Originally Posted by pinniped
Even if the manager's explanation is true (I'm doubting him, not you), it's still inexcusable. The Marriott rule is against smoking, not possessing smoking materials. Even if you had a carton of Marlboros sitting in plain view, that is no cause for the maid or manager to "investigate". We aren't talking cocaine here.
I totally support Marriott's position on smoking, but that should never be used as a cover for such invasive behavior.
Exactly right. I still smoke occassionally, particularly when I travel for business. However, I always book a non-smoking room and never, ever under any circumstances smoke inside the hotel. It's become routine for me to pull on my shoes take the elevator down to the lobby and go outside to light up -- in fact, I even do that at hotels that allow smoking in the lobby. However, my pack of cigarettes sits on the desk in the room. If I ever got any grief about it from the hotel management, they'd certainly hear from me. If I saw someone going through my bag, I'd call the police and press charges. Period.