Originally Posted by
LTBoston
If you reserve and pay for a non-smoking room, you have a reasonable right to expect you will not be exposed to the smell of cigarette smoke, whether it's in the room or on the balcony - particularly if the hotel advertises itself as a non-smoking property.
If you want to enjoy a cigarette in your hotel room or on your hotel room balcony, you have a reasonable right to reserve a smoking room in a hotel that permits smoking and puff away to your heart's content. You do not have a reasonable right to smoke at a non-smoking property.
I absolutely agree that you if reserve and pay for a non-smoking room, that's what you should expect, and get. Balcony is grey area. In an ideal world it would be nice that everyone got what they wanted. But reality is a ...... Hotels don't promise to give you the room you reserve, car rental agencies don't promise to give you the car you reserve, or airlines, the seat you reserve or request. Usually they try to give you what you want/request.
What do you do if your neighbour smokes on his patio, or at the edge of his property line? What would you do if you lived in an apartment and a teneant above, below or beside your apartment smokes in their balcony?
I can see why a nonsmoker would not be happy about a smoker in the balcony next door. If it bothers you, you can either request the smoker to not smoke, or if you wish, complain to the hotel manager. You will be well within your rights to do that. If the hotel does not try to stop the smoker, it's clear that the hotel just put up the sign, but had no plans to enforce it.
2. Why did Marriott implement the Smoke-free Hotel policy?
The majority of guest requests favor a non-smoking hotel environment. The only way to provide this experience is to not allow smoking within the building. Therefore, we have applied this preference throughout our hotels. We do provide designated smoking areas outside the building to accommodate the needs of guests who smoke.
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4. How will smokers be accommodated? Will they be able to smoke on the property?
Although smoking is not permitted within hotel buildings themselves, guests who smoke are permitted to do so outside in designated areas.
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5. What measures will Marriott take to enforce the Smoke-free Hotel policy?
The policy is integrated in the Marriott Quality Assurance process. All associates have been trained to respond to potential violations of the policy. For example, housekeepers are trained to observe signs of smoking in the hotel. Guests are reminded at the time of booking and upon arrival at the hotel that smoking is not permitted inside the building. Pre-arrival email notifications also include a reference to the policy. There is a significant room recovery fee for guests who do not comply in order to cover the extensive cost of restoring guest rooms to a smoke-free condition.
I am not in the favour of smoking indoors, in closed spaces, while driving, or around people who don't smoke. I have pasted portions of Marriott's non-smoking policy. It's silent about balcony. It does, however, say that smoking is allowed outside the building in designated places. Either by omission, or by commission, Marriott has left inside and outside not properly defined. If there is an ash tray in the balcony, it would be reasonable to assume that smoking is not a "NO NO" there.