By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com
May 5, 2007
The Walt Disney Company, which earned a worldwide reputation by catering to children, is now moving to protect adults too: it has joined the growing bandwagon of resorts that have gone totally smokefree.
As of June 1, smoking will be banned at all 22 Disney hotels and resorts, including timeshares, with stiff fines imposed on violators.
Although Disney restricted smoking at its theme parks seven years ago and gradually reduced the percentage of smoking rooms at its hotels, it enacted the total ban only after following the lead of Westin, Marriott, and other large hoteliers.
Eighteen states, hundreds of cities, and dozens of foreign countries already have wide-ranging smoking bans. Even Ireland, where smoke-filled pubs were an institution, has cleared the air.
Bars and restaurants in both New York and Los Angeles, cities that attract foreigners with a penchant for tobacco, have also gone smokefree.
Disney means business with its ban: hotel guests found smoking will face a $500 charge that the company calls "a cleaning fee." Ridding a room of a smoking smell invariably takes housekeepers at least twice as long as cleaning a nonsmoking room, according to industry studies. Drapes and bedspreads must be changed for the cleaning to be complete.
In addition, nonsmoking hotel guests often complain that the smell of secondhand smoke a known carcinogen often permeates ventilation systems, seeping into rooms designated as "smokefree."
The Walt Disney Company operates 24,000 hotel rooms, primarily at Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim, but allows smoking in only 4 per cent of those rooms. The company says the new rule is a direct response to guest requests.
Since nonsmokers comprise more than 80 per cent of the American population over age 21, the ban appeals to an huge majority of Disney guests.
Not all guests are happy, however. Gary Nolan, regional director of a group called The Smokers Club, predicts smokers will take their money elsewhere. He said Disney should have reduced its percentage of smoking rooms rather than banning the habit outright.
The giant entertainment company has yet to enact a total smoking ban at its parks, where smoking is still permitted in designated outdoor areas. Smoking is also permitted at non-Disney hotels on Disney property, such as the Royal Plaza at Disney World. One of its 17 floors is designated for smokers.
