Trying to gauge if there is enough interest in this petition
 

This may seem silly to some, but it irks me every morning when I walk out of my hotel room at Starwood hotels.

The ever present USA Today. Even when I ask them not to deliver, they still do, and then just don't charge me the 75 cents. My problem with this is that I dont want them to engage in such wasteful practices. The energy require to print, distribute, etc, all of those papers is insane. And for what? The courtesy of delivering one of the worst newspapers printed to every guests room! Who "reads" that thing anyway? Its awful. I come away feeling more informed from reading a cereal box then I do USA Today.

So here is what I want, a petition request that SPG STOP AUTOMATIC DELIVERY of USA Today to all of it's guests, so that it can begining tailoring their consumption of the paper to meet actual demand. For two reasons (1) USA Today is just a bad useless paper and (2) The practice is a horrible waste of resources and just represents unnecessary damage to the environment.

Am I alone on this?

agreed
 

agreed

Yes, as far as I'm concerned. It would appear that most people, myself included, want it. If you don't, why not just avoid the spike in blood pressure every morning and add it to the stack by the elevator, or on the front desk, as you go out the door. Someone else will surely pick it up and enjoy it.

However one feels about it, it just doesn't seem to me like an issue worth so much energy.

You asked. :)

IMO, it is a generally worthless paper. I would be happy not having it delivered to my room. If it were available in the lounge or lobby, that would satisfy me.

I do occassionally read the travel section online, but that is a different issue.

As this is marketed as an elite benefit, I agree that it would be nice if elites could opt out of it across the board if they never want a newspaper.

I dislike it when I get extra unwanted newspapers because of my elite status. When I get the WSJ, I usually only read the front page. I rarely want the hotel's local newspaper. At home, I only get the paper on the weekends.

When I do opt out of it upon check-in, I agree that my request rarely gets observed. However, it was long ago explained to me by a lawyer that this ability to get opt out for a credit is there for anti-trust purposes -- not because the hotels are being considerate about your wishes. This issue is not unique to Starwood.

I suspect that this might develop into just an "I hate USA Today" thread, though.

I've had more than one check-in agent tell me that I was the first person that had ever requested to get the credit on my account for not getting the paper. It's not a very common request.

This petition will anger the gods of print journalism, who assign a value and make us opt out of receiving a free paper so they can claim all those copies tossed at our doors 'paid' distribution. Yes, it's pretty much worthless to me; I'd certainly rather have a WSJ or NYT. But until a real newpaper wants to boost its circulation numbers with this same sort of game (and very probably near free copies to Starwood properties), you're wasting your time.

The to OP: you have a valid point from your vantage point. The merits of your position can be argued ad infinitum with no resolution. I take no position on this matter since I like getting the paper to simply scan while having my first coffee of the early morning. With that said, I will also concur that it is a largely worthless paper to me, as well. Years ago, before web access 24/7, I did spend some time on the news and money sections first thing in the am, but no more.

With all of that commentary out of the way, I'll agree that you are wasting your time with any sort of petition as proposed. One of the many complications at play here is that USAToday has long term contracts in place for year round distribution to hotels based on annual contracts. Properties must commit to a certain number of papers per workday per annum. It is NOT based on anticipated daily guest counts!!! (That would add significant burden and cost to the distribution process at USAToday.)

I live in Northern New England where many of the smaller communities are booming in the warmer months and in the foiliage season. Thereafter, they empty out like ghost towns. In my work travel, I see some of these hotels with stacks of maybe 100 or more excess USAToday newspapers (never read) as I'm checking in at 10pm due to the light guest load in the winter months.

It is a crappy system that definitely wastes resources, but from the newspaper's perspective, a higher cost would result from managing the daily distribution to actual, forecasted needs.

Kinda stinks, but that's the way it is.

I like getting the paper. And I like getting it at the door, rather than depending on a copy still being available at the table by the elevators.

Ditto. And I definitely like getting a local paper too. Reading those for about 45 minutes while in bed each morning, with a cup of coffee, is probably the most relaxing part of my day!

When they do not put them at the doors they have stacks in the lobby. If you want to save trees, not gettting it at the door will not change anything as it will just sit in the lobby. I can not see any hotel being the first not to have the paper. To many upset people. It is a minor thing, but I would not stay at that chain versus one with it.

If only Starwood would give us a local paper! 1 out of 7 stays do I ever get something in addtion to or other than USA Today. You'd think SPG elites would at least get WSJ, NY Times or some sort of legit paper.

The best is when hotels give you a choice between USA/WSJ or the local paper. I prefer the local paper almost every instance, and definitely WSJ over USA today.
Many businesspeople need to read the local paper to keep up with what's going on. Not sure why hotels can't grasp this, even if the USA Today is free for them.
I remember the 4pts Phoenix until recently did not even sell the local paper, nor have a rack nearby. That was stunning.

I agree about USA Today. I hate it.

What further ticks me off is that just about all Starwood hotels have verbage in the key envelope that states if you don't want a copy of USA today, you can refuse it at the front desk/bring it back to the front desk and will receive a refund of 75 cents.

While 75 cents is a small amount, if I am not in a hurry I will sometimes try to take the hotel up on the offer figuring that it at least sends the message that not everyone loves USA Today. Unfortunately about 90% of the time they simply deny that one can do this. And then I show them the key folder. And then they just say something like "The Newspaper was included in your rate.", "You weren't charged for it - it was included in your rate.", and "The folder is printed by Starwood and has nothing to do with us." :rolleyes:

I get the cash about half the time (and most of those times I think it is coming out of the desk manager's pocket just to get rid of me). But usually I will give up as I am wasting my time, the manager's time, and preventing them from dealing with other guests. And it is only 75 cents. It's just not worth it.

I wonder if far more of us at least made an attempt to get the refund if some changes would be made.

GMTA ;)

To me, the only thing worse than USA Today is having no paper at all, so I can certainly live with it. But give me the NY Times anyday!