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USA Today newspaper delivery to guest rooms to be discontinued
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
bgraham34
Well-Known Member
I agree with you on that.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
IT'S USA TODAY! It's one of the reasons most newspapers are so godawful in the first place! It was created to give people a little bit of news so that they feel informed without actually BEING informed. It generally caters to travelers so they can get an idea what's happening in their hometown or state when they're not there, but there's rarely any in-depth analysis, hardly any substance. USA Today has done more damage to our "supposedly educated nation" than it going away.
puntagordabob
Well-Known Member
While I agree that it is sad to see this perk go away...with the march of technology it was inevitable.... Perhaps Disney should make a deal (pay them in other words) with one of the major newspapers (the the Orlando Sentinel would be a great local choice) to provide "free" internet access to their paper for Guests while they are at the resort. I am assuming the IPs originating from the resort could simply be allowed into a special portal to access the online "papers" while you are actually at the resort.
Just a thought.
As for the folks without a computer or a portable device, you would be out of luck....
Just a thought.
As for the folks without a computer or a portable device, you would be out of luck....
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
If it smells like vanilla I'll buy it.
prberk
Well-Known Member
righttrack
Well-Known Member
I stay in hotels 37+ days per year. I get one everywhere and I can't say I've ever opened it.
What kind of deal is that? The Orlando Sentienl has free online access. The only two major newspapers that charge for online access are the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
MansionGoer13z
Active Member
Print is Dead.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
I don't buy that.
I do buy that Wall Street and Silicon Valley and soulless venture capitalists, who are trying to convince the world that something as inane as Facebook is somehow worth more than REAL companies with REAL products and assets like TWDC, are doing a bang up job of convincing people of that.
When you get your news from citizen journalists, you are in BIG, BIG trouble.
~Time to leave!~
It is amazing how polarizing newspaper delivery service can be. This thread is actually a fascinating look into how we see print media, and what we expect from deluxe resorts.
I understand the argument that no one reads the paper any more, and that there will still be papers down the hall, etc. I also understand and agree with the notion that things like newspapers, magazines, textbooks, and other rapidly changing documents that contain information are destined to exist only electronically someday. That would save resources for the production, the transportation, and the recycling.
That said, I personally expect newspaper delivery service to my door when I stay at 4 star resort hotels. The argument that papers are available down the hall isn't good enough. I grab the paper in my robe and read it long before I am dressed to head down the hall. I stay on property for pleasure and for business trips, and the paper gets read during both. I also travel with my laptop everywhere I go, but sometimes I want to be able to sit on the couch or bed or by the pool and read the paper. Why should I need to trade one amenity for another? A newspaper for free wifi? The $97 a night Holiday Inn Express I stayed in a few weeks back offered both for free. I agree with those who say the front desk should ask if I want a paper delivered. Does it make life more complicated for the hotel? Maybe. But I am paying $350 a night for a 4 star resort. I expect service of a certain level. Part of that cost of a night's stay is a paid staff who are going to need to do their job, and if that includes dealing with generating and following a list of rooms who ask for a newspaper, then that is just part of the job. I'm an engineer. I have to keep lots of data straight in my job. It is a pain in the rear sometimes, but it is part of the job.
This is a reduction in service whether it was done for good reasons or simply to save money.
I understand the argument that no one reads the paper any more, and that there will still be papers down the hall, etc. I also understand and agree with the notion that things like newspapers, magazines, textbooks, and other rapidly changing documents that contain information are destined to exist only electronically someday. That would save resources for the production, the transportation, and the recycling.
That said, I personally expect newspaper delivery service to my door when I stay at 4 star resort hotels. The argument that papers are available down the hall isn't good enough. I grab the paper in my robe and read it long before I am dressed to head down the hall. I stay on property for pleasure and for business trips, and the paper gets read during both. I also travel with my laptop everywhere I go, but sometimes I want to be able to sit on the couch or bed or by the pool and read the paper. Why should I need to trade one amenity for another? A newspaper for free wifi? The $97 a night Holiday Inn Express I stayed in a few weeks back offered both for free. I agree with those who say the front desk should ask if I want a paper delivered. Does it make life more complicated for the hotel? Maybe. But I am paying $350 a night for a 4 star resort. I expect service of a certain level. Part of that cost of a night's stay is a paid staff who are going to need to do their job, and if that includes dealing with generating and following a list of rooms who ask for a newspaper, then that is just part of the job. I'm an engineer. I have to keep lots of data straight in my job. It is a pain in the rear sometimes, but it is part of the job.
