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The Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion announced Tuesday that it has transitioned to a completely smoke-free hotel.
The previously designated smoking rooms inside the 28-story hotel have undergone a lengthy environmental cleaning process. In addition to the hotel's rooms, its public spaces are also smoke-free.
In a statement, the hotel's General Manager Fred Euler said the change is another example of how the 1,120-room hotel "has been ahead of the travel and hospitality trends."
But while the decision is a big one given its impact on guests who smoke, it's far from shocking, according to one expert.
"It's not surprising that they took this step," said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Director And Associate Professor Of Hospitality Management at Penn State. "It's a sensible, strategic move."
"From the cost savings to the property there are benefits from cleaning to damage from cigarette burns, etc. It makes sense on the expense side of the equation without a doubt."
READ MORE: Comfort Inn and Suites Going 100-Percent Smoke Free in 2016
Citing recent smoking policy changes at casinos, restaurants and bars, Quadri-Felitti said "as other sectors of the industry have gone through this, the economics have always been in favor of doing it."
There's money to be saved, sure, but times are also changing, as Quadri-Felitti pointed out.
"There are a number of hotels that have done this and are moving in that direction," she added. "I think it's just those properties that have been long established and may be in regions of the country that are more tobacco-friendly than others and therefore this change may be viewed as new."
Nonetheless the biggest plus of all is the reduction of potential health risks for hotel guests and staff alike.
After all, a 2013 study published in the journal Tobacco Control found that residue from designated smoking rooms almost always travels to non-smoking rooms and other parts of the property.
The good news is the Hyatt Regency Dallas isn't the first and likely won't be the last hotel to become smoke-free.
"I'm confident that for a lot of new openings this is just standard operating procedure," said Quadri-Felitti.
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