Contact: Stacey Holliday, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000 ext. 126

WASHINGTON, July 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) says that if the Marriott hotels care so much about their customers, as indicated in their recent decision to ban smoking from hotel rooms, they should stop offering hard-core porn in their hotel rooms.

“Creating a smoke-free environment demonstrates a new level of service and care for our guests and associates,” said J.W. Marriott Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “Our family of brands is united on this important health issue and we anticipate very positive customer feedback. … Demand for nonsmoking rooms continues to rise with new information from the Surgeon General on the hazards of secondary smoke.” See: http://marriott.com/news/detail.mi?marrArticle=137410

“We’ve been after Marriott for years to stop providing pay-per-view porn,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s Chief Counsel. “But their excuse is that some customers want it. What’s that percentage? If it’s only about 5 percent, they’ve lost that excuse. I’m guessing that their cut from porn is a lot bigger than their cut from cigarette machines in the lobby.

“Marriott has placed itself in a perplexing box by banning smoker-friendly hotel rooms, even though 5 percent of customers want a smoking room. If it’s about ‘health,’ why are they banning smoking only in hotels in the United States and Canada? What about former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s report on the dangerous consequences of viewing pornography? What about the mental and psychological health consequences related to dependency on porn?

“With summer in full swing and many families looking for hotel accommodations during their vacation, we hope that Marriott will eliminate pornography as an amenity and lead the industry in creating a truly safe and wholesome environment.

“Not only would they reduce their potential legal liability related to a sexually hostile environment, I bet there would be a boost in sales as well,” LaRue concluded.

Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.