dmanphoenix

Let me in on something fellow travelers. I have asked for upgrades the last few times (new gold) and each time the only available upgrades were smoking rooms. For instance the suites that were available at the doubletree I go to are all smoking only. That does me no good. You guys that are getting upgrades do you notice that suites tend to be smoking and are you taking a smoking room? Please advise.

v3

I have noticed just the opposite: most of the upgrades are for non-smoking customers (at least in the US). A lot of hotels now have thier club floors compltely non-smoking...



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Regards,

V3

beergut

Was at the Conrad in SIN earlier in the year and booked a smoking room on the exec floor, on the second day we were upgraded to a suite which was on a non smoking floor. A call to the exec floor manager and ashtrays were sent up so obviously not all Hotels stick to their own rules !

Same at Intercontinental in Montreal, booked a Turret room which was non smoking but had an ashtray in the room, go figure .

Nigel

Westcoaster

Twice in the past few months I been offered smoking suites and declined them in favor of nonsmoking regular rooms. At the LV Hilton I was told that all of the their suites were "nondesignated" which supposedly meant neither smoking nor nonsmoking. How ridiculous. Betting that a "nondesignated" room would give me a sore throat and a headache just like a smoking room, I declined.

korea71

Ditto this experience at over 10 Hiltons so far. To their credit, I have never walked into a smoking room that smelled like smoke. They must air them out pretty good. Some Hampton Inns have these monster ion machines that are turned on in the rooms and hallways while the rooms are being cleaned. I have seen burn marks though.

Xyzzy

I just checked out of a non-smoking floor at an HGI. The upgraded non-smoking room was fine but the hall REEKED of smoke. I think it all depends on the hotel. I've sometimes experienced the "all we have left are smoking" thing too. But based on the fact that almost-full hotels tend to only have smoking rooms when you look at hh.com availability this doesn't surprise me.

Gustaf

Ive seen this too, the cause is probably a non-smoking husband/wife that sends their spouse to smoke in the hall instead.

Jon Toner

I've found a LOT of it depends where you are. I travel to a lot of places where smoking isn't the moral equivalent of a violent crime (yet). In these places, they have more smoking suites than non-smoking suites, based on their clientele. It makes sense - ultimately they want to SELL the room.

If you have fewer non-smoking suites, combined with a few other Elites, you may find the non-smoking suites are gone by the time you check-in.

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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

Westcoaster

I'm certain it's difficult in some locations for hotels to strike a satisfactory balance. The manager at the Hermosa Beach Hampton Inn in California told me that he is switching some rooms to nonsmoking based on demand. He always runs out of nonsmoking rooms and arriving customers are unhappy.

The LV Hilton front desk has told me on multiple occasions that they have the same problem, even in a smoker's paradise. I was given one of the last 3 nonsmoking rooms at 1:30 p.m. one time there and the front desk people were steeling themselves for an afternoon and evening of having to tell arriving Californians that all nonsmoking rooms were taken.

I don't envy the hotel managers. Switching rooms from nonsmoking to smoking is obviously easy but going the other direction is expensive.

ACORD

This is why I think all hotel rooms should have balconies.

Simple rule: Ban smoking in every room but have a balcony where folks can puff to their heart's content.

I hate these hermatically sealed rooms even if they do save on energy costs. Also, I've noticed that hotels that are "sealed up" tend to suffer more from obnoxious smells (swimming pool chlorine, boiled cabbage, tobacco smoke, NY Taxi Driver...)

cigarman

I can't believe how much some people whine. All rooms non-smoking? Geez. You already have the vast majority of all rooms and many all non-smoke properties. I mean I stay in "sexually active rooms". I mean come on? Do I really want to sleep in a room where someone had sex the day before? Or those nose picker rooms. I KNOW I CAN'T SLEEP BECAUSE THERE ARE BOGGERS UNDER THE BED!!!
Bottom line. Shut up! Either take the smoking suite...or keep your non smoking room you reserved. But, don't complain that someone is giving you something free...and its not exactly what you wanted. "geez I know I bought the VW bug, and you're giving me a Porshe. But, I really wanted Red not Black!"

Westcoaster

dmanphoenix, I just checked with a DT I'll be at next week and it turns out that all of their suites are smoking suites. They do give suite upgrades, too. Bummer.