Does Marriott Know Something I Don't Know?

 I've done it!  31 posts in July - so I have met the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

My 32nd post for July is going to be an interesting one.  I am going to be turning off commenting if I start getting the wrong kind of comments - for someone who majored in cultural anthropology this is "PG" but I don't know who this may attract.  I'm taking the chance, though, because this is too funny not to share.

Or maybe it isn't funny at all, depending on your beliefs.

Companies, when designing online surveys, really need to take care to only ask the questions they intend to ask.

As we speak, I am taking a Marriott Guest Satisfaction Survey for the property we recently stayed at during our trip to the Manassas, VA area for their Civil War activities.

One of the questions is, and I quote:

"Excluding yourself, please indicate how many people from each category selected were staying with you in the room(s) that you paid for during your most recent stay at the [name of property]:  spouse or significant other?"

So, ummm.....Marriott wants to know how many spouses I was traveling with?  Or, significant others?


Now, I want to mention here again that I majored in cultural anthropology in college.  So I am well aware that a number of countries legally recognize this practice- mainly, the practice of polygyny, or one male married to more than one female at a time.  Polyandry, the practice of one woman married to more than one man at a time, is a lot rarer but does exist (legally) in a handful of countries.

Neither practice, however, is legal in the United States.

So why does Marriott want to know this?

Or do they know something I don't know?

Or did someone make a big goof?

I paused there for a couple of minutes.  What should I say?  Should I tell them "one", which is the truth?  Or should I spice it up a bit?  And what would happen if I did answer with some other number than "one"?

Don't you just love our electronic world?