On behalf of Chattanooga Green Lodging and the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association, thank you for your very thoughtful articles regarding smoking and hotel certification programs. (Click here for feature article. Click here for publisher’s column.) We are now actively discussing an issue that was only in the background until you brought attention to it.
At this moment, Chattanooga Green Lodging does not address the issue of smoking, although most of the hotels involved do have a policy, ranging from being totally smoke free to having some restrictions on where smoking is allowed. All provide the option of nonsmoking rooms.
The Chattanooga Green Lodging program has focused on two categories of activities: First, there are requirements that are totally within the control of the hotel, such as waste, energy, and water reduction. Second, there are things that the hotels must do to facilitate guests’ desires to reduce their individual impact, but that the guests are not mandated to participate in. As examples, the hotels must provide a convenient way for guests to recycle, and the hotel must be able to provide “green” conferences for guest groups. Even the optional linen program required of the hotels for certification is voluntary on the part of the guests.
The Case for Smoking/Nonsmoking Rooms
To require that a hotel be totally nonsmoking changes this dynamic so that guest participation is no longer voluntary. In most cases, being green is not only the right thing to do from an environmental perspective; it is either neutral or actually an enhancement to the guest’s experience. Nonsmoking lies in between these realms in that it is a negative as far as smoking guests are concerned but can be a positive for nonsmokers (although nonsmokers’ desires to not be exposed to smoke can be addressed with proper restrictions).
So, in this perhaps unique dilemma there is an unfortunate balance between some guests’ satisfaction and being “green.” The situation is further complicated by the fact that some hotel brands require that a certain percentage of rooms remain available for smokers.
Having said that, we want to emphasize that your article has appropriately caused us to evaluate our position. There certainly is a growing movement to have more facilities to be smoke free. We don’t want to be on the “catching up” end of any change of this nature. Several of our hotels are totally nonsmoking, and that number is increasing.
‘Smoke Free’ Added as Auditable Activity
Thanks to the awareness you have brought to this issue, we are making immediate changes to the Chattanooga Green certification. We will add “smoke free” as an optional activity that will be audited and certified. Hotels that are smoke free will be encouraged to market that as part of their “Certificate of Achievement.” Hotels that are not smoke free will be required to document the restrictions they have on smoking. That also will be audited and noted in the audit.
Beyond that, we are discussing our next steps. We are monitoring pending legislation in Tennessee that all hotels are to be nonsmoking. We of course would accept that legislation without hesitation. That notwithstanding, our discussion on this is ongoing and we will let you know of further changes.
Thank you again for bringing focus to this very important issue.
Dobbin Callahan is president of Skye Con and chair of the Green Committee of the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association.
