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Tourism, Transportation & Travel : Breathe Easy at HKHotels in New York City
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| on 2007/7/19 6:20:00 (446 reads) |
To evaluate the response, the Hotel Elysee was the first of the HKHotels to try the smoke free policy.
"As a small hotel with an 80% repeat guest factor, we were concerned about upsetting any of our loyal guests," said Kimberly Watson, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Hotel Elysee. "We had braced ourselves for a small backlash from a low percentage of customers who have stayed with us regularly for years, whom we had noted in guest history as being smokers. It was a great surprise for us to learn that many of them actually said they had quit over the last couple of years and they were absolutely delighted to learn of our new policy. Not only did we not have any complaints, but everyone applauded the decision to go smoke free."
"The no smoking policy also provides a healthier work environment for our room attendants who need to clean the rooms each day," says John Avina, General Manager of the Hotel Elysee.
At the Casablanca Hotel, according to General Manager John Taboada, "While there are still a few guests, particularly among our international travelers who have not quit smoking yet, they prefer to smoke outside the building in our courtyard while enjoying a cappuccino or glass of wine, so that they may sleep and rest more comfortably at night in a fresh smelling room."
The Library Hotel and the Hotel Giraffe similarly have no available smoking areas inside the buildings but do offer lovely outdoor roof garden terraces where smoking is still permitted.
"There is nothing more important than feeling you are walking into a fresh and spotlessly clean environment when you first enter your guest room," says Petr Jurecka, General Manager of the Library Hotel.
According to Peter Velk at the Hotel Giraffe, "Our guests have let us know that fresh air is important to them, so naturally we are pleased to provide it. Additionally, since more than two-thirds of our guestrooms have Juliette balconies providing a bit of outdoor space, we do not anticipate any problems with compliance."
In fact, since the Hotel Elysee initiated its smoke-free policy in January, only one guest has been charged the $200 clean up charge for disregarding the policy.
HKHotels
The innovative and much acclaimed HKHotels collection includes the glamorous Hotel Giraffe on 26th and Park Avenue South; the book-lovers paradise, the Library Hotel on 41st and Madison Avenue; the country French Style Hotel Elysee on East 54th and Madison Avenue; and the Moroccan motif Casablanca Hotel on 43rd just off Broadway. Currently, designs for new HKHotels are in the works in other key locations in the US, Canada and Europe.
For more information on Henry Kallan or any HKHotel please contact Adele Gutman at 917-664-3182 or visit: www.hkhotels.com.
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