"SMOKE FREE" HOTEL POLICY

[MARIE1NITA]

Has anyone encountered a problem with hotels that ban smoking? We are attending a family re-union in July 2010 in Newport, R.I, my husband in a native born FIFTH WARDER. As any Rhode Islander knows, the rates at that time of year are sky high. We happened to find a reasonable rate at the Newport Hotel and Marina which is non-smoking, which is fine with me, I am a non-smoker. I called the hotel to inquire if my husband would be an exception being that he is on MM for pain control. I explained that my husband would only smoke as needed, in the privacy of the room if and when his pain threshold became unbearable. The receptionist was not sure about medicinal marijuana protocol, but patched me thru to the hotel managers voice mail. Needless to say, the manager NEVER returned my call (two days ago). Today, I FINALLY reached the manager and told him I had been expecting his call back, which he never did, he was nonchalant. I re-explained the situation with him (I did not divulge my husbands diagnosis/condition/prognosis) and was given a clear and ABSOLUTE NO, I was told by the manager "Josh" that "non-smoking means non-smoking, no exeptions!". Unbelievable! So I'm guessing here, anyone who is on medical Marijuana staying at a non-smoking hotel MUST step out to the proper "smoking area" where he or she stands a good chance of being arrested, or (in our case) in order to avoid incarceration, be wheeled into some back alley to take one's medicine. Makes me wonder.... If a hotel guest is diabetic, would a hotel evict said guest, if they knew he or she was, "shooting up" in the room? Technically (legally too?), in my opinion I was under the impression that Rhode Island had Compassionate Marijuana laws. Looks like the Lodging/Hotel industry needs to make some changes and line up with the compassion Rhode Island has extended to her constituents.

[DogtowN]

Sorry you didn't get the result you were looking for, but don't hold your breath waiting for any changes in the hotel industry. Fact is, most folks prefer a non-smoking room, me included. It's pretty near impossible to eliminate odors from smoking, it lingers.

Hotel guests paying for that non-smoking room deserve just that, not a seldom-smoking room. :wtf:

Look into edibles for when you are traveling. I've found this to be acceptable for myself. :thumbsup:


Makes me wonder.... If a hotel guest is diabetic, would a hotel evict said guest, if they knew he or she was, "shooting up" in the room?

If by "shooting up", you mean "smoking", it's quite possible! :confused:

[pepurr]

I think I have to side with the hotel too. Here is an example of why.

In many states and cities there have been laws passed banning smoking in business like restaurants and bars. IMHO this is a violation of the business owners rights. If a business owner wants to allow or dis-allow smokers to smoke, that is their decision. If a non-smoker chooses to not patronize a business because people are allowed to smoke there, that also is their decision. If a business owner sees they are loosing money because they allow smoking, I'm sure they will reverse their policy.

Now I bet there are people who would read this and say a non-smoker has a right to not breath second hand smoke. I agree with them. I am also sure there would be plenty of establishments out there who would provide that environment.

Let the free market be free. The power of the buyer is great, and government shouldn't be allowed to interfere.

The same goes for this hotel. They should have the freedom to run their business the way they see fit. As DogtowN said, edibles would be a good solution for this problem. Then soon enough you will be back to the comfort of your own home, where you make the rules.

As for, "If a hotel guest is diabetic, would a hotel evict said guest, if they knew he or she was, "shooting up" in the room?", I really don't think that is a good comparison. The use of insulin doesn't leave an odor. Now if they decided to smoke their insulin, that would be a different story, and weird too. :D