Last but not least: Only non smoking rooms
The Comfort Hotel Royal in Zurich does not offer smoking rooms, but it does feature a charming window display and a cool atmosphere thanks to the air conditioning.
Smokers do not have an easy time in today's society. In addition to the omnipresent health risks, it was recently announced that the Federal Council wants to raise the price of a packet to a perceived 150 francs in the near future. And for good reason: as smoking has lost its credibility and coolness among young people, valuable AHV francs are at risk of being lost in the coming years.
Advertisers are using all available means to combat the extinction of this endangered species of smoker. The Formeldrei agency, for example, has organized a fun nicotine scrabble for Parisienne: Letters are printed on the packets, which are combined to form words (Werbewoche.ch reported). If you smoke a lot, you have a clear advantage here for once: lots of packets make lots of letters make lots of words make lots of chances of winning! For the word "Benzypren", for example, you only need nine packets, and only five for "Pudel".
Nevertheless, smokers are increasingly being pushed to the margins of society. After editorial offices, cinemas, airplanes, trains and restaurants, hotels are now also in danger of becoming a fume-free zone. On a voluntary basis, of course - a smoking ban defined by federal law is limited to the generally accessible areas of hotels. Operators can still let guests smoke in their rooms to their heart's content. If they wanted to.
The Comfort Hotel Royal in Zurich definitely doesn't want to. Or not allowed to - the Comfort Inn chain belongs to the American Choice Hotels International Holding. To mark the occasion, one of the showcases on Leonhardstrasse has been lovingly loaded with an oversized cigarette. At first glance, you might not necessarily associate the XXL tar monster with fresh, spring-scented hotel rooms, but rather with the smell of stale ashtrays.
But the button in the cigarette makes it clear on closer inspection: there's no smoking in this house, friends! And by the next display case at the latest, it becomes clear that an unerring decorative hand was at work here. An oversized ice cream communicates: All rooms are air-conditioned, dear non-smokers. Cool feelings for everyone - that's how shop windows should be!
Thomas Häusermann
Photos: Isabel Imper
