No smoking

From AP-

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Kath Petchey, a cigarette smoker for 32 years, lit up freely as she walked with her husband along Downtown Disney's shopping district.

But if the Petcheys, from England, want to stay in a Disney hotel on their next visit, Kath Petchey won't be allowed to smoke in her room, balcony or patio.

The ban, effective June 1, permits smoking at designated outdoor areas. It extends to all the Walt Disney Co.'s 22 hotels and time-share resorts.

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Less than 4 percent of Disney's more than 24,000 hotel rooms are currently smoking optional, DiPietre said.

Guests caught smoking after the ban could face cleaning surcharges as high as $500, DiPietre said.

If Disney wants to ban smoking at their properties, it is their right. The company almost certainly put much thought in and or did a study before coming to this decision.

I seriously doubt any violators will be hit with a surcharge, alone a $500 one. Hotels want repeat business, nor do they want someone badmouthing them just because they smoked in a room.

TFM doesn't smoke, nor does my wife. My parents smoked, Mom dying of lung cancer at 53. I never could stand cigarette smoke, and the house I currently live in has never had anyone light up in it since we moved in back in 1998. It will stay that way.

When travelling I always asked for non-smoking rooms. In 1999, dear wife and I visited Washington DC. We had reservations at an Embassy Suites in Virginia. Despite our reservation that asked for a non-smoking room, what we got a smoking room the first night. We got into DC late and I didn't want to be searching for another hotel. The wife I got our requested room the next day, and our first night was free.

I know a little about the hotel business because that is what my father was in for around 20 years. You want to keep your customers happy and will do anything within reason for them.

Linked to- Amboy Times, Bullwinkle, Woman Honor Thyself,