Smoke-Free Policies are Good for Business
Smoke-Free Policies are Good for Health
Secondhand Smoke and Indoor Air Quality
Smoke-Free Policies Protect Your Investment
Interested in Adoping a Smoke-Free Policy?
Implementing a Policy?
Already a Smoke-Free Establishment?
89% of hotel guests prefer a 100% smoke-free hotel environment, according to a J.D. Power & Associates survey. Despite this demand, it is estimated that only 16% of Minnesota lodging establishments are smoke-free. For more information about how a smoke-free policy can help your business and increase customer satisfaction, click here.
Secondhand smoke—the smoke that comes from a lighted tobacco product or exhaled by a smoker—contains more than 4,000 chemicals. Of these chemicals, at least 250 are known toxins, and more than 50 are cancer causing chemicals. A smoke-free policy will protect the health of your guests and employees. Click here for more information.
Secondhand smoke dramatically reduces indoor air quality. Ventilation systems and air purifiers cannot remove secondhand smoke from the air. The only way to effectively remove this smoke is to implement a 100% smoke-free policy. Click here for more information on secondhand smoke and indoor air quality.
A smoke-free policy protects your property from damage. Smoking can result in stains, burns, odors, and even fire. For more information about how a smoke-free policy can protect your investment, click here.
Smoke-free policies are legal. Smoking is not a protected right or activity. For more information about what Minnesota law says about smoke-free policies in lodging establishments and how to implement a “smart” smoke-free policy, click here. According to Minnesota law, guests are prohibited from smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars, or any other smoking material in a guest room that is designated as nonsmoking. Anyone found guilty of doing so may be charged with a petty misdemeanor and may be ordered to pay the actual costs incurred to restore the room to its pre-violation condition plus a $30 service charge. If you find evidence of smoking in a nonsmoking room, you must document the evidence carefully and keep records of all costs incurred to restore the room. You must, then, notify the offending guest through a “Notice of Damage.” A sample “Notice of Damage” can be found here (opens as .pdf). This sample was created for and provided by the Minnesota Lodging Association.
When adopting a smoke-free policy, you need to decide what areas you want the policy to cover, when you want your smoke-free policy to take effect, and how you will notify your guests. For more information about adopting a smoke-free policy, click here.
If you're interested in adoping a smoke-free policy for your business, Smoke-Free Lodging can help you through the adoption, implementation, and promotion process. Contact our office for more information.
For information about how to implement your new smoke-free policy and convert your smoking rooms to nonsmoking rooms, click here.
If your business is already smoke free, please fill out the following form to be listed on our web directory (opens as Word document).
Return the form to our office by faxing it to MN Smoke-Free Lodging at 651-646-0142 or emailing it to info@mnsmokefreehotels.org