Cable TV
 

Why is it that Marriott cannot offer a decent cable channel lineup in most of their hotels? I travel constantly and it never fails that when I stay at Marriott, I'll turn on the TV and get maybe 8 broadcast channels. Usually, CNN Headline News is offered, but no CNN. If you want financial news or coverage of a breaking story, forget it!

There is no reason why the property can't offer CNN, CNBC or MSNBC if they can offer CNN Headline - other than they are cheap and don't want to pay the extra fee to carry these channels. Marriott's rates are NOT cheap, however.

I've called corporate and complained, but basically got some assistant who let me vent and that was basically it. This issue does affect my decision to stay at Marriotts.

Marriott....are you listening?


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Traveler113

Hmmm. All Marriott properties that I have been to have CNN.....

Do you work for Starwood?

the JW Marriott in Bangkok did even show the SuperBowl game last weekend on two different channels: ESPN and ??? (starting local time in Bangkok: Monday, 6AM) - I (and Gisela) stayed there during the day (arriving from Melbourne early in the morning, departing for Frankfurt after midnight).

this is a very valid issue - and i would like to support you on this by writing a letter to Corporate. does anyone know who i should write to?

i would tend to agree that the channel selection could be significantly enhanced in most locations.

FWIW, I'm not real fond of TV and somewhat indifferent, but I was able to watch MLB and see the Yankees play (strangely at breakfast) at the JW Marriott, Bangkok in April/May of '98. And it sure is nice to be able to just flip on the TV and get some news!

I don't really think this is the hotels fault unless they have satalite. Hotels sre suject to the whims of the cable co. just like we are in out homes. If the cable does not carry CNN, or even the Wheather Channel, there is not much we can do excepet call and demand they provide these channels with their service, or ask the hotels to ask.

I'm currently at a Courtyard. They have CNN but not CNN_Headline_News. Among the movie channels they have HBO.

I also stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn in the area and the Hilton had more channels - two movie channels and both CNN and Headline News. Hilton had appx. 30 channels versus appx. 10 channels at the Courtyard. Both places had 25" TV screens.

There is some lack of consistency in channels; most, but not all Marriott hotels I've stayed have had both CNN and Headline News, but a noticable amount have one and not the other.

I stayed at a Bestwestern once when the Courtyard was sold out that night. It had every basic cable channel; just like watching my home TV. It even had most of the other channels barely scrambled http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif However, I never stayed there again. The hotel was scummy, even though it was half price of the Courtyard.

If I'm staying at a hotel I hope to spend a minimum amount of time watching TV there http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

All "W" Hotels have the 27" Web-TVs. I can watch what ever I want when ever I want to watch it or I can go on line to read the news at any time from my feather bed.

It could be that they do not want to lose the revenue stream from the in room movies. With the high charges they collect for a 90 minute movie it must be a goldmine for some of the Marriott properties.

one of the 'out of-normal/average' perks of the SCCS-club-membership in InterContinental hotels is, that you get ONE movie free per stay.

I have noticed that Hilton and Starwood have much better cable selection than Marriott.

Bjoe, having just checked out of the Anaheim Marriott this morning, I definitely agree with that!

I have to agree with Bjoe on this. Having stayed at numerous Hiltons, Marriotts and Starwood hotels, Hilton and Starwood consistently have more cable channels than Marriott.

Currently in a Fairfield in ROC, they have CNN, CNN Headline, TNT, WTBS, Weather plus local and ESPN. Was in a CY in BOS last week and the cable selection mirrored this one. Time/Warner must have a lock on these Marriott properties, but why so few?

I stay over 200 nights a year in hotels and have found the best selection of stations at HI and HIx properties. Most offer over 50+ stations and seem to have a direct DSS connection as the ads for specials on other channels pop up.

Flyaway - I definately do NOT work for Starwood. But I do travel ALOT. And nothing frustrates me more than checking into a $125+ per night room at any hotel and not having CNN or CNBC. Marriott 'used' to be my hotel of choice.

Now, I do stay at Starwood mostly. But ocaissionally do make a reservation at Marriott. Recently - the Marriott Pittsburgh City Center. No CNN, no CNBC. CNN Headline was there. Rainy night - didn't want to go out.

In this day and age, I think that I should have more choices than ABC, NBC, FOX and Headline News with 2 or 3 hotel channels that advertise meetings and restaurants. Marriott doesn't think this is important, so I choose Starwood or Hilton.

We all have a choice, but don't you think that Marriott would consider that they may actually be losing business over such an easy problem to solve????

