A few weeks ago, while in a conference at a high end Miami Beach hotel, a copy of USA Today was delivered at my doorstep every morning. Since I don’t read the newspaper any more (I get my news from the web or through RSS feeds), I just left it in a corner of my room before going about my daily activities.
On the third day, I noticed the following statement written in a very small font on my room card keys envelope:
“Please call the front desk to refuse delivery of USA Today. If refused, a credit of $0.75 will be applied to your bill”.
If the powers that be who manage this large hotel chain thought guests would appreciate this gesture, they’re probably thinking like accountants, not like customers. I don’t know if I fit the profile of a typical guest, but this is what went through my mind immediately after reading the statement:
“This fancy hotel has taken it upon itself to buy a newspaper I don’t want, and charge me $0.75 without even asking me. On top of that, since I don’t want it, I have to spend time and effort making an opt-out phone call that will probably make me look like a cheapskate. Finally, I will need to spend more time at check-out to see if the $0.75 were in fact credited for every day I didn’t receive the paper.”
Some time ago I explained why I think opt-out policies are a bad idea, and this simple example is no exception.
If I were running the place, I would not offer newspaper delivery by default, and I would re-write the statement as follows:
“If you want a copy of USA Today at your doorstep every morning just call the front desk and we will deliver it at no charge”.
Now, if I really wanted to kick it up a notch, I would change the statement to:
“In our efforts to help the environment, we do not provide automatic newspaper delivery. However, if you want a copy of USA Today at your doorstep every morning just call the front desk and we will deliver it at no charge.”
Fine, but “what about the newspaper cost?” you may ask. Well, the cost of the newspaper vs. the cost of a room in this hotel comes out to less than 0.25%. Furthermore, if only 30% of guests opt to receive the free newspaper (and 30% still strikes me as a high number) the newspaper cost per room would go down to around 0.08%.
In other words, it would cost practically nothing for the hotel to institute a much better policy that would leave everybody happy (with the exception perhaps of USA Today and a few obtuse accountants).
Do you think the hotel’s current policy is a good or bad idea? Do you expect hotel newspapers to be free? Do you still read newspapers? Please share your thoughts here.
Amazing how we both had such similar experiences — at least you had the OPTION to opt- out!
@Adam Singer:
Yes, I had read your article before and I remembered it with a chuckle when I saw the newspaper at my door. Then I discovered the little opt-out note that gave me ammunition for the article.
I hate the newpapers, they use a lot o paper.
Why dont they selling the eNews only in the web or a msgs in your phone all the days you stay in this hotel?
Sal-U2
I do not agree with you. Sorry. I think that this is a good idea on behalf of the hotel chain, however think that it could have been tackled a little bit better. I.E just hang a card on your door saying ‘No Newspaper’
It is definitely alternative thinking but i wonder if they asked people at the beginning of their stay whether they would like a newspaper or not is an even better idea? Instead of offering a discount of .75 cents, which is nothing, why not offer an alternative?
Ie, if the customer declines a newspaper, what about a magazine or free internet access? They probably charge $1 a day????
Will (http://willegan.com)
@Will Egan:
They never mentioned anything at check in, which is the problem. If they would have asked, up front, do you want delivery of USA Today for a charge of $0.75, I would have been perfectly OK with that: full disclosure and the chance for you to say yes or no. But they didn’t do that.
On the other hand, the internet connection was $12/day, which is another racket. If they would have given it to me for $1/day though, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.
You threw in some interesting alternatives in your reply, creative ideas that are sometimes missing in the real business world. Thanks for enhancing the post with your comments.
First I would like to say that I like the idea of:
“In our efforts to help the environment, we do not provide automatic newspaper delivery. However, if you want a copy of USA Today at your doorstep every morning just call the front desk and we will deliver it at no charge.”
However I will also admit that as a person who works at a hotel some people can get really upset when there is not a newspaper at their door, and many of the times a person who does not want the newspaper will simply leave it at the front desk for someone else to take it.
We have the little “Opt-out” notice as well, but in reality the newspapers are complimentary regardless. Hotels are required by rule to give that notice, we didn’t raise out rates when we started delivering the papers yet we are required to give the “credit” upon request, so in reality we lowered our rates if you ask for the credit!
A few other things to note about most hotel’s newspaper deliveries. They are required to order their newspapers at least 24 hours ahead of time, as well as pay for each copy ordered. If a person “opts-out” the hotel still has to pay for that newspaper because it was ordered before they checked in.
While I agree that there might be a “better” way, from a person who works at a hotel it would also cause problems with record keeping for such a change and most likely would lead to angry customers when they expect a paper but never get one for whatever reason (a person who gets a paper but really does not want it is more likely to return to the hotel than a person who wants a paper but never gets it)
@ a hotel employee:
Thanks for your comments and for giving us the perspective from the other side.