HotelChatter

The Andaz soiree, held at the swanky 620 Loft at Rockefeller Plaza, kicked off with a presentation by Andaz execs with a few details about the brand and the upcoming properties in West Hollywood and New York (nothing we hadn't covered here before), we made a beeline for the man in the PJ's. He was sitting with three novels in his hand in what looked like the "literature corner", an area of the room with books stacked halfway to the ceiling.

After chatting with him, we can assure you: he takes his craft very, very seriously.

A journalist for The Times UK by day, Barr remarked that he has such a love for the written word that his nightstand at home resembled the setup in the literature corner: books stacked halfway to the ceiling.

As Andaz's Reader in Residence, Damian comes to guest's rooms (upon request, obvi) and reads from any book the guest selects from an extensive menu of novels and such (one of his faves: A Tale of Two Cities).

He's got a couple ground rules, though: he will not stay in your room for more than an hour. He will not sit on the bed (chair only -- no snuggling). And he will absolutely, positively not do any voices. Though he assures us that no guest has gotten inappropriate on him, he still reminded us that hotel security was always on standby cause, like, you never know how a guest is going to respond to a reading.

Damian is also the mastermind behind Andaz London's upcoming Silent Cinema, which calls for movie attendees to wear wireless headphones while watching a movie projected on a giant screen. It's all about being immersed in your own silence and should be "like watching a movie at home, only better because the screen is massive and you're not alone."

And yes, the PJ's are, in fact, his uniform -- and we tried out Damian's "bibliotherapy" service (book recommendations) and walked out of that party with five new books on our to-read list.