Reporters are deluged at conventions by press releases, faxes, speech texts, free copies of newspapers and magazines, and other forms of printed detritus meant to elevate the profile of a pol, a news organ, or a political party. But the Marriott Corporation took the concept of “spin” to new heights in San Diego. When reporters woke up in the morning and staggered to their doors for the (complimentary) copies of USA Today and the San Diego Union-Tribune, they found another piece of paper: “Fun Facts” from the “San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.” Some fun facts were: Room Service was sending out orders at a rate of one every 2.7 minutes; Rudi’s Bake Shop served over 9,800 cups of coffee; the most frequently asked question by the media was “Where’s the lobby?”; and Christie Todd Whitman made an impromptu stop at the hotel’s employee cafeteria for lunch. (“It’s some of the best food I’ve had all week,” she told a hotel official.) Is there no limit to the lengths to which PR agents will go? To find out, contact Gordon Lainbourne at the San Diego Marriott.
