Are BOMs in hotel / motel rooms still a thing these days? I don't travel a lot, but don't recall seeing a BOM in a hotel / motel room in quite a while. Recently stayed in downtown LA (Little Tokyo) and found Teachings of the Buddha and a Gideon Bible in the nightstand. BOM was AWOL.

Are the SLC oligarchs pinching pennies? OR... Is it the prominant use of that icky "M" word on the cover?

Haven't seen any lately, also not compatible with what gf & I do in h/motel rooms, so WE DON'T LOOK IN YHE DRAWERS!!

just sayin'

I do recall seeing them in Marriotts sometimes over the last few years. My understanding though is that the Marriott family is no longer the majority owner in the hotel chain, so their level of influence is much less.

Also the BoM in hotel program from 20-30 years ago probably has died as most (not all) useless LDS programs fade away. The way it worked was members had to donate BoM's and write testimony in the front of it. So no wonder it appears to have fizzled.

Now if they'd do away with missions and anything related to temples, I could almost become a member again.

D

Isn’t Marriott mostly a franchise or management company?

Sure their are some requirements for property owners, but…

I agree with others. Placing copies of the BoM in dresser draws has never worked or converted anybody.

What used to work to bring new members into the church?

Having people who loved the Mormon church activities and members WHO really wanted to go to church to worship. That's what used to work to a certain extent.

Then the church ramped up its guilt and canceled most of its programs. It's a real drag to be a member, the church expects so much from them. And it demands everything.

I attended my former home ward two weeks ago. It was raining outside around 48 degrees. I think inside in the chapel was 60 degrees. The bishop said hello to me asked me what I thought. I told him that I was going home to put my feet inside the wood stove. I told him the church can afford to turn up the heat for a measly two hours. He didn't appreciate my comment, but it's the truth.

If I really felt the need to worship, I would attend a place where my feet weren't frozen to the floor.

We stayed in the Prague Downtown Marriott (also had a casino in it) 2 years ago. And, yes, there was a BOM in the nightstand. Printed in English, which we found odd.

Trust me, if my mission president would have heard about it (people waking up in the middle of the night to find a copy of the BoM and joining the church) then we would have done it. My MP had endless brain storming activities to baptize.

Here's a quick list of how we attempted to get people to be baptized. All were dismal failures.

Crash funerals in cemeteries. He claimed this was the perfect time to explain the plan of salvation.

Work with Boys and Girls Club only to bring a basketball tournament to the cultural hall. Don't let anyone play until the first discussion was taught.

We gave out free pictures of Jesus. It was so popular that we ran out within the first hour. These were 8x10 size. We were chastised for giving them away without setting up an appointment inside their home. When we did it the second time, very few wanted a picture.

Some missionaries had found and baptized a family who was ordering tacos at a curbside taquieria. We were then told to hang out and invite people to be baptized after ordering tacos. I had a nincompoop of a companion (Mexican surname) who told patrons that Taco Bell served better food. We were dutifully told to leave.

We were not directed as missionaries to go into hospitals to give priesthood blessings. However my companion and I were told by the MP that we failed to magnify our priesthood because we did not bless people when volunteering at the local hospital.

Nightstands were places where phone books were stored, and usually there was Bible in the drawer too. Phone books are of course extinct, and I don't think even drawers are all that common in hotel nightstands anymore. I really haven't paid much attention. If they are there, I never open them.

I did stay in a local motel a couple years ago in Lovell, WY. It is a very LDS town. There was a BoM in the drawer. I checked specifically to see if there was a BoM. Yep.

Was at a Hilton last week, just a Bible.

Not even a Bible. And a few of the rooms which had been recently renovated did not have nightstands with drawers.

I used to have a Marriott membership, and back in the day of traveling for the US Gummint, I always stayed at Marriott hotels, where they always have a bedside BoM. They often had handwritten testimonies from some poor blighter, so I took inscribe the book with rude things about the BoM and the Mormon church , in general.

I invite everyone to partake.