Hotel Pays Staff to Sniff Out Smoking Guests

That chocolate on your pillow may be a bit of a Judas kiss: Chicago's Swissotel isn't the first hotel to fine sneaky smokers who break its puff-free policy, but it is the nation's first to pay staff to sniff out offending guests, reports the Chicago Tribune. Spraying air freshener won't fool its housekeepers, who get a $10 reward per scofflaw. They, in turn, get slapped with a $250 fine.

Swissotel's hotel manager says guests are grateful for the crackdown, which has collared 22 lawbreakers and even pushed employees to quit smoking. The fine offsets the $400 cost of washing linens with oil soap and ionizing the room to free it of the smell, as well as keeping it vacant until the air clears. Swissotel is angling for green certification, too, which means its air needs to be top notch. (More smoking ban stories.)