Omni Hotels just announced that they are removing (and not replacing) phone books from all of their branded hotels.  While they are not the first brand to do so, it brings up the question of whether more and more hotel brands will follow suit.  The answer is most likely, as the move can be spun to reflect environmental concerns and can have an impact on the bottom line.  While the phone books are provided "free" from the phone company, there is an intangible hourly cost of distributing them and ensuring that each room has their respective phone book in the correct place.

Omni and other brands that have already made this move largely state the environmental concern of the printing and distribution process that can be eliminated if the hotel does not provide this book to the visitor.  It is another way they can help become a green hotel.  They also state financial savings in making this move.  But, is there more to it?

Some consumers are fine with this move.  in fact, a growing portion of the population have not used a traditional phone book in some time, instead turning towards such outlets as laptops and smart phones.  But, there is still a portion of the traveling public that prefer the phonebook, especially when they are a visitor in a strange city.  At times, it can be more convenient than starting a laptop and connecting to the Internet.

But, the major concern of consumers is that this removal of a convenience (although only for a portion of its visitors) is just a move by the hotel chains to further encourage visitors to purchase the incremental charge of Internet Access (usually ranges from $9.95 - $14.95 per day).  Either way, do not be suprised on the next stay in a hotel that there is no phone book in the drawer.  At least there will be more drawer space.

Article Originally Written By: Melissa Evans