College Hotels Go 100% Smoke Free & Join FreshStay.com: School Ties As more college campuses across the country implement smoking bans, FreshStay.com features college & university associated hotels that have joined in the program
For students at many college campuses around the nation, going back to school this year will be a breath of fresh air. That’s because a growing number of colleges and universities are going 100% smoke-free.
While many schools ban smoking in classrooms and residence halls, American Lung Association reports that more than 250 colleges and universities have implemented campus-wide bans on smoking and smokeless tobacco. Some entire states, including Iowa and most recently Arkansas, have passed laws restricting smoking on all public-supported higher education campuses.
The American Cancer Society reports that college-age students (18-24 years old) have the highest smoking rates in the United States. And while other age groups are decreasing their tobacco use, the cancer society says college students are smoking at a greater rate.
Meanwhile, the hospitality industry has also seen a precipitous rise in the number and demand for 100% smoke-free hotels. So for those hotels closely associated with a neighboring university, jumping on the non-smoking bandwagon is a win all the way around.
“The way the industry is going, all hotels need to go smoke-free – it’s what our guests all expect,” says Fran E. Levin of Penn State Hospitality Services. “And especially in a university setting, cleanliness and healthiness go hand-in-hand with the kind of campus atmosphere we are trying to promote.”
Levin manages two hotels in and around the Penn State campus: The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel and The Nittany Lion Inn. Along with being 100% smoke-free, both hotels are proud new members of FreshStay.com.
FreshStay.com is an online directory and integrated booking portal with the most comprehensive listing of 100% smoke-free hotels in the world. Reaching the growing audience of socially responsible travelers, members of FreshStay.com have eliminated smoking not just in guest rooms, but also all meeting rooms, restaurants and other public spaces.
“Many hotels are closely tied with their surrounding universities, so it makes sense to maintain clear and consistent non-smoking policies across the campus,” says Dave Janicke, the CBO (Chief Breathing Officer) for FreshStay.com. “Just as you don’t want to smell the lingering effect of smoke in a hotel room, you don’t want a campus littered with old cigarette butts and second-hand smoke.”
“Going smoke-free creates a healthy, positive atmosphere for students and hotel guests at both the hotel and university,” Janicke adds. “Plus it sends a strong message and promotes healthy travel to a group of young adults most susceptible to tobacco abuse.”
Campus FreshStay Partners
The push to go smoke-free at the Penn Stater and Nittany Lion Inn came in conjunction with major renovation projects completed at both hotels. The Penn Stater added 150 guest rooms and increased its meeting areas, bringing its total capacity to 300 rooms and more than 58,000 square feet of meeting space. Likewise, the Nittany Lion Inn renovated its guest rooms and eliminated the last smoking wing from the property.
Levin explains that being smoke-free protects the hotel from damage caused by cigarettes, it easier to clean and makes a healthier, happier atmosphere for all guests.
“The move to smoke-free was really well received by all of our guests,” Levin says. “The demand from our guests was for more non-smoking rooms. Being entirely smoke-free really makes selling that last available room so much easier.”
Ohio Northern University is a distinguished, private, comprehensive University with more than 3,600 students, situated on a beautiful 342-acre campus in the village of Ada in Northwest Ohio. Opened in 2008, the Inn at Ohio Northern University features 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting spaces and more than 70 deluxe guestrooms and is a another proud FreshStay member.
“We are proud of the fact that we have been a smoke-free luxury hotel since our opening,” states Tallene Eichelberger, General Manager of the Inn at Ohio Northern University. “The Inn at Ohio Northern University is committed to providing our guests with a quality experience and that includes the health and physical well-being of our guests. Along with being a smoke-free hotel, we also offer a state-of-the art fitness facility so that our guests can continue their physical fitness routines while they are with us.”
As home to some of the top researchers in the field of health, Harvard University was an early adopter of a smoke-free campus, banning smoking inside buildings and near entrances and air intakes. In recent years, it has expanded its no-smoking policies to its entire Longwood medical campus, which includes Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Harvard School of Public Health.
The Irving House at Harvard, just blocks away from the main campus, has been smoke free since 1995 and a part of FreshStay for several years. Owner and General Manager Rachael Solem says that, for the first few years, our foreign visitors could not understand that they were not allowed to smoke anywhere in the house. In recent years, she says this is less of a problem as smokers are more restricted in more and more places.
“We made this decision not only for the comfort of most of our guests, but also for our staff who did not wish to work in smoky rooms,” says Solem. “The pleasant side effect is that cleaning the rooms and common areas is much easier. There are no more cigarette burns in carpets or on furniture, no smoky smell in curtains and bedspreads.
Getting the Word Out
While there are many benefits to going smoke-free, one of the best is the increase in guest satisfaction from knowing that you are committed to providing a clean, refreshing room each and every time a guest checks in. FreshStay is now making it easier for its hotel partners get the word out and market themselves as a smoke-free alternative. Members of FreshStay.com have access to the following tools from the FreshStay toolbox:
- FreshStay certificates to display prominently in the hotel lobby;
- FreshStay logo files for use with e-mail signatures for all staff members;
- FreshStay logo files for website, guestroom collateral, (such as tent cards that emphasize 100% non-smoking);
- FreshStay logo files for use in Guest Service Directories;
- FreshStay logo files for 22” x 28” lobby & Elevator posters; and
- FreshStay logo for use on Promotional items for the hotel, such as water bottles, t-shirts, coffee cups, etc.
About Pineapple Hospitality
Headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, Pineapple Hospitality™ brings fresh ideas to hospitality guests’ doors and owner/operators’ bottom lines — including FreshStay®(www.freshstay.com), EcoRooms & EcoSuites (www.EcoRooms.com), Environmentally Sensitive Amenities™, EO®, ecossential elements, Sonoma Soap Co. , Earth Perfect, Earth Simple, Save Your World, Pharmacopia, and greenSPA™ amenities, AVIVA and WAVE dispensers, Energy Efficient Lighting and Controls, Custom Linen & Towel Re-Use Programs, Green Earth Key Cards, Sleeves and Folders, Energy Management Systems and Controls, High Performance showerheads, Zero Odor, and dozens of other products and programs. For more information, please visit www.pineapplehospitality.net, or call us at 636-922-2285.
