Hilton is now a 100% NON SMOKING Property

[Moonblossom]

We are now a 100% NON SMOKING Property

Just to have it on record that not everyone is thrilled about that descision, this is why you've lost at least two loyal Hilton regulars. I'm not sure if any studies ever get done regarding this sort of thing, but people who smoke still do travel on occasion.

So thanks. Your renovated rooms look lovely, it's a shame we'll never get to see any of them.

[Steve.Young]

We are now a 100% NON SMOKING Property

Just to have it on record that not everyone is thrilled about that descision, this is why you've lost at least two loyal Hilton regulars. I'm not sure if any studies ever get done regarding this sort of thing, but people who smoke still do travel on occasion.

So thanks. Your renovated rooms look lovely, it's a shame we'll never get to see any of them.

CA is one of the few states (If not the only state) that have bans on indoor smoking, and I hear it's only going to get stricter in the future.

[Moonblossom]

We are now a 100% NON SMOKING Property

Just to have it on record that not everyone is thrilled about that descision, this is why you've lost at least two loyal Hilton regulars. I'm not sure if any studies ever get done regarding this sort of thing, but people who smoke still do travel on occasion.

So thanks. Your renovated rooms look lovely, it's a shame we'll never get to see any of them.

CA is one of the few states (If not the only state) that have bans on indoor smoking, and I hear it's only going to get stricter in the future.

Yes, but for the time being it's still legal, any hotel property in CA is currently entitled to be up to 35% smoking. The Ramada and Arena still allow it and the Arena at least has no plans to change that until they are forced to. They realize there's still a huge market for this sort of thing.

If it was done at the Hilton for law-related reasons, I just wish the hotel staff would be up front about it. When I called earlier to find out if this policy was going to change during the renovations, I was informed that they were going non smoking "For your comfort and convenience, ma'am." It is neither comfortable nor convenient for a smoker to have to go downstairs and exit a building at three in the morning if the urge should so strike them. The man I travel with is paying for accommodation, not paying to be treated like a demonized barnyard animal.

[PyronIkari]

Yes, but for the time being it's still legal, any hotel property in CA is currently entitled to be up to 35% smoking. The Ramada and Arena still allow it and the Arena at least has no plans to change that until they are forced to. They realize there's still a huge market for this sort of thing.

If it was done at the Hilton for law-related reasons, I just wish the hotel staff would be up front about it. When I called earlier to find out if this policy was going to change during the renovations, I was informed that they were going non smoking "For your comfort and convenience, ma'am." It is neither comfortable nor convenient for a smoker to have to go downstairs and exit a building at three in the morning if the urge should so strike them. The man I travel with is paying for accommodation, not paying to be treated like a demonized barnyard animal.

Normally I wouldn't mind it at all. The only reason going all the way downstairs to go outside sucks, isn't because it's 2am. But because it's not 2am. During normal times, getting an elevator takes anywhere from 10-30minutes because people don't know how to use elevators apparently.

That's the only reason I don't like the nonsmoking thing, but I'll deal with it.

[Moonblossom]

Normally I wouldn't mind it at all. The only reason going all the way downstairs to go outside sucks, isn't because it's 2am. But because it's not 2am. During normal times, getting an elevator takes anywhere from 10-30minutes because people don't know how to use elevators apparently.

That's the only reason I don't like the nonsmoking thing, but I'll deal with it.

XD That too, I forgot how awful the elevators can be at times.

I just decided it'd be easier to deal by staying at another hotel :D

[FanFicGuru]

Normally I wouldn't mind it at all. The only reason going all the way downstairs to go outside sucks, isn't because it's 2am. But because it's not 2am. During normal times, getting an elevator takes anywhere from 10-30minutes because people don't know how to use elevators apparently.

That's the only reason I don't like the nonsmoking thing, but I'll deal with it.

XD That too, I forgot how awful the elevators can be at times.

I just decided it'd be easier to deal by staying at another hotel :D

Until all of them become non-smoking...then they'll have to start providing Nicotine patches upon check in I suppose.

[Tsu]

I for one am not at all displeased that the Hilton is going 100% nonsmoking.  Being a nonsmoker, I suppose that's easy enough for me to say.  However, during my last visit at the Hilton, I stayed in a nonsmoking room, surrounded by nonsmoking rooms, and was still accosted at one point with the smell of cigarette smoke pouring into the room.  I was never certain if it was someone smoking in the hallway or coming through the ventilation system, but it was appalling.  If changes were made to make sure this kind of thing didn't happen, that'd be fine for me, but it's probably easier to simply ionize all of the rooms,  and deem the whole hotel nonsmoking rather than employ rigorous filters on their air systems and monitor the hallways.  (The latter of which I don't think would do any good.  I am pretty sure the smoke was coming FROM the hallway.  Ugh.)

