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Under the rain in pajamas

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Travel Articles >> Hotels & Lodging Travel Articles >> Locations >> North America >> USA

The administration of the American hotels has made the smokers to meet the choice - a serious fine - or denial of a cigarette.

When in an early February morning, Dan Cole has been giving the key up at the reception of the Courtyard Marriott Hartford-Farmington hotel in Connecticut, the bill included $250 for smoking in the non-smoking room. Cole - is a smoker, but didn't light a cigarette in the room - but simply threw out a couple of cigarette stubs from the pocket into the garbage. The complaints to the administration did not help. He had to pay the fine.

Dan Cole - is one of the many smokers that suffers from the hotels that struggle with them, constantly increasing the fines. Last week the Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton hotel networks, that belong to the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc have announced that the smoking ban will be introduced in all the USA hotels till 2008 and the fine for the smoking will make $200. In the beginning of the 2007 the Swissotel Chicago has imposed a $175 fine for smoking in non-smoker rooms and in December, when the whole hotel has been declared to be non-smoking, the fine has been raised up to $250. But these fines are still small in comparison with the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, where since June 2007 the fine is $500.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association has calculated that in 2001 in the USA hotels there were 65% of non-smoking rooms and in 2006 - already 74%. So, the lovers of the tobacco smoke are often getting the non-smoking rooms - there are no more other rooms left. And because in most hotels the smoking is prohibited also at the balcony and in public places, there is actually no more place for the smoking habit. In the Westin Chicago River North an ash-tray is located in 5 meters from the entrance. "Even by -7 frost people are crowded around this ash-tray",- says the general administrator Peter Simonchelli.

That is why the smokers continue to smoke in the rooms on the sly. Pete Curee, the 30-years old helicopter mechanic admits that he has managed to evade the fine till now. "You have to open the window wider and shake off the ashes into a plastic glass with water". In other words - you should leave no traces, because to accuse you, there should be real evidences. Though, in the Marriott Downtown the administration has tried to fine the guests for $250 because of the smoke smell in the room. But according to the words of the administrator - Anna Chervenyak, this has aroused multiple complaints. Then, the collaboratives of the security service have began to collect the stubs and ashes, that were found by the room maids and to present them to the guests. By the way, in the Swissotel Chicago, the parlormaids are paid $10 for every convicted smoker.

Sometimes, the clients realize that they were fined already after they leave the hotel. In Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, according to the words of the administrator - Rich Ueno, the clients have always been notified about the $200 fine before they leave. But in the beginning of the year in the rooms there were placed signs that warn about the fine for the smoking. That is why, says Ueno, now they have the right to punish the violators afterwards, sending a letter via usual or electronic mail. People understand that they were fined after their bank account has been charged for the respective amount.

The smoking becomes a luxury. This is especially noticeable in modest hotels. In Westin New York at the Times Square, the smoking place is located on the street - pretty far away from the entrance. "In return - it is under the roof",- indicates Caren Collington-Thomson, the hotel marketing director. She thinks that the fines and the smoking ban are really effective measures: "Now the client has the choice: risk 200 dollars or to get out in pajamas under the rain. As the result, most of them simply refuse the cigarette".

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Article Submitted On: March 7, 2008