In most of the hotels where I stay, there's a thick folder on the bedside table with descriptions of local attractions, restaurants, and services. But in the age of the internet and GPS, who even needs this stuff anymore? Or do people still actually use them?
And also because it works as a bit of insurance against total failure. When you're in an unfamiliar city, the wifi goes down, your phone dies, or the internet's just slow - the guide saves you. Plus, there's no competition or ads in it: someone's already checked all the places, they actually work, and the hotel's reputation is on the line for them. The internet's so stuffed with reviews and spam that sometimes it's easier to just open the paper and pick from what's already there than to spend half an hour searching for something decent online.
I'd say people do use them, though not everyone. The internet can glitch, your phone battery can die, but a paper guide is always there and doesn't need a signal. Plus it usually has local places already filtered - the ones the hotel recommends - rather than throwing the whole internet at you. But yeah, younger people are more likely to just open Google Maps, that's a fact.
Guides are still kept around because they work as a reputation filter - the hotel vouches for every place in the folder, whereas online you can easily run into outright spam or outdated information. Plus, tourists appreciate personal recommendations curated in a nice way, not just a list from a search engine. How relevant the guide is depends on how well the hotel keeps it updated - if it has fresh information and current contacts, people actually use it, especially if the internet is unreliable or they just can't be bothered to figure out maps on their first evening in town.
It's relevant for older people and those who don't really trust the internet. But the main thing is local advertising: the hotel makes money from restaurants and shops for listing them, so they keep the guides mainly for financial reasons, not because tourists actually read them.
I use them regularly, especially when I need to find something quickly without extra clicks on the internet. A paper guide saves time - you open it, check the restaurant's address and phone number, no need to mess with maps and filters. Of course, this isn't about tourists who spend half their vacation in guides, but about people who just want to grab dinner quickly or find a nearby pharmacy.
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