How widespread is the "Fox News Default" at Holiday Inns & other hotels?

[Arugula Latte]

I recently stayed at a Holiday Inn Express here in Oregon. If you turned the room TV on, it would go to Fox News, no matter what channel had been on when you last turned it off. Also, in the hotel's breakfast room, where guests eat the "free" morning meal, the TV was on and tuned to Murdoch's all-propaganda channel.

I'm guessing Fox throws a little $$ to the Holiday Inn Corp. for this Orwellian policy. Has anyone else looked into this? I'm wondering if this is Holiday Inn's policy nationwide, or just in certain hotels. I'd like to contact the Holiday Inn public relations people, but I need more information first. Thanks.

[benddem]

1. I stayed at a Holiday Inn

in Rock Island IL a few weeks ago...and the channel defaulted to the Hotel Channel. No Fox for me. I would have complained LOUDLY!

[Arugula Latte]

2. Thanks for the response.

I'm fixin' to complain, but first I need to get a little info. :hi:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

3. You must be getting booked in the Dick Cheney suite. (n/m)

[freesqueeze]

4. The adbot is blindly funny...

since your post had "holiday inn" in it, it brings up the HI ads.

What a Winston Smith bummer.

So maybe we can more easily call HI and complain?!?

[Tace]

5. I've Stayed At Maybe 20 Hotels The Past Year...

...and they all played Fox news in the lobby sitting area. They were mostly corporate chains. I didn't notice the TVs in the rooms turning on to Fox by default, but then, I didn't turn on the TVs in the rooms. : )

[Jane Austin]

6. At the Towne Place Suites where I am staying

there is no MSNBC or Comedy Central or CSPAN.

I've been watching CNN, and I am floored by how often they mis-state Obama's position, or mis-quote him, and then everyone goes on to say how wrong he is for having said what he didn't say.

Their anchors seem amateurish to me.

[Arugula Latte]

8. It's rare that I turn on cable "news" and don't feel like screaming within, oh, about 45 seconds.

:banghead:

[NJmaverick]

7. It was on in the area for the free Breakfast at the Holiday Inn express in Albany

every year I stay there.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Did you notice if the room TV went to Fox automatically?

[NJmaverick]

12. I can't say I paid attention one way or the other

although I will be staying there in a month and a half and will take note.

[lpbk2713]

10. The last time I had an appt at my local Drs office at a fair sized clinic...

I noticed all the waiting rooms had either the local cable news channel's news on or they had it on Faux Noise. This clinic has maybe 200 doctors on staff just to give an idea of the size. Next time I go there maybe I'll ask if they have a set policy on what the TV's should be tuned in to.

[Subdivisions]

11. Last Saturday morning I was in a Comfort Inn in Birmingham, AL, and

while waiting for my parents to come down to check out, the lobby teevee was on a local Fox station but not Fox Nooz. A kewl show about giraffes was on and since it wasn't on Fox Nooz, I unfortunately missed the chance to protest.

[AlCzervik]

13. When i was the Hyatt in SF the channel was set to ESPN.

[KharmaTrain]

14. It's Why I Love My Slingbox

http://www.slingmedia.com/go/slingbox

This turns your PC into a remote TV...YOUR TV. I use this on the road all the time as most hotels have little to watch. It's rare I get a hotel where they have Comedy Central, CSPAN or even MSNBC.

[renate]

17. wow... only about $160 at costco

This is so cool and I've never heard of it! Thanks!

[Touchdown]

15. No HI, but the Days Inn in Ft Lauderdale had it on.

It was in the breakfast room, where the waffle machine was broken.:grr:

Can't remember about the room, cuz my friend changed it to MSNBC when I was taking a leak (it was a long drive, so there!!!).

[Iris]

16. Complain anyway. You don't need more information. The fact that you were offended is enough.

[Terran]

18. Very widespread in my state

Not only in restaurants and such in my town (state capitol of Missouri, small semi-rural), but I see it all over Missouri when I travel for work. Drives me nuts.

[norepubsin08]

19. I recently stayed at two hotels in

Tampa, Florida. At the first hotel (The Chase Suites) by the airport, they didn't offer MSNBC, just Fox, so I stayed my first night (had to, would have lost the deposit) and the next night I moved next door and stayed at the Doubletree. I told the Chase Suites why I left. The Doubletree had MSNBC.

[Arugula Latte]

22. Good job!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[norepubsin08]

24. Thanks

I love this site!!!

[lame54]

20. We have a Goodwill by our house...

and every time we go in there the used t.v.s are all turned to Fox

[XOKCowboy]

21. I've never seen a room TV default to Fox...

I think the owner/franchisee is just a right wing asshole. I'd have had to made a call to complain about having to change the channel.

As for the TV in the lounge/lobby I've asked them to change the channel and most will do it gladly. I usually only do it if I'm the only one in there. Otherwise I just ignore it and read the local paper.

[NeedleCast]

23. Not a Policy

As a frequent business traveler who often stays in the Holiday Inn chain (Conrad, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and about half a dozen other chains), I've seen their lobby and bar TVs tuned to just about everything. Pretty much all hotel TVs these days have a default channel, and it's usually the hotel's internal channel showing activities or whatever for the day. When you turn the TV off and on again, it goes to that channel. I'm surprised Fox News was that channel, but I'd be inclined to think it was a coincidence.

Over the last three years I've stayed in probably two dozen Holiday Inn properties from coast to coast and never seen one where the TV was defaulted to Fox News.