Originally Posted by
sdsearch
This is a change in delivery (to the room), not availability (at the hotel). Marriott (well, however operates the hotel) has to pay for people to walk around a big hotel in the middle of the night and drop the right newspaper in front of every room (it might be a different newspaper for different rooms, since Marriott added that option). The newspaper only pays at most for delivery to the lobby, right? The hotel has to pay for all distribution beyond that.
Second, what you said sounds clear in high traffic parts of big metros where these newspapers are also available on newsstands. But a Marriott property (not likely FS) on the outskirts of a small town or in a downright rural area, is it still free for them if it's a long way from the printing press (and no other newspaper customers anywhere nearby)?
Now, this wasn't Marriott properties, but I ran into an issue last week where two different properties in two different programs in the same "remote" suburban location said they didn't get an newspaper delivery that morning. I've had that problem once before at a "remote" suburban Fairfield (that usually does have newspapers in the lobby every morning). So obviously there are delivery hiccups sometimes, and perhaps more likely in "remote" places where it's not worth it (to the delivery company) to send a "replacement" delivery (like it might be in a more "clustered" hotel area with lots of delivery spots next door to each other).
It's always been my understanding that the employee who slips the bill under your room was the one who placed the newspaper in front of your door. Look, there are certain standards and expectations of a full-service hotel.
As I pointed out earlier, I haven't seen any official confirmation that the brand standard requires newspapers to remain available in common spaces in the lobby or on each floor. Many full-service Marriott hotels already don't provide other services expected of a full-service hotel. Look at how difficult, if not impossible, it is to get a shoeshine -- let alone slippers and a bathrobe at any property outside of a Ritz-Carlton.
British hotels, in my experience, do newspapers well. Many charge you for it because they place an order the night before with the local news agent. That's nice because I can get the newspaper I want, not the one contracted by a corporate office (aka USA Today).
As for circulation, I'm sure there are limited-service properties in the middle of no-where without easy access to USA Today, The New York Times or The Wall Street, but generally speaking you can get a USA Today almost anywhere in the Lower 48 because Gannett has a superior circulation system in part due to its ownership of numerous local newspapers.
My cottage is in a town of 80 people four hours north of Detroit. By 8 a.m. every morning, year-round -- except for bad weather -- I can get that day's edition of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.