Global Smoke-Free Hospitality

From France: More 100% smoke-free hotels and 100% smoke-free rental cars

To celebrate World No-Tobacco Day rental car company Europcar France announced all its cars will now be 100% smoke-free. As for the Hotel Chain Ibis that had its first 100% smoke-free hotel in 2006, the trend is growing with now 40 such 100% smoke-free Ibis Hotels.

Smoke-Free Hotels in the Philippines for World No Tobacco Day

According to the Manila Times, a few hotels and restaurants have decided to go 100% smoke-free. They include in Makati City the Marco Polo Hotel, the Renaissance Hotel, Le Souffle Restaurant,  the Dusit Hotel,  the Intercontinental Hotel,  the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, in Quezon City the Fernandina Suites 88, the Robbinsdale Hotel, the Sulo Hotel, in Pasay City the Sofitel, in Mandaluyong EDSA Shangri-La Hotel  and in Manila the Hyatt Casino Hotel, Kimberly Hotel and Manila Hotel .

More Europeans Support Smoke-Free Policy New Survey Reports

The most recent Eurobarometer survey shows more Europeans support smoke-free policies.

The 104 pages report (pdf).

Marriott Hotel in London goes smoke-free

The five-star London Marriott West India Quay hotel  in London's Canary Wharf is the first in the chain in Great Britain to introduce such a 100% ban, which includes the 301 guest rooms and suites and 47 serviced apartments, as well as the public spaces.
The move pre-empts the introduction of the government’s smoking ban on July 1, 2007, which prohibits smoking in enclosed public spaces but does not extend to hotel rooms.

All Walt Disney World Resort Hotels Go Smoke-Free

This decision concerning all the Walt Disney World Resort  Hotels will be effective June 1st 2007.

During the last five years guest demand for smoking rooms at the Walt Disney World Resort have been declining steadily. Currently, less than 3.5 percent of Walt Disney World’s 24,000 resort rooms are smoking optional. This trend is not specific to the Walt Disney World Resort. According to the American Automobile Association, more travelers are requesting smoke-free environments.

The Blackburne Arms Hotel in Liverpool

The Blackburne Arms Hotel in Liverpool is ahead of the smoke-free regulation coming to England on July 1, 2007.  He encourages others by taking part in  the "Why Wait" campaign.

Another Hotel Chain Goes Smoke-Free on May 1st 2007

Choice Hotels go smoke-free as reported by USA-Today blogger Kitty Bean Yancey and supported by the American Cancer Society.

The bottom line is: it's working for Marriott

That is Bill Marriott's assessment in his blog on February 2007.

Recent Study Finds European Prefer Smokefree Hotels

This year’s J. D. Power & Associates European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study  revealed that 69 percent of hotel guests across Europe prefer a nonsmoking environment, not far off from the 79 percent of hotel guests in North America wanting smoke-free hotels.

The lowest group to support smoke-free hotels was 57 percent of the guests who live in Spain, and the highest group to endorse no-smoking hotels was 76 percent of British and Swedish travelers.

Adieu To The City Of Lighters

This is probably one of the last columns Art Buchwald wrote (October 17, 2006).
It was inspired by the then still hotly debated proposal to ban smoking in public places in France, including restaurants.
Art died before he could see and enjoy for himself the smoke-free France (despite his love for cigars).