Devoted to show business and the entertainment industry

Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) is coming under increasing fire for offering x-rated movies as part of their entertainment menu. This is significant because Marriott positions themselves as a business that serves families. Does Marriott actually think that families get together to watch this kind of junk?

Over 102,000 people recently signed a petition asking the company to remove the x-rated fare from their entertainment offerings.

It doesn't make any sense for Marriott to go this route, as they only make about 15 percent on the porn movies, and it contradicts and implicates families as being porn-watching units. They may not think that, but that's what their actions are suggesting.

Including porn is also contrary to the core values of their business, because of the fact they say they're a family-friendly establishment. It breaks the common sense business rules of being true to your core values, which in the end can destroy any business. The inconsistencies in their core values and practices will harm them over time, as people want consistency when a business asserts what it is they represent. People don't want to be told one thing while the business does another.

While a number of groups want the porn to be left off the entertainment menu, at minimum they want the company to employ a policy which would not have the pornography option turned on unless it was requested by the guest. That would make the guest take an extra step if they want to view it.

Executives from Marriott said they'll look over some of the suggestions offered by concerned groups that recently met with them, and will respond by July 1. A number of people weren't happy with them refusing to address the issue in a more timely manner.

Marriott Vice President of Communications Roger Conner said, "We know it's not a perfect world that we live in, unfortunately, so it's not a perfect response for those that we met with yesterday. There were some who said they wanted more of an immediate response or decision. But, based upon the complicated business model and contracts that are in place, we can't simply walk away from it as we speak."

While I do understand the contractual obligations that may be in place, the complicated business model assertion is dubious and in my opinion: dishonest. It makes no sense whatsoever from that perspective on keeping a pornographic movie as entertainment. What's so complicated about that?