Marriott Hotels go smoke-free in Canada and USA

As of today, all Marriott Hotels properties in the United States and Canada ban smoking inside.
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Marriott going smoke-free - Boston Herald

Monday, October 16, 2006

By Fran Golden/ The Business Traveler

That stale cigarette smell. You’ve probably experienced it in hotel rooms, even some that were supposed to be non-smoking. It’s a top complaint of hotel guests - the stinky room.

The good news for those of us who hate the smell of used smoke is that officially, as of today, all Marriott properties in the United States and Canada ban smoking inside.

That includes all guestrooms; they are now all smoke-free. The 10 percent of the inventory that had been reserved for smokers (the number has declined over the years) has gone bye-bye.

And to prove its ban is not just jaw-flapping, Marriott is enforcing the policy in guestrooms with a “recovery fee” of $250, because that’s about what it costs to rid the room (clean the drapes, carpeting, etc.) of your secondhand mess.

Those smoking elsewhere in the hotels (bars, restaurants, etc.) will be bluntly told to put out their cigs.

Sure the “cool” kids will still find places to smoke outside the hotels. In fact, Marriott properties are setting up outdoor areas in courtyards and elsewhere just for smokers, according to Steve Lampa, Marriott’s vice president of operations.

Lampa said Marriott properties internationally are evaluating their own versions of nonsmoking policies, although some places are less likely to implement them than others.

“Poland, the hotel in Warsaw, smoking is pretty ubiquitous over there,” Lampa said.

Westin also bans smoking - it was the first chain to do so, implementing its policy earlier this year at properties in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

Smokers do still have options for in-room smoking, however, including at Hiltons and Sheratons, where they do things the old-fashioned way with some rooms designated for smokers and many more designated for nonsmokers.

Lampa, a former smoker himself, said Marriott has gotten lots of strong reaction as it’s been implementing its ban - more positive than negative, although some smokers have said they’ll take their business elsewhere (probably the tobacco lobbyists among them).

Conversely, Marriott expects to pick up new business, including from medical professional groups (and probably not from tobacco associations).

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