Friday, January 13 2012
By Miranda Bryant | London Evening Standard (UK)
The cigar room of yesteryear, where gentlemen in hotels and clubs would retire for a smoke without disturbing the ladies, is making a comeback.
The smoking ban hit the tradition of the after-dinner cigar because there was nowhere warm and comfortable where guests could legally smoke.
But now London hotels are finding ways of creating cigar rooms outdoors, and some are designing them to be more appealing to women.
They include The Lanesborough, The Langham and now The May Fair, which said it would be opening one in May beause of the level of interest from guests. The Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge will also have a smoking shop when it opens in April.
The renewed popularity of cigar smoking, traditionally associated with older men, has been partly driven by younger enthusiasts and a growing number of women. In Marylebone, 10 Manchester Street Hotel now hosts women-only cigar evenings where hand-rolled Havanas are sampled with cocktails.
Ms. Bryant's article
continues at thisislondon.co.uk...
