What's the book corporate America doesn't want you to read? Find out now -- or you could get scammed.

What took them so long?

July 19, 2006

Marriott’s move to take its hotels smoke free is a breath of fresh air to those of us who resent being issued the keys to a foul-smelling room. It isn’t the first hotel chain to go nonsmoking, but with more than 2,300 hotels, it is the largest.

Staring in September, there will be no lighting up at the 400,000 guest rooms under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and Marriott ExecuStay brands, according to the company.

I have two thoughts on Marriott’s big news.

First, they might have taken a look at their own Web site before making this announcement. Marriott.com is full of references to the availability of smoking rooms in the United States (here’s one in Jacksonville, Fla.) A smoking guest might easily be left with the impression that he or she could puff away after this fall, when this (pardon the pun) chain-wide smoking ban goes into effect.

And second — and this isn’t to single out Marriott — but seriously, guys, what took you so long? I know a lot of smokers who wouldn’t light up in their own homes because the smell, the carcinogens, it all gets into the carpets, the furniture … everything. It also may affect the health of non-smoking occupants who happen to be in the room, even if no one is actively smoking.

Here are two numbers I’d like to see Marriott release: How much money do they expect to lose from smokers who will book elsewhere? (These decisions are not made lightly, and not without some number-crunching and customer surveys.) And how much money do they estimate this move will save in annual cleaning bills?

If there are any hotel analysts out there reading this blog, who want to provide me with their best guess, I’ll publish it.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

2 comments

  • Diane Holliday-Germain

    When Westin Hotels & Resorts announced it would go smoke-free in December 2005, we were the first hotel chain to convert to a 100% smoke-free environment in North America. Going smoke-free was part of Westin’s brand commitment to our guests’ personal renewal during their stays, and recognizes that our guests and associates are increasingly focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

    Converting all of our hotels to smoke-free required a significant investment of time and money, but it was worth every bit. To create a truly clean-air environment, we removed all smoking rooms from service for 24 hours and replaced all linens, bedding, drapes and window shears, deep cleaned the walls, hard surfaces, and rugs, and replaced air filters and cleaned HVAC units.

    Despite predictions that we would lose business, going smoke-free has made us stronger. Customers have been enormously supportive since we went smoke-free. We have also received support from organizations including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Heart Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA).

    But most importantly, Westin went smoke-free as part of our commitment to our guests’ renewal–the same reason we developed the Heavenly Bed and our world-class spas. And by delivering our guests a smoke-free experience, our business here in Arlington has also gained renewed vitality and purpose, while providing our guests and associates a healthy environment.

    The fact that other hotel chains are following our lead is good news for travelers, and is good news for the hotel industry. Recent reports from the WHO and the Surgeon General confirm that secondhand smoke is a threat to health, and we are proud to provide our guests and associates a smoke-free environment. In fact, we believe that other businesses should look at ways to promote the health of their employees and customers by going smoke-free.

  • prefer not to say

    I saw your blog and wanted to respond. I work for a large Marriott Hotel. I do not know the exact numbers on the lost of revenue from smokers refusing to stay with us. I do know we have gained new non-smoking guest loyalty base and it out weighs the losses.

    In addition, we still have several smokers that stay with us. Most of them are going outside to the smoking area. Others still smoke in the room. When guest smoke in the room, we charge them a $250 cleaning fee. (hope that smoke was worth it) We throughly clean (Ozone, etc…) the room and re-occupy it late on the same day that the smoking guest checks out if needed. So we actually are making more more revenue off going non-smoking.

    We charge $250. It does not cost that much to have a housekeeper detail the room. It costs at most $30-$40.

Previous post:

Next post: