HOLIDAYMAKERS have been warned about a simple hotel mistake that could lead to them being slapped with a hefty fine.
Failing to remember this simple rule could leave you hundreds of pounds out of pocket – even if it’s not your fault.
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Smoking cigarettes may appear glamorous in movies, but it has become a usually destructive social habit in real life.
Part of this is due to the true health risks involved with smoking, and the rest is due to the stench of cigarette smoke, which is almost impossible to eliminate.
This is why hotels have strict restrictions concerning smoking in their rooms.
Even if a smoker opens a window in a hotel room, the smell of cigarette smoke may remain on drapes, linens, carpets, and other materials.
If you are caught smoking in a non-smoking hotel room, you may face significant fines from the hotel, which vary depending on where you visit.
If you don’t smoke, but room stinks of cigarette, you must report it as soon as possible to avoid any surprises on your bill later.
You shouldn’t be held accountable for any possible charges because the smoke smell couldn’t have come from you if you had just checked in.
And if the stench is bothering you, you might also be able to change rooms.
But some places can charge you up to hundreds, according to Thrillist.com.
One US customer described how they were charged the $400 smoking fee by the hotel even though they said they hadn’t smoked in their room in a recent Reddit post on r/AskHotels.
If you receive a charge of that nature and you don’t smoke, you can dispute the charge using your credit card, the Reddit thread explained.
But not all hotel customers abide by the no smoking rules.
As the majority of hotels have this included in their stay agreements with visitors rather than having a sign on the wall, they have the legal right to punish you if they believe you have smoked in a non-smoking room.
The hotel reserves the right to change the costs assessed against you.
However, the price may exceed that of an additional night’s lodging, so it’s definitely not something you want to deal with when travelling unplanned.
There are several ways that hotels can determine if you have smoked: nicotine stains, cigarette butts, smoke sensors and detectors, and most obviously, the scent.
Even if these techniques can’t detect the presence of smokes one hundred per cent of the time, a hotel will nevertheless penalise a guest if they believe they broke the no-smoking policy.
