"You Want Your Guests to Be Happy in This Business": Hoteliers' Decisions to Adopt Voluntary Smoke-Free Guest-Room Policies. Issue 8 (November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McDaniel, Patricia A.; Malone, Ruth E.
• Is Part Of: American journal of health promotion. Volume 32:Issue 8(2018)
• Page Start: 1740
• Page End: 1746
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Subjects: smoke-free policies -- cigarette smoking -- hotels -- media coverage; Health promotion -- Periodicals; Health Promotion; Health promotion; Periodicals; Periodicals; 613.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0890117118763742
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-1171

Abstract

Purpose: To explore why some hotels have implemented 100% smoke-free policies voluntarily, the perceived consequences of doing so, and media responses. Design: Qualitative study of hotel management and quantitative content analysis of media coverage of smoke-free hotels. Setting: Hotels and media based in the United States. Participants: Eleven representatives of 5 independent and 4 chain hotels. Other data included 265 news items about smoke-free hotels. Method: We conducted 30-minute semi-structured interviews with hotel representatives and analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis. We also searched 3 online news databases for news items about hotels in our study, and collaboratively coded retrieved items; we analyzed the content and slant of news items. Results: Business considerations, including guest requests, competitor action, and cost savings, were the primary motivations for implementing 100% smoke-free guest-room policies. Health concerns played a minimal role. Hotels received positive feedback from customers and employees. Media coverage was favorable, emphasizing positive aspects of going smoke-free; the overall slant of news items was positive or neutral. However, few hotels marketed the change. Conclusions: Since hotel customers and employees are likely to experience long periods of smoke exposure and smoke-free hotels appear to be so well received, it may be timely to pursue policies making all hotels smoke-free.