• March 28, 2024

Smokers’ lobby can now get some sleep

Smokers, who, in recent years, have been finding it increasingly difficult to book suitable accommodation, now have Smoketels.com, a website that specializes in smoker-friendly hotels, according to a story by Joe Sharkey for The New York Times.

“We don’t offer nonsmoking rooms, so if you’re a nonsmoker, you’re not for us,” said Shawn Bradley, who runs the site but whose background is in Web development.

Bradley’s company says it has smoking rooms available for booking at 100,000 hotels around the world, from Beijing, where there is lots of choice, to New York, where it’s slim pickings.

The accommodation problem for smokers is particularly acute in the U.S., but even there lots of hotels—especially those in the lower mid-level and economy niches—set aside rooms for smokers. “Many chains still offer them,” said Bradley.

But hotels tend to keep quiet about allowing smoking, so booking a smoking room can be frustrating and time-consuming—hence the Smoketels site, which opened for business in November.