Westin hotels recently announced smoking will be banned in public areas and all guest rooms at the companys 77 hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The Westin Resort and Villas on St. John chose to go smoke-free three years ago, according to Graeme Davis, general manager of the resort.
We were one of the pioneers, and were thrilled with the initiative, said Davis. We found that our guests that were coming down were families, and in general were constantly requesting non-smoking rooms.
There was such a majority of guests asking for non-smoking rooms, that going non-smoking made it easier to accommodate guests, Davis added.
Smoking in Public Places
Due to the resorts ample outdoor space, the Westin Resort and Villas allows smoking in public areas, unlike the Westins 77 hotels which will ban smoking in both guest rooms and public areas.
Guests are still allowed to smoke on the balcony or outdoors, said the general manager. We have so much outdoor environment that theres ample space for them to do that.
While hotel consultants have expressed concern that going non-smoking will affect business at the 77 hotels, Davis said they were not worried about losing guests by going non-smoking.
It still doesnt affect the experience, said the general manager. Weve received tremendous response from our guests over the years about the non-smoking rooms.