This is a reduction in service whether it was done for good reasons or simply to save money.
Zummi Gummi
Pioneering the Universe Within!
As has been said many times here before, the $97 Holiday Inn does that because they HAVE to, as a way to entice guests.
If you're that worried about having to walk down the hallway in your robe (the horror!), fire up your laptop and read the news until your heart's content online.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Admiral01, I suspect that before long, newspaper delivery will be available "upon request." In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the unofficially official policy right now - the front desk will arrange to have a paper deliver to you, they just won't tell you that they will unless you ask. They won't ask upon check-in "would you like a newspaper delivered to your room each morning?" because people may say Yes and wind up never reading it. But if you say upon check-in "I'd like a paper delivered to my room each morning" they'll say "well, it's USA Today, so we can't get you one during the weekend, but Monday through Friday, sure, we'll arrange that for you."
I also suspect that people who order room service for breakfast will get a paper if they're asked (and maybe even if they're not). That's the thing about WDW resorts; the impression is that there's not a lot of lollygagging in rooms. People are up and out early to get to the parks. Even people who are late risers, they tend to get out as soon as they're up. And for the half-and-half rooms, where some people wake up early but have to f**t around until the rest of the family is awake...they tend to get out of the room, get breakfast, walk the grounds, hit the pool, maybe the gym, blah blah blah. Which means they'll be in a position to pick up a paper in their morning travels because they're out and about.
I'm not saying this is ALWAYS what happens. I'm saying that this probably happens more than not, and it's one of the reasons WDW decided that ceasing paper delivery is not that big of a deal, more of a perception of a big deal than anything else. So if you let someone know that you're in that distinct minority - you do lounge in your room long enough to read a paper before doing what you're going to do - they will accommodate you.
I also suspect that people who order room service for breakfast will get a paper if they're asked (and maybe even if they're not). That's the thing about WDW resorts; the impression is that there's not a lot of lollygagging in rooms. People are up and out early to get to the parks. Even people who are late risers, they tend to get out as soon as they're up. And for the half-and-half rooms, where some people wake up early but have to f**t around until the rest of the family is awake...they tend to get out of the room, get breakfast, walk the grounds, hit the pool, maybe the gym, blah blah blah. Which means they'll be in a position to pick up a paper in their morning travels because they're out and about.
I'm not saying this is ALWAYS what happens. I'm saying that this probably happens more than not, and it's one of the reasons WDW decided that ceasing paper delivery is not that big of a deal, more of a perception of a big deal than anything else. So if you let someone know that you're in that distinct minority - you do lounge in your room long enough to read a paper before doing what you're going to do - they will accommodate you.
MaryJaneP
Well-Known Member
Maybe it has been mentioned in a prior post, but since the argument seems to revolve around the two conflicting issues of cost savings/environmentalism versus the desire to be informed in a paid room, it could be possible to achieve some of both.
If a guest wishes to have something to read each morning, and money/resources are being wasted printing all these newspapers, guests that want to get the news delivered to their room each morning could reserve/receive a kindle-type reader at the front desk. The reader must be returned at checkout or the guest pays for the device. The reader could be wirelessly connected to a summary newspage such as USA Today or CNN or whatever. The guest could use the device to visit other websites.
One possible solution.
If a guest wishes to have something to read each morning, and money/resources are being wasted printing all these newspapers, guests that want to get the news delivered to their room each morning could reserve/receive a kindle-type reader at the front desk. The reader must be returned at checkout or the guest pays for the device. The reader could be wirelessly connected to a summary newspage such as USA Today or CNN or whatever. The guest could use the device to visit other websites.
One possible solution.
