Can a lodging property be considered “green” but still set aside some of its rooms for smoking? I don’t think so. What do you think? We all know the fatal results of first-hand smoke. According to a 2006 Surgeon General report, second-hand smoke leads to the death of 50,000 Americans each year and there is no safe level of exposure. A January 2009 article in Pediatrics, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, makes a case for the dangers of third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is the residual tobacco smoke contamination that remains after the cigarette is extinguished.
What the article points out is that the residue left behind by smoking is far more dangerous than previously believed—especially to children. In fact, it can be ingested by toddlers because they breathe near, crawl and play on, touch and mouth contaminated surfaces. What exactly is left in your smoking rooms by smokers? Here are just a few of the poisonous chemicals: hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), carbon monoxide (found in car exhaust), butane (used in lighter fluid), ammonia (used in household cleaners), toluene (found in paint thinners), arsenic (used in pesticides), lead (formerly found in paint). I think you get the idea. The study found that even standing next to a smoker several minutes after the person has stopped smoking can harm you.
In the journal article, researchers reported finding tobacco grime in dust and on furniture in the homes of people who smoke, even when they did not smoke inside. (Picture Pigpen from the Peanuts comic strip with a trail of toxins following him.) Even your nonsmoking rooms may be contaminated with smoking residue from smokers who opt to stay in those rooms.
Ways to React to Report
I often interview hoteliers who have led efforts to reduce waste and energy and water consumption in their properties. At the end of each interview I try to ask the question: “Is your property 100 percent nonsmoking?” When the person answers “no,” they are always a bit embarrassed. How should our industry react to yet even more evidence of the dangers of smoking—this time third-hand smoke? Here are just a few ideas:
• While several chains have instituted 100 percent nonsmoking policies, many still have not. Isn’t it time for all chains—and all lodging properties for that matter—to eliminate smoking? If you are part of a franchise that has not yet gone smoke free, lobby the company to change its policy.
• If you do convert your property to a 100 percent nonsmoking facility, take all the steps necessary to eliminate or clean any surface that may have hosted smoking residue.
• Post signage at the entrances of your property to remind guests about your smoking/nonsmoking policy. Remind guests with signage in the guestroom. Knowing what we now know about smoking, it would be best not to allow smoking anywhere on your property—even outside the entrances. Here in Cleveland where I live, hospitals (of all places) have finally instituted this policy.
• If you are going to insist on keeping a portion of your room inventory for smokers, do whatever is possible to disallow children, especially toddlers, from staying in those rooms. Implement cleaning procedures that ensure that all surfaces are cleaned each time the room is turned over. Allocate extra time for your room attendants to clean those rooms. (Maybe you should purchase chemical contamination suits for your room attendants to wear?)
Lobby Associations
• If you are part of a local, state or national lodging association, encourage the leaders of those organizations to take a strong stand against smoking. How refreshing it would be to have leaders unafraid of taking such an important stance. For too long, our industry has put profits ahead of the health of its guests and its employees.
• Lobby those organizations that certify lodging properties as “green” to require that owners and operators offer 100 percent nonsmoking facilities before earning any kind of certification.
I realize that there will be those who will argue that making a transition to a 100 percent nonsmoking facility may not be the best idea during a recession. To those I offer this suggestion: Survey those who operate smoke-free facilities and ask them if eliminating smoking has really hurt their business.
Finally, please do call or write with the answer to my first question: Can a lodging property be considered “green” but still set aside some of its rooms for smoking? I will share responses in next week’s column.
Earth Day Plans?
Earth Day is just two months away (April 22). What is your property currently planning to celebrate that day? Please write to editor@greenlodgingnews.com to let me know. I will be focusing on Earth Day in an upcoming column and will mention those properties and/or companies that have the most interesting activities planned.
GLN Welcomes Coyuchi, Suite Sleep as Directory Partners
Green Lodging News welcomes Coyuchi and Suite Sleep Inc. as Green Product & Service Directory partners. Coyuchi, founded in 1991, is a manufacturer of 100 percent certified organic cotton luxury linens, towels, quilts, mattress pads, jacquard blankets, and pillow protectors. Products are certified organic and/or Fair Trade by ECOCERT (France), Flo-Cert (Germany), and Control Union Certifiers (Netherlands). Coyuchi’s hospitality customers include properties and companies such as the Post Ranch Inn, Hana Maui Hotel, Terra Resorts, Colony Hotel and Hotel Triton. For more information, call (415) 663-8077, e-mail lorna@coyuchi.com, or go to www.coyuchi.com.
Suite Sleep Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of organic luxury mattresses and bedding, has launched its 2009 mattress and bedding collection for luxury boutique hotels and resorts. This collection includes the Suite Dreams mattress which features an 8-inch natural latex rubber mattress with removable covers made from 100 percent certified organic cotton quilted with pure eco-wool. The Suite Dreams mattress is made with durable natural latex rubber. The removable cover offers hotels flexibility in cleaning and replacing mattresses and mattress components. In addition to its organic mattresses, several complementary accessories such as linens, robes, pillows, toppers, protectors, and comforters are also available. For more information, call (303) 449-4135, ext. 2, e-mail info@suitesleep.com, or go to www.suitesleep.com.
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