Today, the Comfort Inn Midtown becomes the first completely smoke-free hotel in New York City. Located in Manhattan�s theater district at 129 West 46th Street, the hotel�s smoke-free policy includes all public areas as well as guest rooms and stairways. For travelers with a serious aversion to smoke or smoke allergies, the entire hotel has been thoroughly disinfected � everything from deep cleaning the carpets, drapes and bed spreads to disinfecting phones, coffee makers and hair dryers. New international �no-smoking� symbols have been placed on all guest room doors and in the lobby, and all ashtrays have been removed. Guests caught violating the smoke-free policy will be asked to leave the premises. �The hotel is not turning away smokers, it�s only the smoke we are eliminating,� says Vijay Dandapani, chief operating officer of Apple Core Hotels, a group of five Manhattan-based hotels operated in collaboration with nationwide chains. �We are providing a safe, healthy, clean-air oasis for our employees as well as our guests,� Dandapani continued. According to a new Health Canada study published in the International Journal of Cancer, secondhand smoke in the workplace can triple a worker�s risk of lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly one in five deaths in the U.S. result from the use of tobacco. In pioneering its smoke-free policy, Apple Core Hotels acknowledges its employees and guests that insist on a healthy environment while away from home. Built in 1928 and renovated by Apple Core Hotels in 1999, the 79-room boutique hotel�s rates range from $89 to $329 per night, including complimentary continental breakfast and unlimited use of the fitness center. In-room amenities at Comfort Inn Midtown include: complimentary hi-speed, wireless (Wi-Fi) service in all public spaces and guest rooms; cable television with Web TV, pay movies and video games; telephones with voice mail and data port; coffee makers and coffee; hair dryers; and irons with ironing boards. For the business traveler, a business center and 30-person meeting room are located in the rear of the lobby. For families of up to four, the hotel offers eight units with two double beds, and children 13 and younger stay free when sharing their parents� room. Comfort Inn Midtown is located near Times Square and many Broadway theaters on 46th Street west of Sixth Avenue. The hotel joins four other boutique properties in Manhattan which Apple Core Hotels has renovated in the past five years: Red Roof Inn Manhattan at 6 West 32nd Street, the landmark La Quinta Inn Manhattan at 17 West 32nd Street, Super 8 Hotel Times Square at 59 West 46th Street, and the Ramada Inn Eastside at 161 Lexington Avenue. For reservations, contact Apple Core Hotels at (800) 567-7720 or (212) 790-2710. The fax number is (212) 790-2760. The Web address is www.applecorehotels.com.

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Media Contact: Doug Greenberg +1 212-228-1500 doug@njfpr.com