Sleeping in a smoking room would not be an option for many people. I personally would be unable to sleep in a smoky smelling room,It would make me sick to my stomach, period.
I always request non smoking when I travel. If the front desk puts me in a smoking room, I would complain, and be switched. Most of the finer hotels can accomodate these requests.
I may have to accept a different bed configuration, or level, but I would either be switched or I would go to a different hotel.
I think that at a certain level or price point, most requests can be filled
Accomodations should be able to accomodate

Well said, cfc. If I were your boss, og719, and if your attitude toward your guests affected anything about how you treated them, I'd "trump" you: "You're fired."

Soccr,

I merely made a point about people exaggerating. So fire me. In the meantime, stop by...I've got a great room by the elevator and ice machine waiting.... :)

Ah, you've confirmed my darkest suspicions about the power games desk clerks play. So tell us where you work, or have you left the hospitality business?

Wow, I didn't expect this to generate so much discussion. While I agree that I wasn't guaranteed the room I requested, the fact that it was requested quite far in advance and that it was a pretty basic request, should have made it no big deal. After all I wasn't asking for only a room at the end of the hall or only on the 3rd floor or something. I did tell them how many people I was bringing when I reserved, 3 adults and 1 child. I don't know why I specified my 17 yr old daughter as an adult, maybe their website specified that age as an adult.

I think my point was really as cfc said, they were generally inhospitable. When I gave them my name, one clerk said to the other, "this is the unassigned one". This was followed by much staring at their computer screen and muttered comments between the 2 of them about rooms which couldn't be reassigned, rooms that needed to stay together, etc. It was obvious that they weren't sure what to do about the situation. I got the feeling that there were other guests arriving in the future who they didn't dare mess with. Maybe these others had a guarantee which I didn't have.

I responded to the hotel's offer of a future discount with a polite no thanks and to my surprise received another response from them clarifying their offer. Apparently the rate posted in the room was not the rack rate, so the discount they offered me is actually a real discount. I will accept their nice offer, although I don't know that I'll ever have the opportunity to use it.

In the future I'll make sure I know exactly what is and isn't guaranteed by a hotel when I make the reservation.

Sure! I work at a Courtyard and am fortunate enough to get excellent comments from our guests. Just because I think some people shouldn't be allowed to travel doesn't affect the way I treat customers.

OG719, you seem to forget that you work in the HOSPITALITY industry. Being hospitable means accepting of others "flaws" and accomodating them, rather than a snide "I've got a room near the ice machine for you" attitude. You should tell us WHICH Courtyard you work at. The clerks who checked "Pat_in_Mich" in KNEW s/he was not pleased in the room assignment and should have corrected it the next day, without needing the intervention of the G.M.

If hotel reservation systems can differentiate that I want a hotel in New York City, not Jersey City, and I want a Standard room, not the Executive Suite, or I want a Coach seat, not First Class, then there's no reason in hell they can't differentiate between smoking and non-smoking rooms. Yes, a room out-of-order (pipe burst, etc) can wreck some plans, but most of the other reasons to deny the guest what he reserved are faulty. I worked in hospitality for 12 years and currently work in Information Systems, so both of these fields are things I have some expertice in.

Failure to treat smoking/non-smoking as part of the reservation, instead of merely "requests" is simply laziness on the part of management. And discounts for FUTURE stays is only a gamble in hopes that the offer is never redeemed. Give me my discount or refund NOW, not some day that might never arrive.

As Donald Rumsfeld might say "My goodness....". No wonder you're not still in the hospitality business....

Anyway, I have no control over what software Marriott buys for their reservation system. The 80s technology we are currently using can be a problem. I have never, nor do I know anyone who has ever, denied someone a NS room when one was available. There would be no reason to do so.

My original comment still holds true. If you don't like the room, just say so and if we have what you want you'll get it. I maintain that there is no reason to puff up and get all self-righteous about being "allergic" to smoke if indeed you are not.

