Gladstone's Library
The UK's Finest Residential Library, Since 1894
1894
Founded
26
Bedrooms
250k+
Books & Journals
Grade I
Listed Building
About Gladstone's Library
Gladstone's Library is a place unlike anywhere else in the world. The UK's only Prime Ministerial library, founded following a bequest from four-times Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, it houses world-famous Reading Rooms with thousands of books in a stunning Grade I listed building designed by John Douglas in 1902. But it's also a 26-bedroom hotel, an award-winning restaurant (Food for Thought), a conference venue, and a destination for writers, scholars, and thinkers from across the globe. It is a self-sustaining registered charity — every booking helps preserve this extraordinary building and its collections.
The Challenge
Gladstone's Library operates as a uniquely complex business — part residential hotel, part public restaurant, part conference venue, part library and research centre, part events programme. They needed a payment system flexible enough to handle accommodation deposits, restaurant bills, event ticket sales, Reading Room fees, and gift shop purchases — all under one historic roof. Previous systems were fragmented, with different solutions for different parts of the business creating reconciliation headaches and a disjointed guest experience.
Our Solution
CanDo Payments implemented a unified payment system that brought every revenue stream together. Integrated card machines were deployed across accommodation check-in, the Food for Thought restaurant, the events desk, and the gift shop. Pay by Link was set up for advance room bookings and event deposits — reducing no-shows and improving cash flow. Online payment integration was added for their growing events programme, including writing courses and literary weekends.
The Results
“CanDo took the time to understand how our business works — and it's not a straightforward one. The system they put together handles everything seamlessly, from room bookings to restaurant bills to event tickets. It just works.”
— Business Manager, Gladstone's Library
Your Business Could Be Next
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Whether you run a world-famous music venue, a historic library, a premium retail chain, or a multi-branch merchant — we build payment solutions around how your business actually works.
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