[CT-Freeper]

Their company, their dollar, their choice.

I personally always get non-smoking rooms. The smoking rooms seem to have an "odor" to them that is rather unpleasant.

[edpc]

Marriott, based in Bethesda, Maryland

Montgomery County. No suprises here.

[SheLion]

That's fine. We don't have to spend our money with them. Plenty of other motels around.

At least the government didn't get involved! This was the CEO's choice. NOT the government!

[burzum]

Isn't Marriott also the hotel that banned the anti-terrorism conference due to "safety fears." I don't think that I'll be staying at a Marriott any time soon.

[ShadowDancer]

Will this also apply to their restaurants and bars?

[Dixie Yooper]

So, when I ask for a non-smoking room, I will get a room that doesn't stink and without burn holes in the carpet and bedding. Sounds like a nice clean place to stay.
Are Hertz and Avis planning on something similar for car rentals?

[Hazcat]

This is the way it should be done. No law passed, just the company's choice.

[Michael.SF.]

I have stayed over 70 nights at Courtyards in past 12 months. As a non smoker, I have never noticed any "lingering odors" in any public areas of said hotels. I have on, on rare occasions, stayed in rooms which were smoking rooms, the lingering odors in those rooms has usually been fairly mild and not as bad as I would have expected.

I do concur that this decision and action is best left in the hands of the businesses and not with the government.

[brewcrew]

I fully support their right to do this.

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.

[O6ret]

It's their call, more power to them.

The bedding, drapes and rugs in smoking rooms stink. Most smokers don't seem to understand that the smoke permeates everything, even their clothes.

[colorcountry]

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.

[ml/nj]

In other words Winston Churchill would not be welcome at a Marriott.

ML/NJ

[Vaquero]

That is their business....

....if they happen to loose money over it, because people do not want to give up the ability to smoke in their rooms, well that is their business too.

Not being a smoker I would frequent Marriott...It does not affect me in any way...nor do I see it as an abrigement of freedom...on the contrary I see it as the company excercising their freedoms, whether for good or ill...for their own reasons or because they fear the smoking nazi's and that is ok because it is their business.

They could loose or make money over this...and that is not my business either....

[Alberta's Child]

This probably makes a lot of business sense. I've made hotel reservations a few times in the last couple of months, and nearly every time I ended up in a situation where a hotel had smoking rooms available, but no non-smoking rooms.

I suspect the number of smokers has declined substantially enough over the years that it no longer makes sense from a business standpoint to allocate a fixed number of rooms to them.

[wireman]

Say it ain't so!!!

The cigar lounges in Ritz-Carlton hotels are among my favorite places on earth.

[mysterio]

Awesome. I'll never stay there again, even after I quit smoking.

No more of my money goes to any of these lifestyle police. If you smoke, consider doing the same. They have publically stated that they consider you a second class citizen and don't want your money. Let's see them do without 23% of the population.

[P8riot]

Our company made all of our workshops "non-smoking" the first of this year. Before then the guys could smoke while they were working and productivity was pretty good. Now they have to go outside to light up and those 15 minute smoke breaks are costing us money. Not to mention the dedicated smoking areas we had to construct to make sure that they are away from doors, windows, ventilation ducts, tanks, etc... I used to be able to walk through the shop with a cigar, but now I have to take it outside.

Of course I could just give them up, but why should I curtail my personal freedom to placate some PC bean counter with his head up his ass? Yeah, this was a good business decision. </sarcasm>

[prairiebreeze]

More reason to stay at Marriott, IMO. Plus, a lessened risk of fire to the entire building from some smoker falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

I did learn a little trick about using vanilla to freshen up a hotel smoking room. Pour some into the ash trays or glasses and let it stand while you go out for a while.

It helps some...

[bigjoesaddle]

Yes, they have a right to do this. I have never smoked and also like the smell of a never-smoked-in hotel room, but I do hope they get hurt doing this. If this succeeds, they will feel confident enough to start restricting other things.

[elkfersupper]

Hotels, bars, and restaurants.

Formerly known as the hospitality industry.