Posted on 09/30/2006 2:08:58 PM PDT by ml/nj
This past week I flew to the Los Angeles area for business. My client purchased my airline tickets for me and made my hotel reservations. I told them I wanted a smoking room. They made reservations for me at a Hilton Garden Inn in Arcadia, and another at the Hilton on Century Blvd near LAX.
When I checked into the place in Arcadia, they informed me that they were out of smoking rooms (which they knew I wanted), and that if I smoked in the room they gave me I would incur a $75 cleaning charge. Maybe they could switch my room for my second and third nights but that was it. Take it or leave it. It wasn't like I really had a choice. I was traveling with the client and his company had made the arrangements. Even changing rooms was an empty opportunity as I wasn't going to return to the hotel in mid-afternoon to see whether they would give me one of their precious smoking rooms. That is, if they had any.
This Hilton Garden Inn had four floors. I stayed on the first, and the first floor was all no-smoking. I had to go up to the second floor for ice, and it too was all no-smoking. I thought about investigating the other floors but I just didn't have time.
My last night was at the LAX Hilton, and there too I was informed that they were "out of smoking rooms." (They also were well aware that I had reserved a smoking room.) This time I asked how many designated smoking rooms they had, and the clerk told me they had 30. When I asked how many rooms they had in the hotel, she told me, "Over a thousand."
So I wonder, is this a California thing? Is it a Hilton thing? I do stay at other Hilton properties (Hampton Inns and Embassy Suites) in other places and haven't had any problem, but then I never used to have a problem at Marriotts either.
ML/NJ
OH they are giving rid of Smoking room ML
They are all Hilton are going non smoking rooms by year 2007 that was in LA Times back in July because of demand by travlers want non smoking room
I'm surprised you could get a smoking room here in Cali. The only places I know you can smoke inside here are tobacco shops and Indian casinos.
patton has traveled alot. stayed in hiltons all over the
country too. when they tell him they are out of smoking
rooms, he pulls out the multitude of gold cards he has
for competitors. somehow they seem to mysteriously find
him a smoking room. ;)
You know, the level of points that got us that week at Disney.
yeah, in the mega suite :D
Face the facts, man, you've got a large target hung around your neck. You are a prime target of the people who know better than you.
Did I mention I am doing my homework?
nope, the mega suite in fla, silly!
homework? there goes that imagination, again ;)
ping for your consideration
...am I wrong in what I told you?
Don't worry, it's only temporary.
Not sure what this means, I haven't been to Santa Anita (except for breakfast) in a half dozen years or so. I was at Fairplex last week and there were no-smoking signs everywhere. I just assumed that Santa Anita would be the same now. At Saratoga and Belmont, one can no longer smoke in any part of the grandstand (including the clubhouse), so having smoking sections would be an improvement.
ML/NJ
I like it ;-)
ml/nj: Seems to me that the hotel didn't live up to their end of the bargain.
I'd ask for a reduced rate next time for the inconvenience.
it is effective :D
i think ml deserves much more than a discounted rate too.
Smoke in it anyway.
Dispose of the butts outside of the room.
Leave a $20.00 tip for the maid.
I've never incurred their stupid 'cleaning charge' once.
L
Yes, the grandstands are no smoking, but the new target is no smoking anywhere in the infields or elsewhere on the property except limited marked areas. Talk about driving customers away to Indian casinos.
(that is until the smoking busybodies reach there - well, more than they have.)
Actually I leave a note for the maid. It says:
NO SMOKINGI smoke cigars, not cigarettes. (Cigarettes are bad for you!) A couple of years ago, a hotel moved me, apparently from my smoking room to a non-smoking room, when there was a problem with the room. I really didn't know. The soap dish looked like an ash tray. So when I smoked a cigar, one of their smoking Nazis banged on my door. It was almost more effort than it worth to get the "cleaning" charge reversed.
NO TIP
Ask your management.
ML/NJ
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