I'm ready to spit nails...

[spartan61]

We have been traveling from Maine to Michigan for a class reunion. Just checked into the motel, (Sleep Inn Choice Hotels) turned the TV on to see what news we have missed via MSNBC and... NO MSNBC, NO CNN, only Faux News!!! HBO and many other channels, but no MSNBC. I can't stomach Faux and refuse to watch it. I can't complain to the front desk because they are employees and have no authority to do anything about the channels. When I get home I plan to call and write the Choice Hotels Headquarters to register my complaint. I don't care that they offer Faux, but please give us a choice of cable news. Does anyone have any other ideas that I should do?

[NoSheep]

1. We should keep this kicked and ask others to complain as well.

K&R

[babylonsister]

Stream msnbc on your computer? Watch a movie instead?

Read DU? :)

[tekisui]

2. Read a paper.

You can get the news right here on the intertubes, as well. The M$M isn't worth the time, IMO. I don't have cable, and don't want cable.

[Betsy Ross]

3. Just read that Comcast is dropping MSNBC.

Glad we switched to satellite.

[MNDemNY]

8. Where did you read that???

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

14. That changes my plan to look into a switch to Comcast

But I think I'll call them and start the process then cancel out when they tell me no MSNBC.

The one thing I can't get on satellite is the town meetings. They are all on cable.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. That is simply not true

MSNBC is about to get an additional HD channel on Comcast in my area. Not dropping, but expanding their MSNBC availability. What can you say? What I am telling you I am reading from my Comcast bill, as I type.

[City Lights]

22. It's still part of basic cable in the Chicago area. nt

[Raine1967]

23. Can you give a link?

Or are you talking about them dropping it from Basic? That has been happening for quite some time.

There is a big difference between dropping and dropping from Basic Cable.

Thanks!

[inna]

33. if they drop it from Basic, that will be huge. HUGE.

they're not dropping Faux from Basic, are they now?

personally, i can't afford Premium anymore, and i'm sure i'm not alone.

:(

:(

[Horse with no Name]

4. I mentioned this one time and was completely shot down

In the basic tier of most satellites, Faux is a fixture.
They have a fucking built in audience because there is no other choice.

[NoSheep]

5. Sleep Inn Choice Hotels contact info

Here's a link to the page with their corporate officer emails: (Correction. No Emails.Just names..big surprise)

http://investor.choicehotels.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99348&p=IROL-governance



Shareholder Info:

Primary IR Contact
Investor Relations
10750 Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

[donheld]

6. You can too complain to the front desk.

they may just be employees but unless you make some noise nothing will ever change.

[NoSheep]

7. I would lodge a complaint in a very nice way at the desk...then write the CEO, etc.

[BlueGirlRedState]

9. Fox on the TV at Holiday Inn too

My family and I were driving from Chicago to Texas and stopped at a Holiday Inn Express in Oklahoma. At breakfast in the morning, I saw Fox News and I went up immediately to change the channel. A family was eating breakfast and the man said, "Hey, I thought watching the news was supposed to be important." I said, "Too bad this isn't news."

I was trying to find a local station or network, anything, but couldn't. The woman at the table said indignently, "Hey, we were watching that!" So I changed it back.

This is not my normal behavior, I'd never try to pick a fight but I've just had it with the talking points.

[nosmokes]

10. Talk to the front desk

the motel is probably a franchise and the local owner has a great deal of latitude in making decisions.

[zorahopkins]

11. Visit The Front Desk

Go to the front desk and DEMAND -- politely, of course -- to know what cable company or satellite company provides cable to the Sleep Inn Choice Hotel. MAKE the desk clerk tell you.

I would then call the Senators and Representatives of the district where you are currently located, and let them know in no uncertain terms that the cable company is DENYING complete coverage of the news to the people of whatever town you are currently in.

I would also write a sternly-worded letter to the cable company or satellite company informing them that you are MOST UPSET, and that you will certainly NOT EVER patronize their cable company and that you will advise all of your friends (including, of course, your friends here on DU) and relatives NEVER to patronize them!

I would then sit down and write an even more stinging letter to the editor of the local newspaper BLASTING whatever cable company or satellite company provides TV to the Sleep Inn, and letting the residents of the town know that you intend NEVER to stay in hat town again until the cable company or satellite company provides MSNBC to the Sleep Inn, and REMOVES Faux from its cable line up.

If you plan to go out to dinner tonight, I would also let the server at the restaurant know of your concerns.

That is what I would do.

[spartan61]

30. Great Idea. I'm going to follow up on your advice. Thanks!

[Political Tiger]

12. Complain to the manager or whoever is in charge. n/t

[derby378]

13. Check out EconoLodge

Last I heard, they're still offering MSNBC in their hotel rooms.

[csziggy]

15. Aren't they the same "chain" as Comfort Inn? If so, corporate won't do anything

Since many/most of the individual inns are franchised and not owned by corporate.

We had a problem at a Comfort Inn in Titusville Florida a few years back - reserved room for four days, checked in, confirmed for four days. Got back from all day birdwatching the second day and were locked out of our room. Some desk clerk pulled the wrong card when another guest checked out, checked us out, charged our card for their stay, then they rented our room after "packing" all our stuff up by throwing it into garbage bags, and stole our food we had for snacks.

Corporate never did a thing, just sort of said, "Too bad, we don't own it, deal with the locals." It took two hours for us to force them to give us another room (everywhere else was booked up) and I had to make a LOUD scene in the lobby. We were never reimbursed for the food that was stolen, but then they had used the only credit card authorization by charging the other people's room to our card. They canceled that and we ended up getting the four day stay for free, but I will never stay at any of that chain or their sister inns every again.

Comfort Inn, Comfort Suite, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, and their new Ascend Collection are all the same group.

[imdjh]

16. Buck up. On my lat road trip, half the motels had non-functional wi-fi

[Catherine Vincent]

17. I think that's why Fox supposedly win in the ratings

They monopolized establishments to air their channel and no other channel.

[rvablue]

25. Interesting. But they'd have to provide incentives. Maybe they give it away free to motel/hotel

chains just like Pigboy does in order to jack up their ratings.

[Occulus]

32. Equipment

"We'll put 50" plasma TVs in all your double suites if you restrict the news offerings within all your hotel rooms to those from our network or our affiliates."

Any bets on that, or something like it, being the bottom line on such deals?

[JuniperLea]

18. I haven't had cable news for over three years now...

And I consider myself fairly well informed. You're on a computer right now, correct? Jump into one of them there InterTube trucks and stream yourself something hot off the press!

[maxpower]

19. I have noticed that in my travels as well

MSNBC has never been available. CNN Headline News and Fox are it.

[zorahopkins]

21. Write To AAA and Mobil and Others!

Another thought just occured to me.

Write to AAA and Mobil. Both of them have travel guides that LOTS of people use to select hotels on the road.

COMPLAIN to them about the cabel in the Sleep Inn where you are staying.

And let the Manager of the Sleep Inn know that you are writing to AAA and Mobil.

[rvablue]

24. If you've reserved Sleep Inn Choice for the rest of your trip, get on the Internet and look for

alternatives.

Then call their 800 number and cancel your reservations and make sure you tell them why.

If it's just this one night, a letter is about as good as you can do.

[mcar]

26. Is it just this Sleep Inn?

I've stayed in Choice Hotels for years in many states and have always gotten the usual variety of cable stations. However, I haven't stayed in one for about a year so maybe things have changed.

Maybe it's due to the cable company in the area and not the hotel or the chain. Might be worth contacting the front desk and asking before people start writing letters to the chain.

[question everything]

27. At least, CNN

MSNBC is really a Monday-Friday news channel and, I think, 7:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Last Friday, after reading on DU, I watched the rerun of Rachel Maddow where Dan Rather reminisced about Walter Cronkite. As soon as that program ended there was... more about Michael Jackson.

On the other hand, when you are in the West Coast and Alaska, after 9:00 PM Eastern, there is nothing on any of them. Larry King and some other "specials."

[dysfunctional press]

28. maybe you should go get hammered...?

:rimshot:

[lpbk2713]

29. By all means contact them.

Let them know that if they expect to get your business again they will do something about this.

And if they play dumb about ClusterFaux then give them this link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=fox+news+bias+examples&aq=3&oq=Fox+News+bias

And if it was me and they sent a form letter in reply ... my next letter would be to their CEO.

[LWolf]

31. A few ideas:

1. Buy some newspapers.

2. If you didn't bring a laptop, find the nearest public computers. The last time I stayed in a hotel, there was a room with computers for public use, no charge, downstairs. Or find an internet cafe.

3. Turn on the radio.

4. Don't allow yourself to become addicted to tv news; it's all shit.

[madamesilverspurs]

34. Sounds like our hospital.

[RubyDuby in GA]

35. Most small hotels like this are independently owned

They just bought the franchise rights from the Choice Hotel brand.

Complain like hell to the management and ask to speak to the owner and then complain like hell to the owner.