WDW Resorts go Smoke Free

[Cheshire Figment]

Walt Disney World Resort Press Release

Walt Disney World Resort Resorts Go Smoke-Free
Move to smoke-free is in response to increased guest demand for smoke-free rooms

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., May 1, 2007 – Walt Disney World Resort Senior Vice President for Operations Erin Wallace announced today, all Disney-owned and operated hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort will become smoke-free by June 1, 2007. The policy also applies to all Disney Vacation Club Resorts. With more than 20 Disney owned and operated resorts on property; this represents the largest single site resort complex to institute this type of smoking policy change.

“We make adjustments to our operations based on guest demand,” Wallace said. “This policy complements our efforts to provide our guests with the healthy living options they are requesting.”

During the last five years guest demand for smoking rooms at the Walt Disney World Resort have been declining steadily. Currently, less than 3.5 percent of Walt Disney World’s 24,000 resort rooms are smoking optional. This transition allows us to better accommodate the increasing number of guests requesting smoke-free rooms. This trend is not specific to the Walt Disney World Resort. According to the American Automobile Association, more travelers are requesting smoke-free environments.

"With more than 50 million members, AAA representsNorth America's largest traveler group and increasingly our members, like many Americans, are demanding smoke free accommodations." said Sandra Hughes, VP of Travel for AAA. "Hotels are responding by going beyond the traditional standard of smoking and non-smoking rooms, and are going smoke-free throughout their properties."

The new policy applies to all guest rooms, patios and balconies and designates outdoor smoking areas at all resorts affected by the change. Smoking is currently prohibited in all lobbies, common areas, restaurants and convention spaces. Additionally, in January 2000 the Walt Disney World Resort theme and water parks became smoke-free with smoking allowed in designated smoking areas only.

 

[All Aboard]

Well shoot. Both times that I have arrived too late and all the non-smoking rooms at my resort were filled, they upgraded me to a better class of resort at the same discounted rate. Guess that'll never happen again.

 

[MasterShake]

As a non-smoker I'm glad that Disney is going smoke free. While smoking is not illegal, it is very difficult to smoke without inconveniencing others. It’s not just the fact that smoking is harmful to everyone’s health, but it is also the odor that clings to clothes and hair. Sometimes just standing near someone who smokes is enough to have that unpleasant smell linger with you all day. While it’s unfortunate for smokers, the only real places they can smoke without inconveniencing others is their own home, car, and open spots in non-traffic areas.

 

[raidermatt]

Not really interested in getting into a debate on smoking and smokers' rights, but just because of the management and reputation issues, I'm honestly surprised it took them this long.

 

[MasterShake]

Not really interested in getting into a debate on smoking and smokers' rights, but just because of the management and reputation issues, I'm honestly surprised it took them this long.

Why not, smoking debates are some of the best threads on here.

 

[raidermatt]

And they were so productive too...

Can't imagine why the debate board was axed.

 

[mrsR123]

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

As a smoker, I am glad Disney is doing this. I dont smoke in my house or car because of the residual smell it leaves and i can only imagine how a smoking hotel room must smell.

 

[pkgman]

Just how I feel about.

Anybody care to guess how long until all of Disney's property is smoke-free.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Disney-owned hotels ban smoking, If caught, guests face a steep 'cleaning fee.'

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted May 2, 2007

No more smoking or nonsmoking room options at Walt Disney World hotels. No more foul, secondhand smoke lingering in a room or wafting down a hallway. And no more last, quiet cigarette of the night out on the balcony, under a rising Florida moon.

Disney World said Tuesday it is putting out cigarettes and cigars for good in its hotels and time-share buildings, making it the largest single-site resort complex to take such an action, company officials said. Starting June 1, smoking will be banned in all Disney-owned hotel rooms and time-share rooms, and on their balconies, patios and other areas except designated smoking zones.

"We've just continued to see the demand for smoking decline, and in the last several years it has really begun to fall off dramatically," Disney World Senior Vice President Erin Wallace said. "Less than 4 percent of our rooms today are being reserved for smokers. It's time to go the whole way."

As with its policy in the theme parks, Disney World will designate outdoor smoking areas in fairly private locations at all its hotels. Disney instituted a similar policy last year at its Disneyland hotels in California.

The ban reflects a national trend among hotels. However, some hotels not owned by the Walt Disney Co. on Disney World property, such as the Hilton on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, will continue to permit smoking.

Whether smokers will gravitate to those hotels is unclear. Wallace said Disney will help rebook hotel guests who already have reservations and were expecting to be able to smoke.

Smokers-rights advocate Chris McCalla of Columbus, Ga., thinks smokers will vote with their wallets. McCalla, legislative director for the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America, said 18 percent of the American population uses tobacco products. He said that's a big minority for any business to dismiss.

