WASHINGTON, DC — Conservative pro-family groups still want to tell the rest of America what to view in the privacy of their own homes and hotel rooms. For several years, national groups like the American Family Association, Citizens for Community Values, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, as well as local family values efforts, have engaged in dedicated campaigns to remove adult entertainment from the in-room-viewing menus at hotel chains. Most of the major chains have resisted, because adult entertainment reportedly accounts for more than 50-percent of all in-room add-on charges. The one exception to date is Omni Hotels, which in 1999 removed porn from its television menus.However, last week Marriott International officials agreed to meet with representatives of several of the 47 pro-family groups that signed and delivered a letter asking the corporation to drop porn. The meeting is set for May 14th at Marriott headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“We certainly think Mr. Marriott has a heart for children and families,” AFA Director of Special Projects Randy Sharp told Cybercast News Service.
Marriott Vice President of Communications Roger Conner told CNS the lodging chain’s decision to offer adult entertainment was made many years ago when Marriott signed a contract with entertainment provider Lodgenet Interactive Corp. However, because individual properties are the ones that receive the revenue generated by in-room adult entertainment, Marriott allows each of its hotels to make its own decisions about the kind of material guests can view, he added.
He also said even if Marriott’s board of directors decides to drop porn, the decision would be only the first step in a lengthy policy change process. The lodging company only occasionally receives complaints from shareholders and guests about in-room adult entertainment, he added.