Oh yes...as far as the "room by the ice machine" comment. I live in the South and I do get in trouble sometimes for using irony. As Steve Martin said in Roxanne, "Irony, we don't do that here."

Hey rb: I used to be a travel agent and now I work in hotel automation...
I travel just about every week and have never had a problem, though I was walked once.

OG719: Scary thing is, Marriott has one of the best systems in the industry (Marsha)

Those of you who work(ed) for hotels, etc., can you tell me, please, if there is a trade journal widely read by managers, etc.? I know the CEO's read Barron's, the WSJ, and their spread sheets, but wouldn't it be great if someone in charge of booking policy would actually read an exchange like this?

If MARSHA is one of the best...that IS scary! What's the worst? An abacus and some tin cans and string?

Well, let me mention that my experience with Marsha is as it relates to Switch and Global Distribution processes. You may be referring to it as a Property Management System.

Cassandra - the one that I immediately think of is "FoodService and Hospitality" (Kostuch Publications Limited). The same company publishes "Hotelier - the Magazine for Hotel Executives". Also, "The Rooms Chronicle" come to mind.

Og719, is suppose your comment, "No wonder you're not still in the hospitality business" was meant to be disparaging .. well no, I'd not be making ANYWHERE then money I make now, and I love this field too. Unfortunately, I've never found an opportunity to weld the two fields together, as I guess TxTravelPro has.

Do not blame the automation for your employer's shortcomings. Other than the unavoidable circumstances such as cited before, it's simply a matter of defining the room types and adhering to it. But no, hotels accept the non-smoker when there are no rooms available rather then see him go to the competitor. As a guest, I've only encountered problems a few times when I had reservations, and I checked the smoking room(s) first to find one that was tolerable.

My start in hotels was in the 60s at Holiday Inns when Kemmons Wilson, the founder, still ran the company. He started the company after a trip to Florida when he experienced lousy hotels and lousy employees and no standards to speak of. He felt the customer was the King, the one who made our jobs possible ("I just sign the check, our Guests pay you"). He must be rolling in his grave today for what's become of his standards.

cfc,
All due respect, I never said that someone should have to prove a medical condition to justify their preference.

Again I want to state that IMO there is nothing wrong with wanting a non-smoking room just because you don't like the smell.

However, IMO, there is something wrong with faking an illness or being overdramatic, because you don't like the smell and you want to strengthen your argument.

While I personally do not like to stay in smoking rooms, I would wager that a lot of hotels don't agree that a smoking room is defective or subpar any more than a noisy room is. That is why most hotels consider this a preference and a request. They may compensate for this or they may not.

Anyway, I'm glad that the OP got some satisfaction for her situation. I'm also glad that she received some tips on how to better handle this situation in the future.

P.S. I do believe that companies should provide good customer service. I just don't believe that customer service is always doing whatever the customer wants, no matter what. When I worked in customer service, I got many compliments. I did get some complaints like the time that I wouldn't return some merchandise that the customer didn't have a receipt for that was clearly not purchased in our store or for that matter ever carried in our store or the time that I was delivering pizza and I refused to run to the store for the recipient to pick him up some orange juice and snacks. While I enjoy working with people, I guess I just don't subscribe to the motto "the customer is always right". On the flipside, I tend to be very easy on service providers and I don't expect everything to go my way just because I'm the customer.

I just read 71 responses to this post and feel it is not quite long enough, so I'm going to chime in.

Q) Are you allergic to smoke, ma'am?
A) I haven't actually been diagnosed with the allergy, however, I can tell you my symptoms after being in a smoking room for more than an hour. My sinuses become quite congested and I must breath through my mouth. Then my eyes start burning and itching. When I walk outside into the fresh air, all I taste is the stale smoke in my lungs from the room. Now, you tell me, am I allergic to smoke?

