Is Smoking on a Hotel Room Balcony A No-No?
 

My Mr and I are both smokers. It has been a long time since we have stayed in a hotel with any smoking rooms (except in Vegas) and even when the hotel has smoking rooms, we opt for a non-smoking room. From time to time, we find ourselves in a room with a balcony, and my Mr is quite comfortable indulging his filthy dirty smoking habit on said balcony; I on the other hand always feel like we're about to get into trouble for it, except when we're at the odd, random hotel that actually puts ashtrays on the balcony (but that nervous feeling doesn't stop me from indulging my filthy dirty habit).

We do not smoke in the rooms, only outside; we use our own receptacle for ash and butts (sometimes an Altoids tin, sometimes a makeshift water bottle ashtray, etc) then dispose of it. We make sure the room door is closed so that smoke won't seep in. We can't check every neighboring balcony but if the folks next door seem to have their door open, we don't smoke, because we don't want to bother them.

So how bad an infraction is it to smoke on the balcony of a non-smoking room? Since it's officially outside, and in the open air, is it no longer an infraction? Or since it's attached to a non-smoking room, is it still a no-no?

It's a no no if I'm in the room above you :D While at the Hilton Barbados earlier this month I was unable to enjoy my morning coffee on the balcony as someone below was puffing away. Hilton's website indicates "This hotel is 100% non smoking". To me that means no smoking anywhere in the hotel. Obviously the guest below felt differently.

I think it's generally considered a no-no even on the balcony.

Only time I've done it in recent memory was at the Marriott Cairo, in which case my cigar was probably improving the outdoor air quality. :p

I agree
 

Hilton's website indicates "This hotel is 100% non smoking". To me that means no smoking anywhere in the hotel. [/QUOTE]


That's what it means to me too.

The balcony is part of the room. Therefore, if the room is non-smoking, the balcony is non-smoking.

That's what it means to me too.[/QUOTE]

Balconies are still a no-no. And if you throw the ashes out in the room's trash can, the whole room will stink. No matter how much you clean, it will still stink.

I want my non-smoking hotel to be just that, non-smoking!

I do exactly the same thing and refrain if I can tell if anyone is outdoors - I even check for balcony doors being open.

The only place I have ever seen specifically say you can't smoke on the balconey is at Disney hotels.

Unless they specifically tell me I can't smoke on the balcony - I do. And I also tell the people at the front desk I want a room with a balcony because I smoke. Not a single one ever told me I couldn't.

Acck... I can tell you're a non-smoker. ;) I would never throw ashes/butts in the trash. Besides the smell, I would be concerned for fire. No matter what receptacle I'm using, it all gets flushed before I leave the room.

Often I will see something to the effect of "This property is 100% smoke free" to me that means no smoking anywhere whether it's on a balcony, by the front door or even by the dumpster. Othertimes I'll see "This hotel is 100% smoke free." Now, I'm all for semantics but I really believe the hotels mean the same exact thing in each of those statements.

Other times (and I think Disney may actually have been one of these) I've seem "Smoking allowed in designated places only".

I used to be a smoker and I would have smoked on a hotels balcony without much thought. So long as your dispose of any ash/butts appropriately there shouldnt be a problem. You can always ask when you check in if you arent sure what the hotels view on it is.

I'm with the 'outside is outside' camp. smoking in rooms is smelly, but if you want to smoke on a balcony and can contain the butts and ash (and aren't smoking next to someone else on their balcony) then why not.

if a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around... it don't make a noise. same with smoking...

I appreciate the steps you take to minimize the impact of your smoking on others, dcpatti, but most smokers are not so courteous. I can think of several practical problems:

- What if you open and close the balcony door a lot while the smoke lingers? That could bring smoke and smoke smell into the room.

- What if you can't tell if a neighbor's balcony door is open, because a privacy divider blocks the view or because it's the balcony above yours? I've frequently had to shut my balcony door instead of enjoying fresh air because a neighbor outside is smoking and their smoke is wafting into my room.

- What if a neighbor opens their door or goes out onto their balcony while you're smoking? Would you crush out your cigarettes in courtesy or would you keep smoking on the basis of "I was here first"?

a lot of what ifs?! :)

I appreciate the problem may arise when others are not so thoughtful.

with the tens of thousands of tons of pollutants thrown out by car exhausts, the minute smoke from one puff of one cigarette that any neighbor might get when they first step out onto the balcony is pretty insignificant.

we're really not that stupid (aside from smoking in the first place:))... we can actually hear if someone is on the balcony next door... either by them turng the pages of a newspaper, or because of some other sound. and I'm not sure how many times we would repeatedly open and close the door during the course of a single cigarette... that's just ridiculous... and no one 'crushes' a cigarette... we put them out :)

I would be as equally concerned about a neighbor on a balcony smoking as I would be about a neighbor eating peanuts on their balcony... never know when peanut dust could get carried into my room!!

Rubbish. Also what about the poor people who want to leave their balcony door open to get some fresh air in their room. Can you hear that?

