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Location: Assynt
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 45
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Just came across this thread (wish I came across it earlier), I have a hotel/pub in Scotland and I just thought I'd let you know how the smoking ban has worked out for us.
We didn't receive any official information from any organisation about implementing the ban (bit crap really) all we heard was from trade magazines, no support was given from the government etc and no list of rules was supplied. We just had to look things up on the net ourselves and eventually came across quite a good site with lots of info on it.
I'm a non smoker but my partner smokes, the main bar was always a smoking environment but we have a non smoking lounge and the dining room was non smoking so people had a choice of where they wanted to eat, rooms were all non smoking but it wasn't enforced strongly. In the past we've had a total of two complaints from customers about smoking in the bar, both times we directed the customers to the non smoking area just for them to come back into the bar because of lack of atmosphere in the non smoking area (can't win sometimes).
I was initially concerned about how the smoking ban would be tolerated by guests but my fears are unfounded, so far every smoker has said they prefer the ban and that it has helped them to cut back, the smokers all retreat outside the bar en masse to "check how the grass is growing" and its a bit bizarre for all the non smokers who have said they feel left out (so much so that non smokers have taken to standing outside at the same time). We haven't hit main tourist season yet so we may have problems explaining the ban to foreign tourists (I know of two businesses that have already had huge arguments with French tourists over the ban).
The other downside of the ban is that hotel rooms can be exempt (because it's let as a private space, or something along those lines) so if its raining and people have a room with us they invariably smoke in the rooms which causes a cleaning headache for airing everything, a business across from us had all non smoking rooms and a smoking area prior to the ban now they have found all the smokers disconnect the smoke detectors in the rooms and smoke in the rooms creating problems for cleaning and fire regulations!!!
Other negative stories I've heard regarding the ban (bar talk so unsure as to how true). A woman was mugged while leaving a bar for a smoke after she was directed by a smoking officer down an alleyway as you can't smoke in front of a pub (has to be 15 yards away from front door or something along those lines or you're liable for a fine). And another of a lorry driver in a HGV getting pulled for smoking a cigarette in his cab while crossing the Scottish border.
But on the whole the smoking ban is working really well, the bar is a much nicer place to work, no more filthy ashtrays to clean no more cigarette burns in fabrics, no more stinging red eyes on an evening.
How is everyone else finding the ban?!