[Jun-Watarase]

I'll have to agree on the 2am/not 2am bit, but as it's Fanime, I'd figure we'd be on the convention center properties during the day, anyway. There just isn't the option of getting away from it all in the convenience of your hotel room. I find it irritating, but at the same time, it's something that I feel that most can deal with. I rarely get to have the liberty to smoke indoors anyway, given how it is pretty much /everywhere/ in California. But I'd feel that it'd be a nice feature that hotels provide rooms where it is allowed, for thesake of comfort and convenience.

Them telling you that they're removing that option for that reason is a poor excuse, as there should be a variety of different types of customers they're catering to, but the work involved to maintain smoking rooms while trying to please everyone does seem like a bit of extra labor. As for the hallways, though... I don't recall that ever really being allowed. That may just be the inconsiderateness of customers.

[Moonblossom]

Them telling you that they're removing that option for that reason is a poor excuse, as there should be a variety of different types of customers they're catering to, but the work involved to maintain smoking rooms while trying to please everyone does seem like a bit of extra labor. As for the hallways, though... I don't recall that ever really being allowed. That may just be the inconsiderateness of customers.

That specifically is what frustrates me. If it's simply a matter of business and the bottom line, they should have the balls to admit it. I'd have more respect for a situation like that, especially in today's economy. But trying to foist "healthy" choices on me that I don't necessarily want and using that as a thinly-veiled excuse for things kind of sucks.

foester - every single other hotel that has been affiliated with the convention has been entirely non-smoking for years. I am not trying to sound snarky, but if you're the type of person who is very sensitive to the smell of smoke, would it not have been more logical to stay at, say, the Marriott? It's also connected to the convention center, and wouldn't have smelled at all.

[Steve.Young]

Them telling you that they're removing that option for that reason is a poor excuse, as there should be a variety of different types of customers they're catering to, but the work involved to maintain smoking rooms while trying to please everyone does seem like a bit of extra labor. As for the hallways, though... I don't recall that ever really being allowed. That may just be the inconsiderateness of customers.

That specifically is what frustrates me. If it's simply a matter of business and the bottom line, they should have the balls to admit it. I'd have more respect for a situation like that, especially in today's economy. But trying to foist "healthy" choices on me that I don't necessarily want and using that as a thinly-veiled excuse for things kind of sucks.

foester - every single other hotel that has been affiliated with the convention has been entirely non-smoking for years. I am not trying to sound snarky, but if you're the type of person who is very sensitive to the smell of smoke, would it not have been more logical to stay at, say, the Marriott? It's also connected to the convention center, and wouldn't have smelled at all.

Well as he said, he was in a non-smoking room on a non-smoking floor. So, people don't exactly always follow the rules.

[Moonblossom]

Actually, he suggested it was could also have been a ventilation issue, implying that the people following the rules may have possibly been at fault. That would theoretically not have happened in a totally smoke-free hotel.

[Jun-Watarase]

I don't believe Foester was in the position to really know that he'd have to face the smell of smoke when he chose a non-smoking floor, so his decision wasn't exactly illogical.

Off topic, a little, but one convenient thing Pyron and I enjoyed about Tokyo were the smoking areas in buildings, restaurants, the ability to light up in the arcade, and etc, but it was stricter in terms of smoking in most areas of public streets. And if you ask me, I felt that was a better trade-off. Sounds like a small deal, but it was a convenience we greatly appreciated.

But anyway, because of the mentality of what smoking is in the US leads people to drive out smokers and feel that making decisions like... making the hotel 100% non-smoking property is a good decision that makes everybody happy, promoting that smoking is some sort of hideous taboo. It's fine that the decision was made, but the fact that it's being dished out, expected to be received as good news whereas the variety of customers are not limited to just one group of people. There is pretty much /nothing/ that really caters to it, anymore, except the right of being able to stand outside in public... despite how common of a recreational habit it is.

[Moonblossom]

For my last crabby and off-topic post, since I do apologize for derailing this thread so badly (though I find it amusing the Hilton account has not posted once since I made my initial statement)"

I guess I was unclear in my reply to foester. It's just that a lot of people argue that "oh smokers make the entire hotel smell bad". If they're aware there's smoking going on anywhere in the hotel, I just thought that it would it would be prudent to avoid it if the potential risk is there? I never meant to imply he was silly or illogical for booking there, again I apologize.

