Priceline Hotel: NYC hotels: smoking vs nonsmoking rooms

[jsteph]

I recently won a bid for a 3-night stay at the Kitano in June that I was so excited for. Now I'm reading so many neg reviews about smoking and smelly roooms.

I suppose I'm naive but I didn't think people could smoke in hotels anymore. It didn't even occur to me to make that an issue in my search for a hotel.

Now I'm freaking out! I absolutely cannot spend 3 nights in a smoking room or any room that has previously been smoked in.

How will the hotel handle any request about a non-smoking room? Will the fact that I got the hotel on PL for signifantly less than their posted rates mean we'll get second-rate treatment and they won't take a non-smoking request seriously? I can't even handle a non-smoking room on a smoking floor.

Do most hotels in NYC have designated smoking rooms or did I just get one of the few that aren't smoke-free? :)

Help! Any advice please.

I'm really worried about this.

[AaronJB]

There is no set rule regarding PRICELINE and smoking/non-smoking rooms. In some cases during busy periods, it may come down to availability if that's all that's left. In many cases, PRICELINE has booked me into a non-smoking room or if not, I've never had a problem (so far, at least) asking for NS.

The best recommendation would be to write or call the hotel and politely request/tell them you would greatly appreciate being assigned a no-smoking room.

[jsteph]

Thank you AaronJB. I appreciate you taking the time to reply to what some might consider a trivial matter.

I will have to contact them directly. I don't want this to ruin our getaway.

Can you tell me though, do most NYC hotels offer smoking? I saw the Kitano listed on a travel website and it had the non-smoking icon. In my opinion that should mean no smoking anywhere on site. kwim?

I don't ever remember it being an issue at the previous 2 NYC hotels we've stayed at.

ps. Still loving the price we paid using the PRICELINE link on this board.

[AaronJB]

There are no guarantees, but I guess my view is this: there is a lot of discussion on the board about tripadvisor reviews. While I definitely think serious issues mentioned in reviews should be cause for concern, there's a lot of reviews where the hotel didn't likely live up to the expectations based upon the high prices in NYC, where $250-350+ is not uncommon for upscale properties. The Kitano has a 4.5/5 and a 91% recommended; given that I think that's pretty difficult in NYC given the prices and expectations, I would hope that customer service would be willing to work with you on smoking/non-smoking, which I feel is a basic request (not like asking for an upgrade) and should not be denied (unless there's an availability/inventory issue) due to PRICELINE/HOTWIRE status.

Additionally, these two reviews from last fall discuss the smoke issue and how it was resolved:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...y_New_York.html

This one talks about it in relation to a PRICELINE reservation: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...y_New_York.html

Not sure exactly about the smoking status of the property, but there do appear to be smoking/non-smoking floors. I'd definitely call them and ask ("I'd greatly appreciate if there was any way I could be assigned to a non-smoking room", or something along those lines.)

Please let us know what happens.

[jsteph]

I emailed the Reservations desk and cc'd the GM a simle yet honest letter about my concerns and our request for a nonsmoking room on a nonsmoking floor... the GM emailed me back within hours! His response was very genuine and he assured me they would have a nonsmoking room for us.

I am now looking forward to our stay at the Kitano more than ever. I think the fact that the GM would personally respond with such a lovely email speaks volumes about how this hotel is run. :)

Thanks for the advice. I feel so much better now.

Kudos to this forum and PRICELINE

[AaronJB]

Fantastic! Glad to hear that the hotel responded well to your request and that you are more comfortable/looking forward to your stay. :)