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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo My Conversation With Hotel Management About Television
My wife and I had to go back to Seattle to scrap a car out that has been in storage for two months since we moved to Oregon in June.We also visited with our granddaughter.
The Hotel was a Best Western in the 4 star range.We checked in Sunday night and yesterday when we went down to the breakfast room for the provided breakfast every channel was on the FAUX Propaganda Network so we grabbed our grub and went to the room. After bringing the service ware back to the kitchen I stopped by the front desk and spoke with the clerk. I asked him why is it that every major chain hotel pumps that network into their public media without consideration of CNN or MSNBC or at least put a network on each of the 4 large screen televisions with the 4th being the cartoon network for the kids. He of course said that is a management mandate what is played., I closed by thanking him for his time and said Faux offends me please pass this on to your manager.
Well this morning we went to get breakfast and guess what.. MSNBC was on 1 screen, CNN on another, Fox and YES the cartoon network. On the way out the desk clerk said that they had never thought about the viewing consideration before and that this would now be the norm at their property.
I got a free night in the future for the suggestion.
elleng
(131,202 posts)Thanks
mucifer
(23,576 posts)DLnyc
(2,479 posts)If all of us will do this, imagine how the world can change!
dogman
(6,073 posts)Good that management recognized your opinion as good marketing.
StrictlyRockers
(3,855 posts)And thanks for sharing. Hopefully more people will pick up your example and make their opinions on Faux Snooze known to management. We are not taking this BS lying down anymore!
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)R. Daneel Olivaw
(12,606 posts)Brain dead management.
Or, I bet you that they are gutless management. The TVs will go back to False News once you are gone.
Good score on the free night, though.
If you ever go back to the same hotel see what they are playing and re-post it here.
mazzarro
(3,450 posts)How can the management be so stupid to assume that every one of their guests will want to watch Faux Noise?
Astazia
(262 posts)Good on you!!!
calimary
(81,527 posts)Glad you're here! Activism is our best game and we need your help!
Now get to work. There's an election to win.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)part man all 86
(367 posts)niyad
(113,627 posts)immediately insisted that they change it, but said, "if ANYTHING were going to bring her out of the coma, having to listen to that bs would do it!" for the rest of the time she was there, that station was never on.
good for you for speaking up. it is something we all need to do.
Chipper Chat
(9,696 posts)We never turn on Fox unless a guest requests it. Then as soon as he leaves we switch back to MSNBC or CNN.
Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)Some Hampton Inn we frequent in Illinois always has FAUX on. I asked if we could see something else (one TV) and was told by the older "breakfast lady": the "management wants either news or the weather channel on".
I told the older "breakfast lady", not wanting to be disrespectful but getting my point across, that FAUX wasn't news, and could we have the Weather Channel instead. She grudgingly flipped it to the Weather, but as I was checking out, I saw her, and I'm guessing the manager, sitting together at one of the breadfast tables, eyes glued to FAUX....
Cha
(297,809 posts)fox is only ruining America and I thank you for letting the clerk know that having it on was offensive to you and to pass it on to the manager!
And, you got such an amazing response! May it inspire others in that kind of situation.
DAMANgoldberg
(1,278 posts)The TV rooms in the Driver's area of then-Flying J Travel Centers had Faux on their main TV and the TV's at the front of the store. After the purchase by RW-funded Pilot Travel Centers (Haslam family of Knoxville), this did not change, but they would switch if asked to CNN or The Weather Channel. MSNBC was not an option there.
trailmonkee
(2,681 posts)calimary
(81,527 posts)I happen to have banked there for a couple of decades. They all know me, they know my husband, they know our son with the band etc etc. They value their long-time customers. I complained. I came back in a few days later. No change. I complained AGAIN. Then I went over to one of the managers' desks at the far end of the room. I identified myself as a retired reporter and told her I found Pox Noise offensive because they do NOT do news, but rather they pervert every imaginable form of news coverage that I ever recognized in two decades of employment as a news reporter/anchor/writer/producer.
The next time I came in - guess what was on? CNBC! And that is where it's remained.
