The Stone City

Words Made to Last

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Unskilled Doublespeak

This natural spring water is provided as a service to our guests.

That's the label Marriott Hotels puts on the 1-liter bottle of Poland Spring, for which it charges $4.50, in rooms without a minibar.

Vivreau water is produced as part of our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment.

It is not clear where the business plan falls in this chain of cause and effect. Would the impact not be further reduced by simply not bottling the water?

[Update 28 June: corrected Vivreau quote, which was worse than I remembered.]