Say goodbye to those stinky, smoky hotel carpets and stale ashtrays.
More hotels in Tucson are going smoke-free, with two of the industry's largest lodging brands kicking cigarettes to the curb.
Westin Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International Inc. are leading the way, turning themselves into 100 percent smoke-free hotel chains.
Westin started its policy in January, turning 77 Westin-brand properties in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean into 100-percent nonsmoking properties.
Marriott followed the move, with more than 2,300 hotels and corporate apartments and nearly 400,000 guest rooms under the Marriott brand becoming nonsmoking environments this month.
Other Marriott brands include the JW Marriott, Marriott ExecuStay brands, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, the Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites.
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With 59 Marriott properties in Arizona, including nine hotels and resorts in Tucson, most hotels are expected to be completely smoke-free by mid-October.
The Marriott's move represents the largest in the lodging industry.
The new policy includes all guest rooms, restaurants, lounges, meeting rooms, public space and employee work areas.
"We see this as a smart move," said Joe Armbrust, general manager at the 250-room Marriott University Park Hotel, 880 E. Second Street.
In the past decade, there have been fewer people asking for smoking room options, Armbrust said.
"Ten years ago, about 30 to 40 percent of all hotel rooms were available for smoking," he said of the industry. "Today it's probably only about 5 to 15 percent. That's significant."
With numerous meetings and conventions held at the hotel, Armbrust said going smoke-free probably will not harm business.
"There might be a minimal loss, but on the plus side, companies will know it's a smoke-free property," Armbrust said. "We're finding more and more companies who are becoming more involved in their associates' and employees' health. Companies would look at a smoke-free building as a positive."
Earlier this month, the hotel converted the last of its 15 smoking rooms into smoke-free areas, steam cleaning drapes and carpets, getting new bedding and cleaning walls.
The hotel, however, will not be completely smoke-free until next month, Armbrust said.
"We still have to honor smoking reservations until Oct. 15. But we've quit taking smoking reservations at the hotel." Three hotel exits and the pool's patio allow for smoking as well, Armbrust said.
With Marriott properties going smoke-free, more than 5 percent of U.S. hotels will be 100 percent nonsmoking, according to Ray Burger, founder of FreshStay.com, an online directory of smoke-free hotels and properties that try to improve room air quality.
The directory lists the Windmill Inn & Suites at St. Philip's Plaza, 4250 N. Campbell Ave., and the Desert Dove Bed & Breakfast, 11707 E. Old Spanish Trail among Tucson properties featuring smoke-free environments.
At the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive, guests are reminded of the number of fresh breaths they've taken while strolling through the lobby of the Foothills resort.
Westin started its move to smoke-free in January and is marketing its smoke-free conversion with a light installation display.
Every four seconds, a projector displays the number of breaths guests take while on the property. A counter also tracks the number of days Westin hotels have been smoke-free.
The company already has a personal screensaver on its Web site, offering affirmation messages marking milestones, with phrases like "your pulse has dropped to its normal rate," and "your ability to taste and smell things is enhanced."
"Westin has tried to be an innovator of clean air," said Mark Lindsey, director of sales and marketing at La Paloma. "The idea is to promote this idea of relax, renew and refresh. When you're at a resort or the Westin, you want to relax and breathe easy; you want a clean environment to breathe."
However, for those who crave a cigarette or cigar, hotel managers tell guests they are free to smoke on one of La Paloma's 487 private patios that are attached to rooms. Designated terraces around the resort and a walkway are also areas where guests can smoke.
However, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., which operates the Westin brand, does not have plans to go smoke-free at other properties, said Nadeen Ayala, a company spokeswoman. Starwood Hotels operates several chains including the Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels and Le Meridien and the recently announced Aloft brand.
"The decision is about brand positioning. It's about personal renewal and wanting our guests to feel better leaving a Westin than when they came in," Ayala said.
Freshstay.com's Burger, who is also president of Pineapple Hospitality based in St. Charles, Mo., predicts more hotels will go beyond just offering smoke-free environments. Hotels are choosing chemical-free paints, sealants, and have installed indoor air filtration systems that cut down on irritants, he said.
"Not only with going smoke-free, but there are going to be more hotels seeking better indoor air quality as guests demand it," he said.