Once I noticed that, and observed that it was sustained for the following two weeks, I went up to another manager at the end of the room and thanked them - said I noticed the change and that I appreciated it very much. The manager told me they'd had complaints. That change was apparently made permanent. It's always on CNBC whenever I go in there, at all the random times I do.
ALWAYS SPEAK UP! You never know when it'll actually do some good! You never know when you'll change one mind or save one soul.
What I've discovered through all this is (and it applies to calling your Congresscritter too): IF THEY THINK YOU DON'T CARE, THEY WON'T, EITHER!!!!!!!
Patiod
(11,816 posts)at least it makes perfect sense for a bank to be playing a business-focused news program.
Our vet always seems to have the local Fox channel on, probably because it is the only channel that carries local news after 9am.
I'm surprised they don't have Animal Planet on, which would make a lot more sense.
DrewFlorida
(1,096 posts)rl6214
(8,142 posts)good job.
mick063
(2,424 posts)A Western Chain of franchises started in Oregon.
They show Fox religously in their waiting room. Great Service, great tires, resaonable prices.
I don't go there because there anymore because they show Fox.
Perhaps I should link this thread to their Headquarters via E-mail.
This is how much Fox offends me as a former loyal customer.
SunSeeker
(51,745 posts)Bigredhunk
(1,351 posts)We have a similar situation here. There's a nice car wash "chain" (only a couple) in Dubuque. I'm pretty sure 1 is owned by Guy A, and the other is owned by Guy B (Guy A's brother). Guy A always has The Weather Channel on. Guy B always has faux on. Problem is, Guy B's location is more convenient. When I go in there and hear neal cavuto talking some bullshit it makes me want to barf. I've asked multiple times before about faux being on the tube. They've had The Weather Channel on before, but it's usually faux. The last time they had some other channel on, and I thanked the lady for not having faux. She said something diplomatic, about getting tired of news (lol @ news) all the time.
It's a nice car wash because they thoroughly clean both the inside and outside of the vehicle. It blows going there though. Pretty sure both Guy A & Guy B are assholes, as I've heard from people who worked there. For ex, if someone complains about an antenna (or whatever) getting busted on their car, the owners pay for the damage out of the employee tip jar.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)Even if Fox were a legitimate channel, they should be giving some thoughts to the kiddies.
The essential question really is, why is it considered necessary to have a TV on in every public place at all times? What happened to people reading a magazine or a book?
I complained at a dentist's office several years back that they had a TV in place at all. Forget what was showing, except that I know it wasn't Fox. I said, if you think you need to have the patients entertained, why not show a tape of fish in an aquarium, or something like that.
I don't happen to own a TV. I get to watch pretty much everything I want to watch via the internets. Whenever I stay in a hotel and have the novelty of a TV in my room, I quickly become extremely annoyed with the commercials, which seem to take up approximately 50% of the viewing time. Plus, there's almost never anything on that I actually want to watch. So I read.
Freddie
(9,275 posts)An endless loop about making your smile so much brighter with easy, one-minute veneers.
Paulie
(8,462 posts)Sounds exactly the same!
Heywood J
(2,515 posts)They tend to complain when you block the light, move your head, or your arms get in the way while holding the book. The book would also look pretty bad afterward, depending on the splashback.
God forbid some of us can't watch fish for ninety minutes straight or prefer not to focus on the drilling and installation of hardware in our mouths. You don't like TV, so everyone should have to suffer and stare at the ceiling.
When did it become necessary to have a TV on in every public place at all times? When other people stopped being good company.
Patiod
(11,816 posts)It's tough to read or talk with other people when the waiting room is blasting TV.
When my dad was in the hospital at the end, the eldercare lady blasted "I Love Lucy" reruns every afternoon at 4 from the TV right outside my dad's room. No one watched them, but she wouldn't let me turn them down or off. The other people on the geriatric floor did NOT seem interested.
eShirl
(18,505 posts)Maybe after that, they could paint the wall so we could watch it dry.
LarryNM
(493 posts)A world filled with endless banal sensationalism has no room for peace, quiet and contemplation.
blueamy66
(6,795 posts)wow....hard to believe....my guy used to stay at BWs all the time, but they were so crappy, he had to switch to using hotels.com and find clean hotels....
but glad that your suggestion worked!
