Says Sunil Taneja, F&B manager, Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, ``We went in for the programme because it is flexible and cost-effective. It caters to all guests' preferences and its scientific basis makes effective use of ventilation.''

Courtesy of Choice was developed by the Paris-based International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) to help the hospitality industry accommodate both guests who smoked and those who did not. ``The programme helps the hospitality industry to be responsible and pro-active,'' says Andrew Jones, director, Asia Pacific Affairs, IH&RA.

Sanjiv Makin, F&B manager, Le Meridien, Bangalore, agrees, ``In a world of growing consumer needs, the guests appreciate an extra facility.'' Rajan Mata, a Delhi-based business executive, who eats out frequently, agrees. ``If I walk into a restaurant and feel the air is stale, I won't go there again,'' he says.

``The main requisite for Courtesy of Choice implementation is a minimum floor area in relation to the number of covers. A central AC system is needed. Without these, it is difficult to implement in a small, heavily congested restaurant,'' says N Vasanth, director, Environs, the building services consultants chosen by Dave Henley of Healthy Buildings International to conduct feasibility surveys and assist restaurants with programme implementation.

Vasanth, an engineer specialising in hotel ventilation, works in tandem with an international PR firm hired by IH&RA as programme manager in India. ``We study the ventilation systems and air flow patterns in a restaurant.

Generally, in an AC system, you have air coming out at one point or several points within the restaurant and then sent back to an air handling unit through other areas. The trick is to identify this air flow path and make sure that the air coming out fresh passes through the non-smoking area and then goes to the smoking area. On the other hand, the smoky air should go back directly into the air handling unit without coming back into the restaurant,'' says Vasanth.

``On a rough estimate, one cover every 7-10 square feet gives reasonable space. This figure would change for a restaurant that has cubicles with independent AC units. Also, we can't offer the programme to a small restaurant that uses window AC units because these keep churning the same air around the restaurant,'' he explains. Air flow patterns are detected through an air current tube that generates artificial smoke. ``I move the tube around a restaurant to map the flow of air. Then I correlate it with the duct diagrams provided by the restaurant's maintenance engineer. Finally, we compare these with the sitting plan and identify the smoking and non-smoking areas,'' explains Vasanth.

``Air moves from high to low pressure. Smoke discharge is always at high pressure. It moves out from there on to the suction grill at the lower pressure. So we identify the supply air grills and the return air grills and with the smoke tube see the actual path it takes,'' he explains further.

Deepak Purohit, proprietor, Indian Summer, Mumbai, says he has had a positive feedback from guests who like the option of smoking and non-smoking sections. ``Today, when consumers are becoming health conscious, this is a value-added service,'' he says.