SAINT CHARLES, MO.—The decision by Choice Hotels International to go smoke free at all 433 domestic Comfort Suites hotels as of May 1 will bulk up the growing ranks of FreshStay, an online directory of smoke-free lodging facilities worldwide.
“The number of completely smoke-free hotels in the United States grew more than 2,700 percent in 2006, and with Choice Hotels’ Comfort Suites brand coming into the fold, we’re already off to a great start for 2007,” says Ray Burger, president of Pineapple Hospitality, which founded FreshStay. “Studies show that at least four out of five hotel guests prefer to stay in a smoke-free environment. It’s encouraging that the number of smoke-free hotels continues to grow.”
With Comfort Suites’ 34,000 guestrooms eliminating smoking, nearly 10 percent of the United States’ 53,000 hotels will have gone 100 percent nonsmoking in answer to guests’ demands for cleaner, fresher stays and healthier accommodations.
“With the leadership and success of companies the caliber of Marriott, Choice Hotels and Westin paving the way, we’re sure to see more and more hotel managers realize the smoke-free movement is not just a fad,” Burger says. “It’s a trend that is part of doing business today.”
Customers Drove Policy Decision
Even before the policy change was announced, 10 percent of Comfort Suites hotels already were smoke free. Choice Hotels says the move toward 100 percent nonsmoking was customer driven. Eliminating smoking rooms also accelerates the registration and check-in process, and cuts down on cleaning time and costs.
“Since going smoke free, I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” says Adam Gough, general manager of the Comfort Suites Davis in Davis, Calif. “Not only have my regular smoking guests remained loyal, but for every potential smoking customer that chooses another hotel, we gain two new nonsmoking customers.”
In response to Comfort Suites’ decision, John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, applauded the growing movement toward smoke-free hotels.
“The decision to make Choice Hotels’ Comfort Suites 100 percent smoke free will remove a major threat to the health of all Comfort Suites’ guests and workers,” Dr. Seffrin says. “In the United States alone, secondhand smoke is estimated to cause 35,000 to 45,000 deaths from heart disease and 3,000 deaths from lung cancer among nonsmokers each year. Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said it himself last June: ‘There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.’”
