Monday, May 7, 2007
News Dude, what were you smoking?
Posted by David Lee Simmons on Mon, May 7, 2007 at 4:02 PM
Seems that Widespread Panic fans just can't control themselves when "lighting up" while in Athens to see their favorite jamming sons perform...
This, from Associated Press:
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Some fans of Athens band Widespread Panic are fuming after complaints over cigarette smoke got them locked out of their hotel rooms during a recent series of concerts by the band.
At least a dozen people had their rooms searched at the Hilton Garden Inn, where they were staying from April 23 to the 26 for the concerts.
Athens-Clarke County bans smoking in public places, and Hilton Garden Inn guests must sign a letter informing them that the hotel is 100 percent nonsmoking.
Hotel manager Barry Gilliland says the letter spells out the hotel policy and consequences for smoking or making too much noise. Guests get one warning and then are kicked out.
On April 24, guest complaints about the smell of smoke prompted Gilliland to start room searches while guests were away -- even if they'd placed "Do Not Disturb" signs on their doors.
Hotel staff took photos to document evidence of smoking and other violations of hotel policy or laws.
When hotel staff discovered smoking or illegal drugs, they deactivated guests' electronic room keys and required them to sign a document admitting they violated the hotel policy and agreeing to pay a $150 fine before they could get into their rooms.
The hotel fined six to eight people for smoking and checked more than a dozen rooms for smoking.
A hotel cleaning crew also found three tanks of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, in one room, and other hotel staff discovered cocaine and marijuana. Those cases were reported to Athens-Clarke police.
Once again, any discussion about living in a fascist state (whether in general or Georgia in particular) must be shelved before we address the whole "people acting stupid" discussion. Is walking the extra 10 steps outside to fire up such an inconvenience? Or does what you're smoking affect your judgment?
Oh, and by the way, they're called "whippets," not "laughing gas." Or so we've heard people call them.
Too funny.
Comments (3)
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It's only a fascist state if is the state and the Hilton garden Inn is not the state. If the cops searcehd without permission of the hotel, different story. So they signed an agreement, violated it and then complained? Sounds like a bunch of dumbasses to me. Anyone who expects privacy in a hotel is the kind of idiot who thinks email is private. Who is dumb enough to leave smoke and blow in their room anyway? Morons.
I think them searching the guests rooms while they are away (or at all) is terrible. How many of us read the fine print when we check into a hotel? You really think that if I happen to smoke a cigarette in a nonsmoking hotel room that is grounds for searching my hotel room and reporting what you find to the police? Sounds like a fascist state to me and a set-up to make some $ for the town and the hotel.
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