To my knowledge, just four U.S.-based companies announced new 100 percent nonsmoking policies this year—Choice Hotels International for its Comfort Suites brand, Gaylord Hotels for its three properties, Walt Disney World Resort for its owned and operated hotels, and Shaner Hotels for its 20-plus properties. Choice, Gaylord, Disney and Shaner joined Marriott International, which eliminated smoking in its U.S. and Canada hotels in 2006, Heartland Inns, which eliminated smoking that same year, and Westin Hotels & Resorts, which went smoke free almost two years ago. One of the biggest surprises in our industry this year, I believe, is that no other major companies have announced 100 percent smoke-free policies.
In the past few weeks I attended conferences and trade shows in Chicago, New York and Columbus, Ohio. At each event this question was posed numerous times: What exactly is a green hotel? In my opinion, the offering of a property-wide 100 percent nonsmoking environment tops the list of criteria. What is it that is stopping most of our industry from taking the smoke-free plunge? A desire to cater to international visitors, many of whom are smokers? Fear of a loss of business from the relatively small number of U.S. business travelers who still light up? I wonder.
It is obvious that when it comes to eliminating smoking, most CEOs, hotel owners and operators in the United States are still reluctant to go all the way. Maybe they are still oblivious to the dangers of secondhand smoke? If so, they must be living in a bubble. Here are just some of the reasons it makes sense to eliminate smoking throughout an entire hotel property.
• According to the Surgeon General, there is no safe level of secondhand cigarette smoke. It puts an estimated 126 million people in the United States at risk of heart disease, lung cancer and death—including your housekeepers and other personnel who are exposed to it. It also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory conditions, ear infections and severe asthma. According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), adverse health effects for the occupants of smoking areas cannot be controlled by ventilation.
• Researchers at Stanford University reported earlier this year that secondhand smoke can even have a significant impact on air quality outside of a building. The Stanford team concluded that a nonsmoker sitting a few feet downwind from a smoldering cigarette is likely to be exposed to substantial levels of contaminated air.
• Smoking damages your assets. Any lodging operator knows this. There is a price to pay for damaged hard and soft goods, as well as the labor involved in cleaning up a smoking room. There are also increased risks of fire.
• When working in conditions where air quality is not impacted by the thousands of chemicals found in secondhand smoke, housekeepers and others are healthier, miss fewer work days, leave less often, and are proud to work for an employer who cares about them.
• There are marketing advantages to offering a totally smoke-free environment. Even most smokers prefer nonsmoking rooms. Increasingly, leisure and business travelers, as well as meeting planners, are seeking out hotels that offer clean air and allergy-friendly environments.
As I have stated here in a previous column, I believe there are moral, ethical, financial and even patriotic reasons for banning smoking in all hotels, motels, resorts, lodges and inns. It can be done voluntarily, without the pressure of governments. With 2008 just a little more than a month away, I am amazed that our industry is not farther along.
If your company intends to eliminate smoking in its hotels in the coming year, please be sure to let me know. And if your company has already done so, but has not publicized it, be sure to contact me as well.
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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
