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July 19, 2006

A bit of news from Marriott

Following on Westin's move, Marriott announced today that it is going smoke-free in

all of the Company's lodging brands in the United States and Canada will become 100 percent smoke-free, beginning in September.

So they've taken an idea pioneered elsewhere but expanded it beyond what its competitors are already offering -- smokefree not just in a single brand but across brands.

Bad for smokers, perhaps, and those renting rooms to throw parties (!) but good for most travelers whose worst nightmare is getting checked into a smoking room.

Update: HotelChatter has more:

At first, this sounds a little more drastic than it is since 90 percent Marriott's guest rooms were already non-smoking. But the hotel chain goes one step further banning smoking from public spaces that includes restaurants, bars, meeting rooms and employee work areas. (Uh-oh, we feel like Marriott's gonna lose more than a few workers this week.)

If you do get caught smoking, Marriott will hit you with a $200 to $300 cleaning fee and any extra charges that could occur in the room needs to be taken out of service. For those who can't go without a smoke you can hit up one of the hotel's designated smoking areas which has to be 25 feet away from the entrance, so essentially in the parking lot.

Marriott's Renaissance Hotels brand is also offering free parking to hybrid car drivers through the end of the year.

Best part is you don't even need to be a hotel guest to use it, just attending a meeting or dining at the hotel.

So to my fellow DC residents driving hybrids, go have a drink at the Mayflower and you don't have to take the metro...

Posted by gleff at July 19, 2006 7:44 AM

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