"A lot of members say, 'You know what? I'm not going back,' " he said. "If that's how they treat us, we won't go back."

Maybe. But Disney and hotel chains that already ban smoking are doing so in part to please the majority of their customers, said Abe Pizam, dean of the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Nonsmokers are getting more and more assertive in objecting to secondhand smoke, he said.

"They want that there be no smoking in their presence. It's not just a couple feet away," Pizam said. "So this is answering the market demand. It's not just that Disney came up with the idea -- the idea came from the bottom up. The customers are demanding that."

It can be expensive to sneak a cigarette in a nonsmoking room. If Disney finds that someone did light up, a "cleaning fee" of $250 to $500 will be tacked onto the customer's bill. That is to cover the replacement of fabrics such as draperies and bedding, and the deep cleaning of everything else.

"We will charge them a cleaning fee. That's pretty typical in the industry," Wallace said. "We'll be clear to say no, and we're going to enforce the policy."

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.

 

[rodkenrich]

Finally.

 

[All Aboard]

that's a big minority for any business to dismiss... If that's how they treat us, we won't go back.

Someone is once again confusing "ING" with "ERS". It's not smokERS that are being procluded, it's smokING.

I'm a beer drinkER, but I don't avoid the Magic Kingdom because there is no beer drinkING. Nor do they tell me I can't be there. They just proclude the activity. I don't feel like they are doing something to dismiss me. That's silly.

NudISTS are permitted in the parks, not nudITY. Where is their outcry? It's smokING, not smokERS.

Why do smokers always feel like it is an attack on THEM and not on the ACTIVITY? And, why do they define themselves as "smokers" anyway? Why is it "us"? They refer to it as if it were a race or religious group.

OK Matt, I started it.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Well said Mr. All Aboard.

Glad Disney made the move. My wife is pretty sensitive to smoke and the whole smoking/non-smoking room thing doesn't always prevent the smoke from impacting the non-smoking rooms.

After watching my mother suffer an extremely painful and torturous death at the age of 50 as a result of lung cancer brought on by smoking I feel every smoker should be required to spend a week, heck...even a day, with a terminally ill lung cancer patient. That would help 'em kick the addiction in a hurry, no matter how bad they were hooked.

 

[Jynohn]

I only hope they will expand this policy onto the cruise ships as well. I was pretty disappointed that I paid extra for a balcony that I never got to use due to the smokers on either side of us.

I remarked on the survey they gave us that I will never pay for a balcony again unless it is guaranteed non-smoking.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I am SO happy about this, and really hope they do enforce the 'cleaning fee' policy.

Nothing is worse than checking into a room that's supposed to be smoke-free, and smelling that horrible cigarette odor. YUCK!

Way to Go, Disney!!!

 

[mochabean]

Somebody's massaging the statistics, and it isn't Disney.

"Less than 4 percent of our rooms today are being reserved for smokers" Senior Vice President Erin Wallace said.

Smokers-rights advocate Chris McCalla of Columbus, Ga. ... said 18 percent of the American population uses tobacco products. He said that's a big minority for any business to dismiss.

Just because you "use tobacco products" doesn't mean you smoke. "Dismissing" 4% of the population is a bit different than 18%, and that's assuming all 4% refuse to come to Disney after the ban takes effect.

All in all I applaud Disney's move. I just hope they really enforce it.

 

[thefirebuilds]

As a non-smoker I'm glad that Disney is going smoke free. While smoking is not illegal,

Sex isnt illegal either, but we dont do it on people's dinner tables.

And yes I know Im being ignorant to the hotel situation. I try to be. *shudders*

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

I'm sure this goes without saying, but is Disney going to thoroughly clean all of the old smoking rooms prior to converting them to non-smoking rooms? I wouldn't want to be one of the people getting a non-smoking room that reeks of smoke.

 

[EUROPACL]

Sex isnt illegal either, but we dont do it on people's dinner tables.

And yes I know Im being ignorant to the hotel situation. I try to be. *shudders*

Makes you want to run out and buy a black light for your next stay at Disney World ....right?

 

[mitros]

I'm sure this goes without saying, but is Disney going to thoroughly clean all of the old smoking rooms prior to converting them to non-smoking rooms? I wouldn't want to be one of the people getting a non-smoking room that reeks of smoke.

You know, I wonder how they would go about that, tear down the walls, get rid of the bedding, etc, etc.
DW is sensitive to smoke and becomes very ill around smoked-in areas. About a year ago, when we stayed at SSR, we were sent to a nonsmoking room that some clod decided to smoke in. We opened the door to the room and DW gaged at the horrendous odor eminating from the room. Of course, the front desk apologized, and gave us another room. My point is, if there are no rooms that you can smoke in, these smokers WILL still smoke in the room they get, {no, not all smokers, there are those that are considerate of others} and do we really think Disney is going to charge these folks for the extra cleaning that would have to be done?