Tourists have They were warned about a simple hotel error that could result in them being fined. huge fine.
Failing to remember this simple rule could cost you hundreds of pounds out of pocket, even if it’s not your fault.
Smoking cigarettes may seem glamorous in the movies, but it has become a generally destructive social habit in real life.
Part of this is due to the real health risks of smoking, and the rest is due to the stench of cigarette smoke, which is nearly impossible to get rid of.
This is why hotels have strict restrictions regarding smoking in their rooms.
Even if a smoker opens a window in a hotel room, the smell of cigarette smoke can linger on curtains, bedding, carpets, and other materials.
If you are caught smoking in a non-smoking hotel room, you can face significant fines from the hotel, which vary depending on where you visit.
If you do not smoke, but your room smells like cigarettes, you must report this as soon as possible to avoid surprises on your subsequent bill.
You should not be liable for any potential charges because the smoke smell could not have come from you if you had just checked in.
And if the stench bothers you, you may also be able to change rooms.
But some places can charge you hundreds, according to Thrillist.com.
An American customer described in a recent Reddit post on r/AskHotels how the hotel charged him a $400 smoking fee even though he said he had not smoked in his room.
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 guests respect the no-smoking rules.
Since most hotels have this included in their stay agreements with visitors rather than having a sign on the wall, they have the legal right to fine you if they believe you have smoked in a non-smoking room.
The hotel reserves the right to change the costs applied to you.
However, the price can exceed that of an additional night’s accommodation, so it’s definitely not something you want to deal with when traveling without planning.
There are several ways hotels can determine if you have smoked: nicotine stains, cigarette butts, smoke detectors and sensors, and, obviously, smell.
Even if these techniques cannot detect the presence of smoke 100 percent of the time, a hotel will still penalize a guest if it believes that he or she has violated the no-smoking policy.
