Smoking Friendly Hotels in Michigan?
 

Please move this if it is in the wrong forum. With the new Michigan law in place, all hotels are non-smoking. Unfortunately we have to work here with our crews for the next 3 months. This presents a problem with employees who do smoke. It is not an illegal substance and they breathe in plant fumes and smoke all day. So much for protecting workers.
If anyone knows of hotels (or chains) who will overlook the new regulations in Michigan, could you PM me? I do not want the ones who are exercising their property rights to get in trouble but the current place we have our crews at have been very accomadating and every room is booked weeks ahead. The other three on this road have few cars in the parking lots.
Don't need flames, just happy employees. They are good crews but I hate to see them sitting (sleeping) in lawn chairs in the parking lot after a 16 hour day for what? Someone's idea of PC and equality?

Please follow this thread in the FT Midwest Forum.
Thanks....
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

More then likely not, if the hotel is going smoke free they aren't going to want a bunch of people smoking for weeks straight as it will only complicate things after you leave, If I get a non-smoking room and can tell there was someone before me smoking there will be complaints.
Also im not familar with the MI laws but in WI they police can fine the establishment for allowing it, so they may overlook and if they get a complaint and found, it could cost them quite a bit.

My guess is a property isn't going to 'overlook' a law & allow smoking for fear of fines, and some - like Marriott - have a mandatory $250 cleaning fee per room you'll get hit w/, if someone smokes in a non-smoking room.

Since more states (and a # of hotel chains, such as Marriott, Starwood, etc) are going smoke-free, your employees will probably have to get used to it at some point.

If you're currently at a property that's been accomodating, ask them if they're setting up an outside area for smokers or if people will need to stand by the front door, etc.

BTW - I'm not going to flame you, but if you wanted a flame-free response, you could have left off the last sentence in your post. I'm just sayin... ;) :D

Good luck to you & your crews.

Cheers.

I'm not familiar with Michigan's no-smoking law as it applies to hotels. Is smoking forbidden only indoors or anywhere on the property? If it's only forbidden indoors, why don't you either:
1.) Look for motels, where the employee only has to step outside his or her room to smoke.
2.) Look for hotel rooms with balconies where the employee could smoke on his or her balcony.

If the law applies to smoking anywhere--indoor or out--on the hotel property, you'll have to look for a hotel/motel where the rooms are located close to the road. Google Streetview should help with that.

I appreciate that you're looking out for your workers, but frankly this is the direction that cities and states are moving. It's a problem you'll continue to encounter. I don't know what part of the state you're in, but fortunately you're in Michigan during warm-weather months so smoking outside shouldn't be too much of a burden. The smokers should consider themselves lucky that you aren't in the UP in February!

(Also, please keep in mind that any hotel that unlawfully allows your employees to smoke in rooms is choosing to expose its employees to second-hand smoke. They're also opening themselves up to lawsuits from their employees. With this in mind, I suspect you'll have a tough time finding a hotel to break the law on behalf of your employees.)