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)but good on them for offering a choice
progressoid
(50,000 posts)I've done some work for BWs. They have been working hard to fix those problems. They also now have BW Plus and BW Premiere in addition to their regular BW. They new ones are quite nice actually.
blueamy66
(6,795 posts)Cause many of the hotels.com cust svc. people are inept and ridiculous to try to work with.....
What happened to cust svc anyway?
progressoid
(50,000 posts)I should add a caveat to my earlier post. Even though BWs have been making improvements, there are still bad ones out there. And poor management & customer service seem to be at the core of the problem.
blueamy66
(6,795 posts)and he still has to tell them his contact information EVERY TIME he makes a reservation via the phone.
Can they not save this info?
TeamPooka
(24,264 posts)randr
(12,417 posts)by assuming that all the TV's in public places are tuned to their tripe.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)In Gatlinburg, Tn, a large conference and resort type hotel. They looked at me as if I had grown horns. Policy...blah, blah, blah.
One look at the majority of their clientele and you'd understand why, but I had to protest anyway.
Very glad to hear that hotel management in Oregon is more amenable.
Vincardog
(20,234 posts)restaurants Doctor's office you name it; If the so called SnewZ station is on, I ask for it to be changed before I order.
Mr Dixon
(1,185 posts)TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)But on older TVs, yes. They work just fine.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)I do a bunch of traveling and still encounter hotels that don't carry MSNBC...so I bring my own teevee with me. It also comes in very handy to watch my beloved White Sox no matter where I go.
rgbecker
(4,834 posts)But Bravo on your approach!
greiner3
(5,214 posts)I have done the above also, albeit in Seattle, in a Best Western, living in Oregon and the need to scrap my car
It was in Texas and when I mentioned it to the front desky person he got a sour look on his face. Oh well!
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)tell management wherever we go that Fox News is not everyone's channel of choice and that it offends many. I do it.
allan01
(1,950 posts)good show. even though i dont travel anymore , if i were to, id get me one of these.
https://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_main.php
its called a tv b gone . has all the common tv remote codes . even shuts off jumbotrons s
now if i can only find a am radio jammer so i can jam slush rimshod whilst am in a friends truck
this shows how nice begats nice and diplomatic always works
Jim__
(14,089 posts)Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)I submitted a complaint card to a grocery store/ pharmacy when I had to wait in line for my scripts and they had Faux news on.
I said I found it offensive and that I bet other Democrats and Independents would too. I said I should be allowed to stand in line without being preached to politically by Faux news as it is so clearly only a Repuke propaganda channel. I wrote that it looked like the store was taking the Repuke side.
It hasn't been on Faux since. They put it on the local 24 newstation which is more bipartisan, whose statement is in fact "we are not for anything, or against anything, we let you decide."
Not sure whether my statement did it and/or other people said something just glad I don't have to listen to Faux while waiting for my prescriptions.
Liberalman777
(35 posts)Way to go!
bayareaboy
(793 posts)Just don't pay any attention to them. bring a book or local news paper, or share some talk with a friend.
If the sound is too loud, tell the folks that you have vertigo with loud noises and you would not want to upchuck around the fruit basket!
And if there are some folks in the room enjoying FAUX NEWS, you can always just look at them and think good about yourself.
Daayyummmboi
(50 posts)samsingh
(17,602 posts)12AngryBorneoWildmen
(536 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)If no one is around in the local hospital waiting rooms, I change the channel from Fox.
Usually I am not in the waiting room long enough to discuss it with the hospital.
But I sure don't mind turning the knob.
(actually I can't see any reason to have tvs in a public area at all...)
thecrow
(5,519 posts)now they have other channels on, like nature shows and soothing music.
I stayed in a Homewoods Suites over the weekend and they had CNN in the breakfast room.
nightscanner59
(802 posts)West coast is relatively free of these, many a Love's truck stop and others throughout the midwest/plains have these going 24/7
Kudos on Best Western for listening to you. Sounds like actions of a rogue employee.
Where is Fox playing?
