Hotels Pressured To Halt Porn

Coalition Wants Federal Investigation; Hotels Say It's Legitimate Income

(AP)  Both Kathy Shepard of Hilton and Roger Conner of Marriott said the bulk of their hotels are operated by franchise-holders who make their own decisions about in-room programming. They made clear, however, that their companies consider adult movies to be an acceptable option because they can be ignored or blocked out by guests not wishing to view them.

“Really ultraconservative groups try to target the hotels in their zest to eliminate porn,” Shepard said. “In their zest to have their personal morals prevail, they're eliminating choice for others.”

Conner said none of the programming offered by Marriott is illegal, and he depicted adult movies as a standard part of today's hotel business.

“In-room movies are a revenue stream,” he said. “This is a business matter.”

The leader of the campaign against in-room porn is Phil Burress, a self-described former porn addict who heads the Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values.

Burress and his allies have had some success regionally, pressuring about 15 Ohio and Kentucky hotels to stop offering adult movies. But he says a nationwide pressure campaign would be difficult because nearly all the big hotel chains have similar policies — porn is available at some but not all of their affiliates.

Though unable to cite specific cases, Burress contended that the availability of in-room porn is making hotels more dangerous.

“As more and more of these (hardcore) titles become available, we're going to have sexual abuse cases coming out of the hotels,” he said. “Hotels are just as dangerous as environments around strip joints and porn stores.”

Burress said he was “cautiously optimistic” that Justice Department officials — whom he and other anti-porn leaders confer with periodically — would seriously consider investigating hotel-based pornography.

Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said federal authorities are committed to toughening enforcement of obscenity laws, but he declined to comment on specific targets for investigations.

LodgeNet and OnCommand together provide in-room entertainment to more than 1.8 million hotel room in North America — with customers that include Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Marriott and Ramada.

The standard in-room packages offered by LodgeNet and OnCommand include adult movies, but they have tried to accommodate hotels preferring a no-porn alternative, according to Shannon Sedgwick Davis, executive director of an association of hotels which don't offer adult movies to guests.

One problem, she said, is that the big hotel chains often have negotiated bulk contracts with the video suppliers that include the adult movies and can be expensive to cancel.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

[robertvg1-2009]

thats a good thing for the conservatives to look at being that a report from a christian website found that 50% male and
20% female conservatives are addicted to porn. researching yourself is good---and to help stop places from dealing porn will probably help you conservatives over come your addiction.

I don't know how it's possible to disagree with both sides, but somehow I do.

The hotel chains are extremely insulting and quite out of step with middle America when they make statements like %u201CIn their zest to have their personal morals prevail, they're eliminating choice for others.%u201D Calling a desire to not have your kids pop on the TV to an ad for ppv porn "really ultraconservative" takes on almost a sneering tone.

At the same time, %u201CHotels are just as dangerous as environments around strip joints and porn stores.%u201D shows real fear-mongering at work. Not only are hotels a million shades of dangerous, there are a number of "porn stores" that are quite safe, well-lit, and frequented by people simply looking to spice up their marriage (I'm refering to stores that sell toys, lotions, clothes, games, etc.)

How about hotels limit the availability to those who request it at check-in? A representative said %u201CThis is a business matter." That means we can speak with our dollars, and they can make their financial decisions. I love the website mentioned and will use it as a guide in deciding where to go next time I travel... not because I'm "afraid" of porn but because I don't want myself or my family exposed to even advertising for it.

[KOOLSTUF]

Just as "Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder", so
is "Pornography" -- and especially here, where the
exploitation of children or absence of parental
controls is NOT in focus. When will these "Do-
Gooders" learn to face the reality their inability
to deal with normal sexuality is a distortion and perversion of an undeniable basic humanality ???
And accept that they must have no empowerment to infringe and deny the majority its preferences ~~~

THEY would be worthy of pity for being radically
myopic, if not such an annoyingly contant threat!