New York's famed Plaza Hotel reopened in March after a $400 million, two-year lobby-to-roof renovation. Every room features 24-karat gold-plated sinks and fixtures. And inside every Louis XV-inspired nightstand sits a Bible, courtesy of the Gideons.
The same goes for the Motel 6 in Abilene, where you pull off Interstate 20 onto Shirley Road, park at your room's front door, open the drawer of the nightstand, and there it sits, the Bible, courtesy of the Gideons.
Since 1908, 60 years before the Beatles' Rocky Raccoon went into his room, only to find it, the Gideon-distributed Bible has been sent, gratis, to nearly every hotel in the United States, as well as those in 183 countries. Though the mission of Gideons International reaches the century mark this year, there is no celebration planned at its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., nor would organization officials grant interviews....