Are Choice Hotels Completely Smoke-Free Across All Its Brands?

October 18, 2007 at 2:30 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

[Update: Cambria Suites is 100% smoke free as well, according to the Choice peeps]

Despite the growing trend of hotels to go 100 percent smoke-free in their guest rooms and public spaces, not everyone is thrilled with these changes. And "not everyone" is mainly smokers.

Audrey Silk, founder of the NYC C.L.A.S.H. (Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment), sent us an email wondering if all Choice Hotels were 100 percent smoke-free as advertised on the Choice Hotels commercials. She writes:

The television commercial for Comfort Suites (with the catchy tune -- I'll give you that) includes the pronouncement "smoke-free everywhere..." At the end of the commercial several of the hotel chains under the Choice Hotel umbrella are promoted. This leaves the viewer with the impression that all of these brand name chains share/offer the same "100% smoke-free" accommodations.

I'm fairly certain that the only brand name hotel associated with Choice Hotels Int'l that has banned smoking even inside the guest rooms is Comfort Suites and not also Comfort Inn, Quality, and the few others included in the commercial.

Indeed, we tracked down a press release from March of this year that announced the Comfort Suites decision to go smoke-free by May 1, 2007.

We can't vouch for the rest of the brand but we have a feeling it is just Choice Hotels that is smoke-free. However, we've put in an email to a Choice Hotels rep but feel free to share your experiences with smoking at Choice Hotels here.

Meanwhile, we have posted the full email from Audrey after the jump.

FULL EMAIL
From Audrey Silk, founder of the NYC C.L.A.S.H. (Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment.

The television commercial for Comfort Suites (with the catchy tune -- I'll give you that) includes the pronouncement "smoke-free everywhere..." At the end of the commercial several of the hotel chains under the Choice Hotel umbrella are promoted. This leaves the viewer with the impression that all of these brand name chains share/offer the same "100% smoke-free" accommodations.
I'm fairly certain that the only brand name hotel associated with Choice Hotels Int'l that has banned smoking even inside the guest rooms is Comfort Suites and not also Comfort Inn, Quality, and the few others included in the commercial.
I do not write this from the point of view of a supporter of the ban on guest room smoking. Quite the opposite. It's most INhospitable to 25% of the population. So to further feel that you'd like potential future guests to believe that the policy applies to more brand name hotels than it actually does adds to feelings of animosity we (myself and members of our organization) already harbor toward Choice Hotels in general and Comfort Suites in particular. The policy is bad enough without also appearing misleading about its extent.
I'd like to emphasize that when the commercial ends with the tag line "We'll see you there" I cringe at the liberty you take in believing that EVERYone is jumping for joy at this UNinviting policy. It's enormously insulting. No, boasting "smoke-free everywhere," you will certainly NOT see me there. Nonetheless, it's in your best interest to clear up your commercial.

Related Stories:
· Marriott Smoking Ban [HotelChatter]
· HotelChatter's Guide to Loyalty Programs:: Choice Hotels ChoicePrivileges [HotelChatter]

HotelChatter

Select a Destination:

Tags: Choice Hotels / Marriott Smoking Ban / Smoke-Free Hotels / → All Tags