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02-09-2006, 12:37 AM
By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY
The growing trend of smoke-free hotels is spreading to Disneyland.
All 2,224 rooms at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., will be smoke-free on March 1, says Disney Vice President Rob Doughty. Last month, Westin became the first big chain to adopt such a policy, banning smoking throughout its 77 U.S., Canadian and Caribbean lodgings.
Disney is making the move because of "steadily declining requests" for smokers' rooms at the three Disneyland hotels at the resort, Doughty says. Only 35 rooms for smokers have been reserved through 2010.
The 990-room Disneyland Hotel and the 489-room Paradise Pier Hotel will become smoke-free in March. The 745-room Grand Californian has been smoke-free since it opened five years ago.
The hotels have a high occupancy rate, and a smoking ban ensures that non-smokers are accommodated in a smoke-free room, Doughty says. Smoky rooms cost more to clean, but Disney didn't decide to go smoke-free to save money, he says.
At Walt Disney World in Orlando, there are no plans to switch to smoke-free hotels, says spokeswoman Kim Prunty. Smoking, however, is not allowed in about 95% of more than 24,000 rooms at 22 hotels there, she says.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland allow smoking only in designated areas at their theme parks. That's also the rule at the company's parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong, says Donn Walker, spokesman for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
Disney's two parks in Paris, however, allow smoking everywhere outdoors except in lines for attractions. All Disney hotels abroad have rooms for smokers.
"Our policy is to let each resort determine its own smoking policy," Walker says.
Jacque Petterson, a non-smoking advocate who runs a website that lists smoke-free hotels, says the move to smoke-free rooms in Disneyland sets "a good example for the hotel industry."
At least 200 North American hotels now ban smoking in rooms and other indoor areas, according to a recent survey of major chains and an analysis of media reports by USA TODAY.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children are most affected by secondhand smoke, because their bodies are still developing.
"Exposure to the poisons in secondhand smoke puts children in danger of severe respiratory diseases and can hinder the growth of their lungs," the CDC states on its website. "The effects can last a lifetime."
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The growing trend of smoke-free hotels is spreading to Disneyland.
All 2,224 rooms at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., will be smoke-free on March 1, says Disney Vice President Rob Doughty. Last month, Westin became the first big chain to adopt such a policy, banning smoking throughout its 77 U.S., Canadian and Caribbean lodgings.
Disney is making the move because of "steadily declining requests" for smokers' rooms at the three Disneyland hotels at the resort, Doughty says. Only 35 rooms for smokers have been reserved through 2010.
The 990-room Disneyland Hotel and the 489-room Paradise Pier Hotel will become smoke-free in March. The 745-room Grand Californian has been smoke-free since it opened five years ago.
The hotels have a high occupancy rate, and a smoking ban ensures that non-smokers are accommodated in a smoke-free room, Doughty says. Smoky rooms cost more to clean, but Disney didn't decide to go smoke-free to save money, he says.
At Walt Disney World in Orlando, there are no plans to switch to smoke-free hotels, says spokeswoman Kim Prunty. Smoking, however, is not allowed in about 95% of more than 24,000 rooms at 22 hotels there, she says.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland allow smoking only in designated areas at their theme parks. That's also the rule at the company's parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong, says Donn Walker, spokesman for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
Disney's two parks in Paris, however, allow smoking everywhere outdoors except in lines for attractions. All Disney hotels abroad have rooms for smokers.
"Our policy is to let each resort determine its own smoking policy," Walker says.
Jacque Petterson, a non-smoking advocate who runs a website that lists smoke-free hotels, says the move to smoke-free rooms in Disneyland sets "a good example for the hotel industry."
At least 200 North American hotels now ban smoking in rooms and other indoor areas, according to a recent survey of major chains and an analysis of media reports by USA TODAY.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children are most affected by secondhand smoke, because their bodies are still developing.
"Exposure to the poisons in secondhand smoke puts children in danger of severe respiratory diseases and can hinder the growth of their lungs," the CDC states on its website. "The effects can last a lifetime."
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