That's actually good to know about Tokyo. I think it makes more sense to allow people to smoke in relative privacy, or designated closed-off areas, than it does to let them smoke on the street, where it's harder for people with allergies to avoid.

Jun, thank you for summarizing what's pushing my buttons so eloquently.

Honestly, if I had the funds I'd do a feasiblity study on a hotel that caters to smokers. Obviously non-smokers would be welcome, but complaints about smoke/smells/etc would be moot. The hotel would have a high-end cigar lounge in the lobby, the decor would be in shades of tan and beige to hide nicotine, there would be fancy Murano glass or cut crystal ashtrays in all the rooms, humidors next to the minifridges..

[Tsu]

Tempers flare...

Hilton was the first hotel I stayed at for the con, and as such, I was more than happy to stay there again.  As for not staying at the Marriott, after the smoke issue at the Hilton, I did indeed switch to the Marriott in the following year.  I shouldn't have to explain myself (I appreciate the apology) but I will anyway; I am not physically able to hike from the external hotels to the convention center with ease, not to mention it would be inconvenient, and as for the Marriott, the elevator wait is miserable.  All I had to do was visit the hotel briefly to drop off a friend at his room and wait 20 minutes to get there and back to the lobby again how much it sucked.  So yeah, I stuck with the Hilton.  In the prior 2 years I'd been there I'd never had any problems with smelling smoke.

Two unfortunate issues... frankly, it doesn't matter whether the entire hotel is 100% nonsmoking or not, just like it doesn't matter if the rooms have a max occupancy of 4 people per room.  People will do it if they think they can get away with it, and since it's not like every hotel comes equipped with hotel monitors, it's more likely.  No, they're not too likely to smoke within a room (theirs or not) in the 100% smoke free property since they'll probably get charged a boatload for it, but, they can still do it in the hallways.  And no, I'm not saying all smokers do this, or all con-goers do this... Just the inconsiderate pricks.

And as for the Hilton switching to smoke free, there's probably not much the concierge or whoever it is that's communicating with us can tell you.  The entire state of Cali is getting less and less smoker friendly and forcing them to go farther if they want to smoke.  You'd probably have to take it up with the head honchos of this particular branch...  I realize it's probably as much of an inconvenience for a smoker to have to haul ass outside in the middle of the night to smoke as it is for me to skip the clogged elevators and haul ass up and down the stairs with arthritis, but, what can you do.  It wouldn't hurt my feelings if hotels would consider putting an area within their hotels for people to come to to smoke... you could stay in a non-smoking room, and they could put a specific ventilation system to make sure it didn't get pumped into the entire hotel.  Be far less unpleasant than freezing your butt off outside.  I doubt it'll happen in CA hotels, though... they really are trying to make smoking look like the worst stigma on the face of the planet nowadays.

[HILTONSTAFF]

For my last crabby and off-topic post, since I do apologize for derailing this thread so badly (though I find it amusing the Hilton account has not posted once since I made my initial statement)"

The decision to go 100% Non Smoking had many factors and one of them was the numerous complaints from non smokers having to take smoking rooms during sell out conventions (fanime being one of them)... I apologize to you if you didn't like the answer that was given to you when you called, but the ratio of guests who prefer smoking rooms was outnumbered by those who does not care for them.

Hope you have a great time at Fanime, nonetheless...

Hilton Staff

[Moonblossom]

If I had just been told that flat-out, there would not be an issue. It's the fact that I was told it was for MY comfort and convenience, as if the Almighty Lord Hilton had decided what was best for everyone who ever stayed in their hotel. It was not at all for my convenience, but rather the convenience of other people.

You might want to just suggest to your desk staff to be honest with people who call with legitimate concerns, rather than giving us some shitty PR doublespeak.

I will have a fabulous time at another hotel, thank you.

[Lucifargundam]

That doesnt make sense since you can just go on a patio, bottom floor outside, or on the rooftop(i believe if im thinking of the right hotel) and light a stick... itd do nobody any insult. :/ Thanks for the karma Paris....(bad pun intended)

[SukebeStudios]

Maybe it's a stupid question, but maybe it's not, I dunno. I bought those fake cigarettes at Spencers, the kind that let out a fake puff of smoke. Would I be forced to put them away even though they're not real?

[Kyra_Maverick]

If they actually put off smoke, I'd think you'd be asked to put them away.

[ewu]

nothing is burning and more often than not it is a fine powder. although technically cigarette smoke is fine particles too....but this powder is not really as carcinogenic. I would say its ok, but be prepared to be asked to put it away.