Israel: Smoking in Hotel Rooms Increasingly Barred

Source from:  Jerusalem Post  04/08/2013

Research shows that spending time in a room where people previously smoked constitutes "third-hand" smoking. The smoke and remains of nicotine and other contaminants stick to the carpets, furniture, drapes, bedding and other objects there, and these remnants can endanger health. So it's better to be in a smoke-free room.

In the past, hotels allocated some rooms for non-smokers.

But, says smoking prevention lawyer Amos Hausner, there is a growing trend in the world to allow only no-smoking hotel rooms, or a majority in which smoking is prohibited.

Major American hotel chains like Marriott, Westin and Hyatt today prohibit smoking entirely on the premises, adds Hausner, who chairs the Israel Council for the Prevention of Smoking. There are certain US states that already completely prohibit smoking in hotels. Some chains even fine guests who smoke in officially smoke-free rooms, charging them for cleaning and detoxification costs of between $50 and $100.

Israeli law bans smoking in all public places, including lobbies (except for a special smoking room that is closed and ventilated), but there is no prohibition on smoking in individual rooms or a legal obligation to allocate no-smoking rooms to guests who want them.

If a hotel decides voluntarily to set aside rooms where it is prohibited to light up, they should be marked clearly, and staffers should check to see whether there are signs of cigarette butts, concludes Hausner – adding that if a guest requests a smoke-free room and it is not one, the hotel faces lawsuits on the basis of violation of consumer regulations. Enditem