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From: donn@hp-dcd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Hotel room smoke - (nf)
Message-ID: <2984@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Dec-83 03:30:52 EST
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.2984
Posted: Mon Dec 19 03:30:52 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Dec-83 01:10:10 EST
Sender: notes_gateway@hp-pcd.UUCP
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO
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#N:hp-dcd:26300003:000:1764
hp-dcd!donn    Dec 16 17:50:00 1983

I had the unhappy experience of staying in a motel room a couple of nights
ago...  To add to the matter, it had apparantly been recently (or regularly)
been occupied by heavy smokers.  I didn't realize it until the middle of the
night when my (mild) alergy to smoke started to make itself known.  I didn't
really want to move at 2AM, and I survived the night.  The next morning I asked
the desk clerk if there were any non-smoking rooms for the next time I was
there.  (I go to that town about once a month, and overall that motel is a
good choice.)

To get to my point.  The clerk said:
"In the five years I've worked here, that's the first time I've had anyone
ask me that!".  He seemed genuinely surprised.

We've all been taught that its "polite" not to complain about things.  Maybe
more of us who don't like or get along with (stale) smoke should ask at motels,
as we have at restarunts and in airplanes, not to be subjected to smokers'
polution.  (It's not so obvious because you can't point to the smoke wafting
by, but its still a problem.)

Try to help the proprietor work out a reasonable compromise because unlike
more visible locations, he can't tell if some turkey lites up in a non-smoking
room.  He also can't really afford to let a room sit idle just because he
can't match his customer's preference with the available rooms.  Just a 
continuing, polite, pressure will help in the long run, but it may be a while.
On the other hand, it isn't usually as severe as the restaraunt and airplane
problem.

Oh, and don't let them think some "disinfectant" spray will help those people
with allergies.  We may not know what got us because the smell is masked, but
it'll still get us, and make us less anxious to come back.

Donn Terry
hplabs!hp-dcd!donn