Sorry you won't find any hotel that allows smoking. The reason ... it's against the law here. All hotels must be non smoking. You will have to go outside the hotel and be at least 4(?) feet away from the entrance to smoke. BC has probably the lowest numbers of smokers in North America ( I'm thinking it's about 14% but not sure) so you won't find any restaurants, patios, bars, clubs, hotels where you can smoke. IF you do smoke in the hotel you will face a fine ($200) which is added to your room charge ( at least the last hotel I stayed in had a notice on the registration form stating that). Your one option might be to find rental through www.vrbo.com that allows smoking.

Although I am not an avid smoking fan – I find this law comical. You are not allowed to smoke a cigarette in Vancouver, but it is quite acceptable (and tax payer funded) to go to the safe injection site and shot up illegal drugs. Go figure!

Anyway - we often travel with smokers in our group and find this to be a problem. Last time we stayed at The River Rock Casino Hotel in Richmond (May/08)and my sis was still able to light up. You must smoke on the outdoor decks and I believe there are only a few rooms that have outdoor decks. I am assuming Richmond still has not passed any smoking law but do not know for sure.

I realize Richmond is a fair distance from West Hastings but it is an option if you want to look at it. Good Luck.

Hmmm... some hotels are entirely non-smoking, but I do know that some hotels still feature smoking rooms.

Though not a smoker, I too find the law comical and completely ridiculous and entirely hypocritical considering all the car exhaust we inhale by the bucketloads each and every day.

I don't know, BC Robyn, there is a pretty direct link between second hand cigarette smoke and cancer, and an even stronger incidence of smokers getting cancer. Car exhaust does have its downsides, especially for people with respiratory problems, but there is not the strong link to a deadly disease as there is with smoking. Rather than seeing the anti-smoking law as hypocritical I tend to see it--optimistically--as a sign of things to come in terms of better air quality measures.

I do know that several of the hotels that I have stayed at that have balconies have very clear signage warning against smoking on the balconies.

To the OP: no, smokers have few rights in most places in Canada. Those rights have been supplanted by the hordes of non-smokers who would rather not die from second-hand inhalation. You can still do pretty well smoking outside in parks, etc., and Vancouver does have incredible scenery, so there would be something to look at :)

Sorry Virginia, youre out of luck for a hotel smoking room. Just have a drag after dinner and before bedtime a few feet outside the lobby and you'll be fine. cheers

Arf68 – You are correct and make a good point. Smoking causes cancer – and non-smokers are justified in not wanting to be exposed to second hand smoke. There is no argument that non-smokers have more rights than smokers but we should just stop and consider – why can’t smokers be given their own space to light up. I have never understood how our gov’t can regulate the control and sale of tobacco then turn around and say – you bought them – but now you can’t smoke them?

I guess I don’t understand why there can’t be a few rooms in hotels for example, that are just for smokers? I as a non-smoker have the choice not to rent it – giving the smoker the right to rent it. Why is that a problem?

Robyn – for future reference – which hotels allow smoking? I can pass the info on to my sis.

thanks

Just checked the regulations and BCRobyn is right there can still be smoking rooms in hotels..you will just have to really search.

this is from a brochure by the BC Government

"Yes, you can smoke in your hotel room (unless it has been designated a non-smoking room by the hotel).

You cannot smoke in the common areas of hotels such as lobbies, hallways, and restaurants.

You cannot smoke within 3 metres of the doorways to the hotel, or within 3 metres of any open windows or air intakes around the hotel."

I think many hotels are just finding it easier to be completely smoke free.

Hi;

“You cannot smoke within 3 metres of the doorways to the hotel, or within 3 metres of any open windows or air intakes around the hotel."

FYI…3 Metres is approx. 10 feet.

Best Regards

<<You cannot smoke within 3 metres of the doorways to the hotel, or within 3 metres of any open windows or air intakes around the hotel.>>

It's actually *6* metres in Vancouver-that's what the sign I read this afternoon said.

I don't find the law comical at all it's absolutely necessary and long overdue.

I had this problem also. Some hotels still have smkng rooms. Not sure how close to West Hastings they are.

Some of the ones I found are Century Plaza, Metropolitan, Hyatt, Tropicana, Georgian Court(stayed in Apr. nice hotel) Sandman Downtown, Fairmont & Four Seasons. Hope this helps you in time