It really doesn't matter whether you are "allergic" to smoke or not. The issue is whether it bothers you to remain in the room with the conditions in it. Would you stay in a room with dirty linens on the bed? Or a filthy bathroom that hasn't been cleaned properly? Or a door that doesn't lock properly? The answer is: "NO" and you you shouldn't have to.

Pat, I'm sorry you were inconvenienced, but you were offered a choice and you made it based on your preferences and circumstances. I've checked in late from time to time and was totally disgusted with the room I received. It puts a damper on your trip for the first day or so. However, after complaining to the manager on duty I've always been accommodated either by a rate reduction or another room. And I'm not always the nicest of people to deal with. It all depends on the attitude of the hotel staff. If they get short with me, then the gloves come off! I don't care if it's late and I'm tired and just want to go to sleep or not!

Once I decided I'd rather drive the two hour trip back home on a Friday afternoon to stay in my own bed than to stay in the room. The manager said there were no other rooms available. I didn't care to go to another hotel because I was there for a weekend conference. My concern was with safety, I didn't feel comfortable with the room location. It was amazing that I finally got a much nicer room in the main building, as well as a free drink from the manager! Wow, the things that can turn up when you let them know you mean business!!

OG719 may be a very cordial person on the outside, but he's entitled to his opinion of travelers. However, the travelers don't have to remain quiet and accept whatever OG719 wants to give them. I'm sure he/she realizes this and that is why he/she has a good record.

I feel Pat should write a letter to the main office explaining the situation and circumstances for not complaining the following day. She should let them know how frustrated she and her family felt at such a late hour. Who knows, they may have had other complaints about this particular hotel and changes might be made. She might even get a refund for part of the stay. And then again, she might receive nothing. But if she remains silent, she'll be sure to receive NOTHING (except for what she already received.)

Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Go ahead everybody, take your best shot at me :-)

I think this debate on whether or not the hotel did enough could go on forever. If someone checked in that was clearly unhappy with something that could resonably be fixed I would do whatever I could to resolove the issue. As a guest, if I ever stay somewhere and am not (within reason) satisfied with my room I will make that clear to the front desk until it is resolved. Pat says she didn't have time to speak with management. I think she had plenty of opportunity to get this issue resolved but instead dealt with what she was handed and is complaining about it later. We went to Mexico with my husbands family over a year ago. They crammed themselves and their teenage daugther and son into one room with two full beds. The Air Conditioning didn't work (in the middle of May) and they were misrable the whole time they were there. Our room was ice cold so we knew they had rooms with funtioning AC. Rather than be persistant with the front desk and get moved to a new room they just sweated it out.

I'm not saying poor service should be overlooked but in most cases if you have voiced your complaints and they haven't been resolved, then you have to be more persistant. I am because I know how most hotels operate.

On the issue of smoking rooms, I have never been diagnosed with being alerghic to smoke. I would however get severe headaches if I stayed in a room heavily smoked in. You should be able to enjoy your stay regardless of if you have a doctors note or not. Personally I wish more hotels would just go non-smoking but that's a whole other debate.

By the way, I have been in some fairly low-rung lodgings that have had no problem packing my stuff up and moving me. Whether for my convenience or thiers.

FYI . . .

It is medically impossible to be "allergic" to cigarette smoke. Smoke is an irritant, not an allergen. It certainly might bother you, but you are NOT allergic.

Anyone who uses the "allergic" argument weakens their position, because it is an out and out fabrication.

Dear Dr. Allen:
Do you really think the average hotel clerk is as knowledgable as you about whether or not one can be "allergic" to smoke?

Okay, everyone, let's just change the word "allergic" to "sensitive" and we'll all be safe if there is a doctor, scientist or chemist working behind the hotel desk.

I truly think people say they are allergic to smoke because it is the easiest way to explain it. I didn't know until tonight that smoke is an irritant and you can't be allergic to it. Anyway, all I know is that if you inhale too much smoke it can kill you, after all, isn't that one of the things people can die of who are caught in fires?