End of Era: Marriott Pulls Back on Guest Newspapers

A quarter century ago, Marriott became the first major hotel company to partner with a major newspaper chain, Gannett, to provide automatic delivery of USA Today and other papers to its guest rooms.

Today, the giant hotelier announced it will become the first major hotel company to end automatic delivery of newspapers to guest rooms. Marriott says that guest demand for newspapers has dropped 25 percent recently at its 2500 U.S. hotels.

The news is not entirely bad for the newspaper industry, since guests who specifically request a particular paper will still be able to get one. But the switch to an “opt-in” model will no doubt drastically reduce readership in the hotel market.

Reading about this development in a post by Joe Strupp over at Editor & Publisher this morning, I started growing a little nostalgic. Although I never would subscribe to USA Today, I always happily gobble it up at breakfast when I’m staying at hotels.

Another publication that will feel the impacts of Marriot’s move is the Wall Street Journal, which has been the hote chain’s other big national partner. Given Marriott’s leadership position in the hotel industry, we can expect other chains to follow suit soon.