It never hurts to fill out those comment cards at hotels. Seems more establishments are responding to the needs of their guests, especially those with allergies or chemical sensitivities. Increasingly, hoteliers and even proprietors of small inns are making changes to please the health-conscious traveller.

New developments on that front include:

- Westin goes smoke-free

It's not supposed to happen, but it does. You request a non-smoking room in a hotel only to find the smell of cigarette smoke billowing through the vents from other rooms or floors. It's a problem you won't likely experience at Westin Hotels & Resorts.

Last month, Westin became the "first hotel chain to introduce a brand wide smoke-free policy." All guest rooms and public areas of its 77 hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean are now 100% smoke-free.

Smokers must now retreat to a designated outdoor area. The new policy is a result of customer data which shows that 92% of Westin guests request a non-smoking room.

Westin says the policy reinforces its brand positioning around personal renewal by offering guests services, products and amenities that allow them to relax, rejuvenate and restore during a stay.

See starwoodhotels.com.

- Breathe easier at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport

When the choice is between a regular room or a low allergen room, who wouldn't choose the latter?

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport claims to be the first hotel in North America to offer an entire floor of hypoallergenic guest rooms -- and there's no extra charge.

All 42 rooms on the 11th floor have featherless pillows and comforters; linens are washed at 155C -- a temperature sufficient to eliminate the need for chlorine; and no strong-scented cleaning products are used.

Filtration systems further purify the air and water, and a central vacuum system reduces dust in the rooms. One guest room has hardwood flooring for allergy sufferers who may be sensitive to off-gassing from carpets.

The hotel says the initiative comes as a result of increasing consumer demand.

"Guests report they get a better night's sleep," says Jill Killeen, regional director public relations. "And the room attendants say the tips are better on that floor."

See fairmont.com for more.

- East Coast's "Green" Inn

If you're intrigued by award-winning properties, Nova Scotia's Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages is one worth noting. In 2005, it won a Sustainable Tourism Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, and the year before it received a four-leaf rating from the Audubon Green Leaf Eco Program.

Owner Earlene Busch, a former frequent traveller, wanted to create the kind of healthy environment she often hoped to find on her trips. The Inn, located on the Cabot Trail near Baddeck, was designed in consultation with an environmental physician.

The property (nine inn rooms and four cottages) is smoke-free and uses only organic, fragrance-free bath soaps, cleaners and laundry soap. Towels and linens are 100% cotton, water and heat are provided by solar power, and only low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) paints were used on walls.

"We recycle and precycle. Nothing goes to waste," says Busch. "And we don't use pesticides or artificial fertilizer."

The restaurant uses organic, locally grown food and Fair Trade organic coffee.

Contact 1-866-277-0577 or chanterelleinn.com for more.

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AN OM AWAY FROM HOME

The hip Pacific Palisades Hotel in Vancouver is among the 40 North American properties in the Kimpton chain to offer guests a free in-room yoga program. It's the hotel's way of providing a "sense of health and harmony while away from home."

A basket filled with essential yoga equipment, including a yoga mat, block and strap, is available on request during your stay. Follow along with one of the instructors on the Yoga Channel offered on in-room televisions free of charge or enjoy the complimentary copy of Yoga Journal.

If you're not feeling particularly self-motivated, ask the hotel staff to point you in the direction of a local yoga class, many of which are offered at nearby studios. See kimptongroup.com.