Focus

Smoking culture has visitors gasping

By Meng Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-21 07:52

Many restaurants in Beijing still choose to ignore the smoking ban. Wang Jing / China Daily

Der Hallberg always tries his best to find a smoke-free environment when he visits Beijing, which includes booking non-smoking hotel rooms and eating in the no-smoking areas in restaurants.

The Swedish non-smoker is from a country where all bars, restaurants and nightclubs are smoke-free, as are most workplaces.

But in Beijing, his activities have been severely impacted by what he calls the city's "smoking culture."

"The behavior (smoking) not only damages their own health but also puts passive smokers in danger," he said, adding that Beijing has a lot to do to improve the situation.

Many people working in the city's hotel industry are well aware of the complaints of visitors such as Hallberg.

Fortune-Land International Hotel began setting aside an entire floor for non-smokers last year.

"We've received at least 20 percent more customers asking for non-smoking rooms compared with last year," said Li Yixia, the front office manager of the four-star hotel.

Li told METRO a smoke-free environment is very important to many customers.

"Most non-smokers, especially those from oversea countries, are very particular about their rooms," he said. "They make themselves very clear when they make the bookings and they double-check before checking in."

Li said the hotel has about a dozen non-smoking rooms and is considering setting more aside because of rising demand.

Beijing Ruizhao Hotel in Beijing's Central Business District is also aware of the needs of its oversea customers. The fifth floor of the six-story building is designed for non-smokers and has been since the hotel started business in August 2008.

Zhao Wenjie, the hotel manager, said nine out of 10 oversea customers ask for non-smoking rooms.

Zhao, a non-smoker, said guests especially want to avoid the smell left in a smoker's room.

"If you don't smoke at all, you will find the smell disgusting," she said. "You will never be able to stay in the room, let alone remain there all night."

However, she said the smoking issue is about more than hotel rooms - visitors also want smoke-free public areas.

She said that though there are many non-smoking signs and logos in her hotel, including the hotel lobby and conference rooms, some people still choose to ignore them.

"Some believe they've paid for our service, so they have the right to do whatever they feel comfortable about," Zhao said, adding it is difficult for hotel management to stop the behavior.