Posted on 04/14/2009 5:19:57 AM PDT by prismsinc
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Many U.S. hotel chains like to offer USA Today, The Wall Street Journal or their local newspaper as a courtesy to guests. Marriott International Inc will offer a different courtesy: no paper at all.
Marriott said on Monday that it will stop dropping daily papers automatically at its guests' doors. Now, it will offer them a choice of papers or, if they want, no paper at all.
Based on preliminary data, Marriott projects that this will reduce newspaper distribution by about 50,000 copies daily, or 18 million annually.
Beginning June 1, guests at the company's full-service hotels who opt to receive a newspaper can choose between USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and local city dailies.
This likely would affect USA Today more than any other paper. It is the largest U.S. daily by circulation, and derives a good portion of its readership from travelers who can pick up the same paper all across the country, much like the Journal or the New York Times Co's flagship paper.
A spokeswoman for Gannett Co Inc, USA Today's parent company, was not immediately available for comment.
Wall Street Journal spokesman Robert Christie declined to speculate on what Marriott's move would mean for the paper, but said that it would likely affect only a small number of copies. The Journal is owned by Dow Jones & Co, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Marriott's move reflects a wider trend across the United States. Newspapers circulation is falling as people turn to the Internet to get news for free instead of paying for it in print. New circulation figures out later this month are expected to show a continuing deterioration in circulation.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Every morning it's USA Today. I've stopped picking it up and throwing it away, I now just step over it in the morning.SeeBS says that USA Today is "the nation's doormat" so you may as well to put it to good use by actually wiping your shoes on it. (Unless you think it'll make your shoes even dirtier.)
I am a HUGE fan of Marriott and have been since the 1970s...they have always in my mind and opinion been the standard for which all hotels should follow.
However, 2 recent stays for business at major Marriott hotels have shown that the service was Grade F and the accomodations were weak...really really weak.
So depressing to see my favorite chain fall into the dumps like this.
One of the best hotels you could ever stay at is the Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort. When they did their renovation they tried to make it more “Euro-friendly”. Ugh...I can’t begin to tell you how depressed I became when I stayed there last time.
Ditto here. Silver as well. Get this...my company sent me away on business and booked me through Expedia...5 night stay. I put my rewards number on the stay when I checked in and the others who stayed under the reservation as well...also..all food...room service..bar tabs...etc...everything that was paid to the hotel was to get me points earned for it.
Weeks went by and nothing showed up on my account for points.
Marriott told me “because you booked your entire trip through Expedia and not the Marriott web site...you are not entitled to one single point”
The entire bill for all of us was $4k.
This year has really pissed me off with Marriott...REALLY pissed me off. I always ask on purpose for us to be booked at Marriott hotels if there is a conference. Now...I am not going to speak up at all. Felt totally ripped off.
Wireless Internet alone isn’t much without news aggregation. That is, you can get the news, but for most people, they have to spend so much time surfing to do so, that hours are burnt up.
The principle is kind of “We surf so you don’t have to”, and it may eventually become a saving grace to newspapers as well.
That would REALLY piss me off! If I were you I’d keep working my way upline complaining until I got those points.
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