�Our guests and our franchisees have told us there is a great demand for non-smoking rooms,� said Mary Mahoney, Howard Johnson International president and chief executive officer. �We are answering the request by establishing more non-smoking rooms, thereby providing guests with A Better Quality of Life on the Road(SM).�

The newly renovated Howard Johnson Hotel in Virginia, named the brand�s Hotel of the Year in 1999, decided to designate the entire hotel smoke-free because of the their great demand for smoke-free rooms.

�Over the past three to four years we have seen a steady rise in requests for non-smoking rooms. As a family-oriented property, if a guest requested a non-smoking room and none were available, the guest was disappointed,� said Shelley Miller, general manager of the property. �We are pleased to offer a smoke-free environment to our guests.�

Mahoney noted that as franchisees determine the need within their markets for smoke-free properties, �we will be happy to add more to our system.�

Howard Johnson International Inc. franchises nearly 500 hotels and inns worldwide, including properties in Argentina, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.