first two weeks of the program , the hotel is allowing guests to download any other religious texts they like , up to $ 8 in value , for free . If guests purchase other books to read , the cost will be charged directly to their rooms . However , they ca n't take the books with them , and the Kindles are wiped clean between visitors . `` As downloads will be synced to the hotel 's account , guests will only be able to read the downloaded book during their stay , '' an InterContinental representative said . Guests not keen on paying for an e-book they might have to abandon halfway through can choose from the 15,000 free titles in Amazon 's free e-book collection . The Gideons ' hotel Bible project began in the U.S. in 1908 and has spread to 194 countries around the world . The group estimates it has distributed 1.7 billion Bibles in the project 's 104-year history . While distributing pricey e-reading devices is n't much of a threat to Gideons , it 's likely that the proliferation of e-reading features on all mobile devices could make a dent in demand .
Hotel Indigo in England may be the first to replace bedside Bibles with Kindles . Gideons International , which gives out 84 million Bibles a year , supports the project . A Bible costs Gideons $ 5 to print and distribute ; a Kindle in the UK costs about $ 139 . Stolen Kindles will be charged to the guest 's credit card .