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Traveler113

i also agree that Starwood channel selection appears to be consistently expanded over Marriott .

i don't know much about engineering, however, i think the issue is that a lot of the Marriotts are franchised, and they can pretty much decide how many channels they want to pay the local cable co. for.

however, not having CNN, or Headline News in the year Y2K is a little tacky ??

I also think it is centrally controlled. Each individual property gets to pick one CCN channel, one movie channel, etc. Marriotts are very efficiently run. Now, if only that efficiency could translate into better benefit for MR.

Just my 2 cents,

From the commercials that I've seen during recent Marriott stays, it looks like they're getting their cable stations from DirecTV (lots of spots about tuning to channel five hundred something to watch a show). I would assume that they could cut a deal with DirecTV to provide more channels.

Another pet peeve of mine on this subject is that Marriott hasn't upgraded their broadcast station list since the demise of the Dumont Network! I've been in more than a few Marriotts where the only broadcast stations available were ABC, CBS, and NBC (even thought there were other stations in town). Hasn't anyone at Marriott ever heard of FOX, UPN, or the WB? Mind you, I'm not a big 'slayer' fan, but some more choices would be nice.

You would think someone would find it logical to give us the 'Weather Channel', since we're probably in a distant city.

On the up side, I've noticed that Residence Inns and Renaissance Hotels have had complete 'basic cable' (20-30 channels and up) wherever I've stayed.


[This message has been edited by PointJunkie (edited 02-04-2000).]

Interesting how almost everyone assumes that these hotels get their TV channels from cable. It's actually fairly rare. I don't think I've seen a suburban hotel in 15 years without a satellite dish on the roof or out back. That's how the "Spectravision" or whatever pay movies get to the hotel. The nationally distributed "cable channels" get there this way too. The off-air channels are often captured just that way: "off-air", and then filtered and mixed into the hotel's distribution system. Since cable systems charge by the set, and the hotel has to get the pay movies anyway (for the revenue), few of them want to pay 2 expensive vendors for choices that the guests can only watch one at a time.

reading trough all above posts I think that your Marriott experiences are limited to US properties. My international Marriott experience on this is a lot better.

Just an FYI, I'm in a Residence Inn in LAS this week and besides the regular local fare (CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS AND ABC) they have CNN, CNN Headline, ESPN & 2, Spanish, TNT, A&E, Nick, WTBS. Curiously the Wethaer channel is missing, but hey it's 70 degrees so who needs it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

ontherun (on vacation)

I stayed at the Courtyard in Buffalo this weekend and all stations mentioned by ontherun were available.

FYI,

I'll be leaving the Marriott Suites Dulles this morning.

The TV lineup here includes HBO, TBS, TNT, WB, Regular CNN, FOX, ESPN, TWC and local stations.

Note the feed seems to be from mixed sources. The networks are the Washington stations, but TWC is not giving the local forecast.

The one thing that is quite amusign is that Super 8 actually has better stations than Marriott (and lots of times Hilton). I have stayed in some pretty remote ares in a Super 8 with a "being home" style of cable. The Marriotts (as mentioned earlier) do not even have all the local channels (most specifically UPN and FOX). It is fustrating... had to go to another hotel and watch Star Trek Voyager in the lobby on night.. (Marriott did not offer it). But the Westin in Portland had an excellent selection of stations.

Ok.. enough ramblng.

has anyone stayed at a Marriott recently that had truly excellent CABLE? if so - please list location and as many channels as you recall.

thanks. - platinum marquis

Most of my stays are at either the Courtyard Indianapolis Northwest, or the Fullerton, Ca Marriott. Both have a limited number of channels that includes CNN, TBS, TNT as well as all of the network channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, UPN, WB, FOX) as best as I can remember. I can't imagine starting my day without CHiPs reruns. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif Hey our friends in Europe might want the BBC or some other channels. Are we too USA centric here. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I have found that some hotels do seem to be cable hotels in that they may have as many as 50-60 channels including the shopping ones. However, most hotels have a dish somewhere and use that for the non-over-the-air channels.

I just checked into the Fairfield in PWM for my very first ever Fairfield stay. The first thing I did was fill out the comment card that asked for ways to improve the hotel. I asked for more TV stations.

It seems to me that the number of stations available is inversely proportional to the room rate. I just left a small mom-and-pop motel in Rockland ME, where they had about 65 channels.

Cable companies will sell "bulk service" to hotels, which is how the low end properties typically get it. They pay a fixed rate per month, but are generally responsible for their own distribution equipment within the hotel. Some cable companies will lease and maintain this equipment for an additional charge.

If you've just finished your 6th 12 hour day in a row, and the snow storm forecast to bring 12" of snow has just begun, there's nothing more comforting than a remote control and 57 channels, even if there isn't anything on.