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Smokers Club Wants to Boycott Marriott

The Marriott Smoking Ban has been elevated to OpenThread Status, Comment Here

The reactions keep pouring in to the smoking ban announced by Marriott Hotels the other week, most of which has been positive.

But as you can imagine, smokers are pissed. Which is why one New York City group is thinking about possibly boycotting Marriott from now  on. Audrey Silk, founder of NYC CLASH, (Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harrassment) had this to say:

One newspaper headline described Marriott's new policy this way: "Hotels Shut Out Smoking."  That headline -- and general viewpoint -- is in partial error.  What Marriott has essentially done is shut out smokERS. While some guests that are smokers (the noun) might agree to refrain from smoking (the verb), it is ultimately the person, not the act, that has been subjected to a form of discrimination that effects them -- the only group that must decide if they do or do not want to go where their brand of legal behavior comes with oppressive conditions.  And many smokers will refuse to be treated as second-class and thus really be "shut out."

Hospitality industry is it? Marriott's ultimatum - "don't smoke or don't come" is most hostile to a quarter of the people, not some inanimate smoke.  We're advising all our members to add Marriott to their list of places to avoid.

Ironically, this actually probably works out pretty well for Marriott. If the smokers are avoiding their hotels, then the chain will have an easier time enforcing their new ban. Perhaps Wyndham Hotels could pull themselves out of their hole by advertising Smoker-Friendly hotels and steal some of the business?

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