Some idiots smoking on their balconies could even be smelled from the nearby pool at a recent stay at the Sheraton Desert Oasis.

No smoking means no smoking. It's really not a complicated message and yes, it includes you.

if it is a non smoking room, but the hotel allows smoking on the balcony then that what is allowed. the idea of the non smoking room is to keep out the smoke smell. I agree with that, but smoking outside is different.

I exercise all due care however when smoking outside to try and ensure fellow guests are not inconvenienced.

I have, in the past, and will continue exercise my right to smoke on the balcony of my hotel room, unless it is expressly prohibited by the hotel. If anyone else takes issue with that, they can add it to the long list of things that people do that inevitably annoy someone somewhere (My pet peeve is cologne. Can we ban that in public places?).

Get over it, I'll die off soon, anyhow. :rolleyes:

:td:

Second hand smoke kills. Cologne, no matter how offensive, does not.

according to their own statistics... 18 per cent of nurses smoke in the USA. guess those are the same idiots that save our families lives during serious road trauma, or pull the all night shifts to look after our loved ones during cancer. and they might smoke on a balcony during their well deserved holidays. idiots...

Some of these desperate arguments are alternately amusing and pathetic.

What part of "non-smoking room" is not "expressly prohibited"? I don't see fine print that says no smoking in the bathroom, or no smoking in the closet, so I guess I'm free to smoke there too.

If you enter into an agreement to stay in a no-cologne room, then I agree to the analogy. Otherwise, there's quite an obvious difference between violating the terms of an agreement and simply annoying someone.

I know a few nurses who have been arrested for drunk driving. Should they be free to drive drunk, and immune from criticism, because of what they do during the day?

These sound like my seven-year-old trying to gt away with something, except that she's only amusing because she doesn't quite know better.

And in the same way, there is a huge difference between DUI and simply annoying someone by smoking on your balcony :)

I'm pretty sensitive to smoke, and can usually smell someone smoking long before I spot the smoker.

I had a great stay at the Bali Hyatt last year. It was marred the last few days by a lot if smoke from the next balcony, being sucked into our room. It's a shame to have to close the door, but that's what we did.

I have no problem with smoking, as long as I can't smell it, or see piles of butts on the ground. It's always great to see a responsible smoker post.

Gee, because the balcony is outside, whereas the loo and the closet are not? A non-smoking room is just that, the room itself, not the balcony. Were there a sign on the balcony barring smoking, which I have seen a few times, I would not smoke out there.

So.. the balcony isn't part of the No smoking room? Interesting

So no problem with someone else using the balcony? (Well.. you paid for the room.. and if the balcony isn't part of it for the purposes of non-smoking rules then it can't be at all..right?.....:D)

Just kidding of course..

What I will say in all seriousness is that you need to get a non-smoker to check your arrangements. A smoker is simply incapable of detecting their own smoke smell at levels that can be irritating to a non-smoker..... which in a non-smoking room is anything above "absolutely nothing"!

Same as smokers don't notice the smell clinging to their clothing and hair and everything else...

I should know... I used to be one!

Kudos to the OP for coming up with a plan.. but I have to say... if you bring the ash/butts back into the room... and even only "unseal" the container long enough to flush the contents.. that WILL leave a smell behind.... trust me!

1. If there is an ASHTRAY on the balcony then guess what?? It IS ALLOWED.

2. Other than perhaps one municipality in the entire UNITED STATES OF AMERICA that I know of due to a technicality, there is actually no hotel, locality, etc that can do anything whatsoever to stop anyone from smoking OUTSIDE, whether it is the street or a balcony. Hell in the vast majority of the United States, despite what the hotel might say or threaten, a hotel cannot actually legally stop people from even smoking in a room even if it is a "100% non-smoking hotel" due to rental and occupancy laws. Furthermore while a hotel may threaten and attmpt to collect cleaning fees (which is the only ruse they can possibly use) the actual charging of these fees in most cases is ILLEGAL and can EASILY be overturned if charged to a credit card.

Like it or not, these are the actual facts.

When you rent a hotel room, you enter into a binding legal contract and agree to abide by its terms which are enforceable in court. You may try to dispute the credit card charges, but ultimately the issuer will deny your challenge.

Actually, I'm pretty sure Chicago has effectively outlawed it.

From the City of Chicago website (emphasis mine):And from the actual law in question. (Again, emphasis mine): Note:
1. You can't smoke within 15 feet of an entrance to a building.
2. In a hotel, you can't smoke in an area where smoke could infiltrate other non-smoking rooms.

Given that most hotel balconies are separated by less then 15 feet from one another, and given that smoke from a balcony could infiltrate a non-smoking room, I'd argue that the city of Chicago has outlawed it.

Now, you did actually say, "There is actually no hotel, locality, etc that can do anything whatsoever to stop anyone from smoking OUTSIDE, whether it is the street or a balcony."

