When The Remote Becomes Very Remote: The Mystery Of Hotel Television Sets

As I take time to unveil some of the mysteries of life, and there are many, I have a burning question that I can't figure out. And I would venture to say that many of you are probably thinking the same thing. Every now and then, I take vacations or overnight road trips and stay at a reasonably nice hotel. It didn't matter which hotel, but every now and then, I'd always find the perfect situation. When it isn't perfect, it usually boils down to this: the hotel TV set has about 15 channels. It's not always the lack of a refrigerator (which I also like to have), but the lack of channel choices.

Questions abound.

It leads, basically, to this question: Why do some hotels offer a complete cable or satellite package, and others, just 12 to 15 channels?? I may not be an industry insider, but I find this to be very puzzling. Why can't the televisions in each hotel have, at the very least, 70 channels? We live in that era now where 70 to 300 channels is the norm, not six or seven local stations like many markets had in the 1970s. My last hotel that I stayed at (in Houston, no less) didn't even include the local PBS station among its selections. In fact, that actually happened the last two times I stayed in Houston. Odd. And you would think PBS would count among the major networks that you expect to have offered in hotels. Not that PBS is what I watch exclusively, but it's just a curious question. Now, in fairness, I did pick a good location but had to face the fact of economizing since the holidays are coming up.

Don't get me wrong, folks. I don't spend all my valuable vacation time watching TV, but when it comes time to relax from traveling, sightseeing, and eating, I need choices. What else must I do, sit and read the Yellow Pages? [Come to think of it, I have done that.] I try to do as much homework as possible with the auspices of the Internet helping me make my choices in reservations. Still, it's a gamble, and you don't know what you're going to get many times until you get there. That's unless you know for sure if you'll have 70 channels (the local network affiliates and indies plus all our favorite cable choices). Good hotels have 15 to 20 channels and all the comforts of life. Great hotels have 70 channels and all the comforts of life. I personally prefer cable over satellite, but the important thing is that people deserve more than just 15 choices on a hotel television set when they travel. Why? Because those who travel need as much as much escapism as the law allows. You don't have to always have a jacuzzi. I'll take 70 channels, a refrigerator, a clean room, and location, location, location any day over a lot of other things.

So, hoteliers, what's up with the limited choices? That appears to be a question that only the hotel industry will need to answer, not just in Houston, but many places.