Description
Across the US, hotel smoking policies differ between states and vary between hotels, creating uncertainty about policies, implementation, and enforcement. This study applies the economic construct of information asymmetry to examine if existing smoking policy implementation allows consumers to make informed decisions when booking hotel rooms. Data were collected from 494 hotels located in the largest cities of 10 states. Information asymmetry was operationalized as persistent discrepancies between a hotel’s stated smoke-free policy and consumer experiences about secondhand smoke, stale tobacco smoke odors, or stains. An index of STRength of Information Asymmetry (STRIA) was defined as the number of smoking-related complaints per 50 reviews annually. STRIA complaints were used as the outcome variable in negative binomial regression models testing the predictor variables hotel star rating, hotel room cost per night, and state smoking prevalence or city, while controlling for review rate, hotel smoking status, and hotel capacity. The mean and median number of STRIA complaints were 8.39 and 4 (Interquartile Range: 0-10), respectively, and 75% of complaints came from 25% of hotels. Hotel star ratings significantly predicted STRIA (p < .05), indicating that lower-starred hotels had higher rates of STRIA than higher-starred hotels. Nightly room cost was also a significant predictor (IRR = .997; p < .05, IRR = .993; p < .001): STRIA decreased by 3.0-6.8% for every $10 room price increase. Houston had the lowest STRIA, while Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York all had significantly higher STRIA rates (IRR = 2.50; p = .001, IRR 4.62; p < .001, IRR = 2.61; p = .005). STRIA complaints increased by 20-25% for every 0.1% increase in total review rate, suggesting consumers review at a much higher rate when smoking is a concern. This study is the first to examine tobacco-related consumer complaints from the perspective of information asymmetry. Findings indicate that information asymmetry is a common issue when customers make reservations for smoke-free hotel rooms. To allow customers to make well-informed decisions about staying in smoke-free hotel rooms, hotels should ban smoking in all hotel rooms, improve enforcement of existing smoking restrictions, and provide more transparency to customers.