True, violators in Chicago are punishable only by fine. The law does not allow violators to be shot on site. If someone isn't compelled to STOP based on the threat of a fine, then they'll probably continue to take the chance and smoke. But it would be much nicer if we could shoot violators them on site. ;)

I beg of you, please do NOT smoke on hotel room balconies. I am one of those people who enjoys fresh air, especially in tropical locales, but I frequently have to keep my balcony door sealed because the secondhand smoke drifts in from nearby balconies. It is revolting to have to experience the byproduct of somebody's smoking habit while I'm trying to enjoy my day/afternoon/evening.

Hotels say "This is a smoke-free property" for good reason. I choose to stay at smoke-free properties for good reason.

Please be respectful of my privacy, and the privacy of others who seek to enjoy the hotel experience, by NOT smoking in areas where the smoke could disturb others.

Please.

Try electronic cigarettes. They have the nicotine that your body is addicted to, but they lack the disgusting tar and smoke that kill you and tens of thousands of secondhand smoke victims every year in the USA alone.

No, those are not the actual facts

Here in Boston, non-smoking residential complexes are just that: No smoking anywhere on the property - and that includes in the units, in the common areas, outside in the courtyard, and on balconies and patios.

My condo complex is currently considering such a policy and they modeled it on policies in place in city-owned properties.

Unless, of course, you turn on a recorder to record the noise or a smoke detector to detect the smoke.

I personally don't have a problem with somebody smoking on the balcony of the hotel, and that's coming from a non-smoker. As long as the ash and butts are disposed of as the OP states then there shouldn't be any lingering odors in the room itself.

Smoking is a beef we have on our vacations in Hawaii, whether there is smoking on the lanai, there is a smoking floor, or smoking around the ocean front walk areas..

we prefer that no one smokes onsite at the hotels we stay in..

Smoking on a Hotel Room Balcony is a No-No - in a smoke-free hotel. That's why the hotel can advertise itself as smoke-free.

If you smoke, don't book yourself into a smoke-free hotel (and expect that your smoking on a balcony, or anywhere else except the small, designated smoking areas that are well outside the front door will go unnoticed.)

Only in America could one take offense at someone smoking outside on the balcony. And I think that the majority of hotels with balconies would allow this.

Assuming that one disposes of the garbage properly (leaving it outside until it's extinguished, then either flushing it or removing it from the room oneself), I don't see how anyone can complain about being offended by smoke that dissipates into the air -- except, of course, the usual anti-smoking zealots and other self-righteous moralizers. It's ridiculous to compare smoking outside to smoking in the closet or bathroom, which obviously impact the room for future users whereas smoking outside does not.

A related question is whether one can smoke at an outdoor swimming pool or bar in the pool area? I can't recall a place (besides some in America of course) that forbids this.

give us another 10 minutes and we'll have the same in Australia... :rolleyes:

Chicago was the ONE place I was talking about, remember where I said "Other than perhaps one municipality".

TWA, that is nice, however that is why so may go on about cleaning fees or whatever, because they know that due to local and state laws that what they are doing is NOT legal.

Again, generally speaking, outside is outside, and it seems to me that many of you are overly zealous on this subject.

This is actually a great yardstick.
Many of these hotels do have ashtrays at the outdoor pool.
I will probably be more likely to clarify policy with each hotel, going forward, or check for ashtrays in the pool area.

FWIW we are well aware that ashes and butts left in a hotel room trashcan will stink the place up. We leave whatever receptacle on the balcony till it's time to go, and deposit it in an outdoor trashcan.

I take great delight in remembering that what used to almost monthly trips to the US, is only once or twice a year, and when I go the company will rent me a serviced apartment, even if it's just for a couple of nights. Because I smoke, and the company I work for realise the US, in particular US hotels, is largely run by idiots these days.

I smoke, it's my choice and as of yet it's still a legal thing to do. When I travel, the hotel or apartment is my home for the duration, and I insist on doing more or less the same there as I would in my own house.

The anti-smoking nazi's can wear a mask, or suck oxygen off a bottle if that makes them feel better; as long as it's not illegal I shall continue to smoke outside (and a balcony is outside) whenever, and whereever, I please to do so.

A few years back I would have agreed with you, but the crusade has spread to a number of otherwise civilized countries.

It's not run by idiots, it's run by people who understand that the majority of guests wish not to smell like cigarette smoke during and after their stay.

Personally, I also like to get a good nights sleep in a $200/night property, which I do not get on a smoking floor, or on a non-smoking floor when some ignorant individual has lit up.

Nb: The smell irritates me, blocks me up and makes it quite difficult to sleep. Which kind of defeats the purpose of staying at a 4* or 5* property.

My last stay in the US was at the much "loved" Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Waikiki and their in room bumph expressly prohibited smoking on the balcony and added that if there was evidence of smoking in the room INCLUDING the balcony then a US$200 cleaning fee would be levied.

Oddly the balcony's seating area had been painted with some sort of rubberised* grey** paint and had numerous little black circles where people had let their butt ends burn out on the floor.

For clarification

* Rubberized
** Gray