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Question of the Day - 19 October 2019

Q:

This comment from your staff re: a question in 2018: "We've heard through the grapevine that some casino supervisors, and many security officers, would much rather deal with stoners than lushers." I wonder now if the spectrum hasn't swung the other way. Boulder Station went to a smoke-free policy for its hotel rooms on June 10, a very low-key policy change. An employee said the change was due in large part by people smoking cannabis in their rooms -- enough of a problem, with the police being called on occasion, that it was probably easier to do away with all smoking rooms (the 12th floor was smoking). My questions: Has this become more of a problem than we’re led to believe? Is any police information available to back up the number of cannabis citations? Is Stations using Boulder as a test market? Are there any other properties where you can't smoke in a room, but it’s still OK to do so in the casino?

A:

These are difficult questions to answer, but we're giving it the old college try.  

Boulder Station might have been a test market, but not for long; between June 10 and July 14, the two Fiestas, Sunset Station, Green Valley Ranch, and Red Rock Resort all went completely non-smoking.

According to our research, the following Las Vegas hotels are also completely smoke-free: Alexis Park, Aliante, Aria, Artisan, Circus Circus, Delano, Element, Four Seasons, Hotel Apache, Las Vegas Marriott, Oasis at Gold Spike, Platinum, Renaissance, Royal, Signature at MGM Grand, Silver Sevens, Trump, Vdara, Waldorf Astoria, and Westgate. You'll note that only a handful have casinos; the rest are non-smoking and non-gambling.

The original premise, that casino management and security would rather deal with people high on pot than alcohol, was based on their relative belligerence. That, of course, doesn't have much to do with smoke-filled hotel rooms, except perhaps when the cops are called and tokers aren't expecting to have to deal with uniforms and badges and guns when everything else seems kind of amusing and silly. 

But we believe that pot-smoking in hotel rooms has, in fact, become more of a problem for innkeepers since recreational cannabis became legal in Nevada a couple years ago. We know that hotels have fielded many more complaints about the pungent aromas emanating from rooms in high-rise hotels and we wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that more hotels are eliminating smoking rooms entirely to make it easier on everyone (except the potheads). 

Whether or not that would actually succeed in stopping the smoking remains to be seen. Partaking of the wacky weed in hotel and motel rooms is an age-old ritual after all, especially given powerful exhaust fans in the bathrooms and all the towels available to place in the spaces under the bathroom and hall doors. (Full disclosure: We know this from personal experience.)

Until Nevada's you-can-buy-it-but-can't-smoke-it policies change, we're afraid that this will be an ongoing tug of war. 

 

Are more hotels going completely non-smoking to combat all the pot smoking going on in hotel rooms?
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Comments

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  • ocliffgirl62 Oct-19-2019
    Non-smoking Hotels
    While checking in to the Venetian several years ago, we were told that the tower (south of the lobby) was going to be non-smoking soon.  Don't know if that ever happened, but personally, I wish all Vegas hotel rooms were non-smoking!

  • Straski Oct-19-2019
    Vaping
    I am a little naive on this but does going non-smoking also mean no vaping in the rooms?

  • Dave in Seattle. Oct-19-2019
    Hotel rooms.
    Casinos allow smoking,but not in the hotel rooms.
    Many downtown places are going NON-SMOKING in the rooms.
    Some have smoking allowed,but only on maybe 2 floors.
    The Golden Nugget has smoking rooms,with a surcharge.
    The Downtown Grand has smoking rooms,but the windows do NOT open.

  • Oct-19-2019
    "No-Pot-Smoking" symbol?
    The appearance of the standard "No Smoking" sign at the end of the Answer prodded this thought of mine:  We should create another symbol or icon, one that specifically stands for "No smoking pot".  Instead of a white, perfect rectangle with a black edge (which stands for a regular cigarette), the item from which the smoke emanates would be solid light brown with wrinkles, somewhat tapered on the ends.  Any other thoughts on this?

  • Adam Cohen Oct-19-2019
    Smoking lounges
    Is there any movement to create smoking lounges.  Also, how do edibles figure into this? I was told once at check-in they were banned in rooms as well.

  • IdahoPat Oct-25-2019
    M Resort
    From my knowledge, is not completely non-smoking in the hotel, but has all of four dedicated smoking rooms. It would not surprise me at all for it to eventually go totally non-smoking as well.