In most places today, smoking in public places has become a major issue to the population. Non-smokers argue that second-hand smoke affects their health, therefore, smokers should be prohibited to smoke in all public places. New laws have been created to ban smoking in certain restaurants and create non-smoking rooms in many hotels. This accommodation in hotels has allowed non-smoking guests to enjoy their stay smoke-free. Yet, recently the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas has created a $20 a day fee for guest who requests a non-smoking room. This fee is quite surprising because it doesn’t leave much option for hotel guest who prefer to avoid the effects of smoking. If guest don’t want to pay the $20 fee then they are expected to deal with a sour-smelling smoking room that could extremely affect their health. This fee could be a huge detriment to the MGM Grand hotel and cause many non-smoking customers to go to another hotel.
Thanks to the impact of the anti-tobacco advocacy group, MGM Grand was pressured to rescind the fee and instead caused the price of a guaranteed smoking room to increase. Also joining the advocacy group in protesting against the hotel was The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, believing that hotels shouldn’t punish guest for wanting to be healthy. A statement from the group said “no one should have to pay extra to avoid exposure to a harmful substance that causes lung cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. What will MGM charge for next? A room without asbestos? One with a sprinkler system or fire alarm? One without bed bugs?”
Rather than the MGM Grand Hotel enforcing a fee for non-smoking rooms, they should instead follow the trend of making their hotel smoke-free. Many hotels such as the Marriott or Hilton already enforce non-smoking rooms throughout, therefore, MGM should follow such policies. With an absurd fee, customers could definitely take their business elsewhere, causing MGM Grand Hotel to suffer.
It's really absurb fee that MGM hotel charged for the customers who want non-smoking room. This kind of business is retrogression of Corporate Social Resoposiblity, so it might be decrease the customer credibility and brand value.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost funny that any hotel would demand a fee for a non smoking room in the USA and in this day and age. First of all, it is like assuming that most customers smoke, and even if this were the case, why would unhealthy behavior be set as the norm and encouraged?
ReplyDeleteIt is mostly surprising that MGM even thought of doing this, when all other major hotel groups demand a request for a smoking room, implying that most rooms are non smoking.
Charging anyone who chooses to put their health first will surely set the path for the demise of MGM hotels, and rightly so.