Posted on 07/19/2006 4:47:01 AM PDT by xrp
Marriott to make all US, Canada hotels non-smoking
Wednesday July 19, 6:34 am ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marriott International Inc. (NYSE:MAR - News) on Wednesday said it will make all of its hotels in the United States and Canada entirely non-smoking, beginning in September.
The company said the policy change, which it called the largest in its industry, covers more than 2,300 hotels and corporate apartments with nearly 400,000 rooms.
Marriott, based in Bethesda, Maryland, said more than 90 percent of its guest rooms are already non-smoking. It said more customers have been demanding non-smoking rooms.
The change covers such brands as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn. Marriott has nearly 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries.
Montgomery County. No suprises here.
Will this also apply to their restaurants and bars?
To answer my own question, yes:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1583135/posts
Wal Street Journal Report this morning said, yes it will. Management was dealing with customer complaints of lingering smoke odor, so smoking is not permitted in any of their venues, rooms, bars or restaurants. At least they are honest enough to say it was the smell bothering people and not some trumped up second hand smoke health arguement.
But you need to understand how the world works. Now that they made the change, they will put pressure on federal and local governments to enact smoking bans in every area they have a hotel or restaurant. The second thing is that what Marriott does will be followed by other major hotels and restaurants and these will also push for smoking bans after they adopt no smoking policies.
The only hope for smokers is for them to run a national campaign that calls for them to adopt a polite smoking policy and self police. But they won't, they can't see the problem or they are too addicted to care.
This is the way it should be done. No law passed, just the company's choice.
I do concur that this decision and action is best left in the hands of the businesses and not with the government.
I think Westin did the same thing. According to signage I saw at a recent stay in Denver, they went non-smoking company wide, too. I am prefectly happy with this as a non-smoker. It will be interesting to see if smokers go elsewhere and impact these businesses.
And they can fully support my right to stay at a Hilton.
The entire world should work like this - give and take. It doesn't get any simpler.
I may just start staying there and go outside to smoke.
I read a similar article before linking this one (can't remember the source now, sorry) that stated that it is NON-smoking on the entire property, including bars and restaurants.
The bedding, drapes and rugs in smoking rooms stink. Most smokers don't seem to understand that the smoke permeates everything, even their clothes.
I stay at Loews's Resort when I go to Universal in Orlando. They have whole wings for smokers/nonsmokers. Can't smoke in the inside bars but the doors are close or you can sit outside so I have no problem.
Mike Wallace [voiceover; footage of Marriott corporate offices]: You'd expect the head of the church to believe it, but so does Bill Marriott, chief of the Marriott hotel chain, a hard-headed businessman, and he's a Mormon.
The "60 Minutes" program on the LDS Church
Broadcast on CBS TV, April 7, 1996
No smoking for Mormons.
Exactly! Marriott has the right to define their policies, and the consumer has the right to decide whether to patronize the establishment.
I hate to tell you that it will only be a matter of time until government mandates that all guest rooms be smoke free. It's for the chillun!!!
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