Know businesses or other public places that play Fox News on their TVs? Help us identify places that play Fox, or work with others in your area to explain to those businesses why they should change the channel. www.turnofffox.org
Response to nightscanner59 (Reply #54)
Post removed
imanamerican63
(13,823 posts)I wish I had better luck! It is a company wide policy that they have Fox news on. I had them turn the sound down so I don't have to lear any new lies!!!!
aggiesal
(8,937 posts)Here is the problem;
News Corp. the owners of Fox News gives Fox News to all cable & satellite companies
for [font color=RED]FREE[/font].
While CNN, MSNBC, CurrenTV, . . . all charge the cable companies for their programming.
So Fox News is included in just about every cheap, basic & free package, including
business packages that cable and satellite providers offer.
Businesses like Best Western will always offer the cheaper option, in this case
Fox News.
More of us should do, what you did. I complained at my company (In Orange County CA.
the heart of conservatism in California) to change it off Fox to any other news source,
which they politely did, until I left the lobby. Then they changed it right back.
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)glowing
(12,233 posts)But for the most part, hotels want to be non-poltical. Fox has lost their "fair and biased" claim. Customer Service is the name of the game. Good hotel to respond so quickly to a suggestion. That's normally something that would take a month to implement in most places.
Volaris
(10,275 posts)I come to work, and get to see Rachel. It's nice=) The owner watches Faux when he is here, but even he said to me the other day he doesn't think R-Money is going to pull this out. Too inept.
felix_numinous
(5,198 posts)Good job!
kimbutgar
(21,224 posts)I got an email from the chain asking for my opinion and I wrote that I had trouble eating breakfast while Fox was on and was offended. They sent me an email back that it is the owners choice of what to play on TV in the mornings. Well I also remembered when checking in they were very rude to a Hispanic man who spoke broken English. I knew enough Spanish to help the man communicate what he needed. Needless to say when we went this year I stayed at another hotel as I realized the owner/manager was a Tea bagger and would no longer get my money at his hotel.
FedUpJerseyGirl
(49 posts)Chakaconcarne
(2,466 posts)I have this beef at the gym I go to, but the gym allows members access to the remotes. I swear, FOX news watchers are so adimant about getting that crap up there in public view. They obsess over it and think they're doing everyone a favor. It's amazing the information that can be picked up from that station even if there is no sound or subtitles. I bet very much intentional.
WCGreen
(45,558 posts)I walked out of a restaurant that had Fox on and they just said have a nice day.
Glad you had better luck.
alfredo
(60,077 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)I said it was offensive, caused my blood pressure to spike and created a gutload of anxiety within me. It would be healthier mentally, emotionally and physically to put the TV on a neutral channel. The next time I went back, it was on a benign sitcom channel.
Speak up folks, it does work!
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)The home town team happens to be in the Championship game. I mean if Seattle was in the World Series I would expect all channels to be tuned into that but on any given day you should have a variety of channels available to everyone.
sakabatou
(42,186 posts)This made me so happy to hear! I'm glad you spoke up and got it changed -- good work!!
City Lights
(25,171 posts)I love these stories!
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts):kick:
harun
(11,348 posts)I don't allow Fox News in my home and I appreciate when they don't have it on at hotels I stay at. Good to always let them know this politely.
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)When I travel and see Faux Newz in the lobby, I never fail to register my displeasure.
I'm also a registered reviewer over at www.tripadvisor.com, which is a great way to make your experience good/bad/indifferent known to hotel management as well as those who are considering that hotel.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Fond Du Lac, WI for a couple of nights and (despite my protests) they kept Fox blaring in the lobby, so I ripped them in the tripadvisor review. They were very apologetic and I see a few people who were considering this hotel clicked on my review as "helpful".
xmas74
(29,676 posts)to change a channel. In the mornings it's common to have on a news channel and Fox brags about being number one. (Supposedly.) Speak with someone in charge and they'll usually change the channel with no problem whatsoever.
When I worked in motels I never turned on Fox or CNN or MSNBC, for that matter. I always turned on the local news on one tv, Weather Channel on another, and PBS or Cartoon Network on the third. Most visitors were interested in the weather in the city they were staying and in local news and events. The Weather Channel was for those who would be leaving us that day for another city or state. PBS/Cartoon Network was for the kids. (You'd be surprised at how many parents thanked us for PBS-more then for Cartoon Network.)