How to save the movie theater industry: allow pot smoking and texting!

[Ryan Gallagher]

My favorite accommodations I witnessed where in Vienna in some of the historic cafes when I visited in 2009ish. Instead of a smoking room, they had a non-smoking room... and to preserve the sensation you were still in the open space of the cafe, it was a non-smoking GLASS room, basically a non-smoker's aquarium. Of course you had to walk through a smoke filled cafe to get to your non-smoking room. There must have been some quirk of the law that allowed them to thumb their nose at the system and comply this particular way.

Being so used to encountering smoker's aquariums in things like poorly divided airport concourses post 911 still felt the need to include a smoking area on the secure side, it was quite novel to witness the exact reverse approach.

[Leo Enticknap]

I find it interesting that of all the States I've been in (38) that I have never encountered smoking in any restaurant ,ever. So there may be local laws in place that curb that. And any business owner can also put up his own "No Smoking" signs as well.

Coincidentally, given that Cinemacon was last week, the only indoor public place I've ever been in (since I was a teenager in the '80s) where smoking is allowed and I've actually had to endure it being done is the casino floor at Caesar's Palace, which you have to run the gauntlet of to get between the convention center and your room (if you're not in the Palace Tower). I'm guessing that the other big hotel/casinos on The Strip also allow it, too. Like Ryan, I've also seen the entrances to smoking rooms in the terminals at some mega hub airports. IMHO, that's sensible: if someone has a serious addiction and is going to struggle to get through a long haul flight, I'd rather that they had the opportunity to smoke immediately before getting on the plane than cause an incident in the air.

The law gives the business owner a valuable out to avoid conflict.

While I'd like to share Randy's idealism, I have to agree. The last thing anyone operating a bar, restaurant, or movie theater would want are a-hole customers picking a fight with the management because the management is stopping them from smoking or doing anything else antisocial. If the restriction comes from a higher authority, pointing that out is an opportunity to defuse a conflict situation.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Leo,
I believe that Vegas casino's have exceptional air circulation that does not let smoke "hang" in the air. As I have only noticed it a few times since the early 1980's between Show West and Cinema Con. I have always stayed at other hotels than Caesars, although I did stay at the MGM Grand quite a few times early on for Show West. For quite a few years I stayed at the Rio, because of the incredible seafood buffet that was there. But Covid killed that off. As far as Airports go, the smoking rooms there are a plus, as you say. But they are well closed off and not an issue. It does seem that since Covid, that there have been a lot more "on board, in the airplane incidents that were a rare occurrence before Covid. Not sure why that is...

[Ryan Gallagher]

Makes sense, the casino's number one rule is don't give anyone a reason to leave the tables/machines. Even if you had to walk away to a smoking room that is a bridge too far for their economic strategy. I would imagine some just have smoking allowed gambling areas... and some people only spend time there.

[Lyle Romer]

Park MGM is a non-smoking property including the casino. Vdara is non-smoking but is hotel only.

Nevada does not allow indoor smoking except on the casino floor but that is frequently violated in areas near the casino although it's not as bad as it was a few years ago.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Park MGM is a non-smoking property including the casino. Vdara is non-smoking but is hotel only.

Nevada does not allow indoor smoking except on the casino floor but that is frequently violated in areas near the casino although it's not as bad as it was a few years ago.

The real "modern" question is what are their rules and enforcement around vaping? (Both in casinos and cinemas) I find that the vaping generations are fare more likely to ignore rules and sneak a puff these days than any old school smoker is to light up.

We've had stagehand vapers in some buildings sneak a drag in confined spaces and set off building particle detectors. Thankfully not during a show.