This Hilton property is as close as you can get to Sanford Medical services. Clean comfortable rooms within walking distance to the hospital. The complimentary breakfast is convenient and rates toward the top end of hotel breakfasts.

While INSIDE this hotel, smoking is forbidden everywhere, OUTSIDE the hotel (as in on the lovely back patio where guests are supposed to be able to enjoy their breakfast and cook on the grills provided), it is NOT. Or at least there are NO signs forbidding it. Likewise for the area that contains tables and chairs just outside the front doors.

Hilton MUST bring their smoking policy into alignment with the 21st century; they should NOT allow guests to be subjected to cancer-promoting behaviors while staying at this property.

Smokers should NOT be permitted to light-up on the back patio or in front of the hotel at the tables and chairs provided for those waiting for a taxi or who just want some fresh air.

A team from Stanford University has cleared up the popular misconception that fumes from cigarette smoke dissipate before causing harm. The researchers conducted the first-of-its-kind look at the effects of secondhand smoke outdoors and discovered a NON-SMOKER sitting a few feet from a burning cigarette is likely to be exposed to substantial levels of contaminated air, many times more concentrated than typical background air pollution levels.

Across Colorado, 20 municipalities have a similar ban on outdoor smoking. In the US more than 1500 communities DO NOT allow smoking outdoors in public spaces.

It is utterly UNACCEPTABLE and DANGEROUS to allow people to smoke in the areas populated by nonsmokers.

I emailed Hilton Corp and this specific hotel after my stay at this property to voice my concerns about the fact that the lovely patio area they built at this hotel has absolutely NO signage designating it as a NON smoking area-nor does the seating area out in front of the hotel. All I got back was a FORM email saying, "Gee, thanks so much for voicing your concerns, we'll look into it" Blah, Blah, Blah.

Let me REITERATE, it is REPREHENSIBLE that a company, operating in the UNITED STATES in the 21st Century should BE so indifferent to the dangers posed by SECOND HAND SMOKE to their CUSTOMERS.

I will NOT be patronizing HILTON hotels in the future.