Can Hotels Detect Vaping?
Published 31 March 2021, Updated 10 April 2024
Whilst smoking produces toxic smoke and vaping produces vapour that is 95% less harmful than smoking, both can set off fire alarms with relative ease when using your vape juice.
How Fire Alarms Work
Generally speaking, fire alarms work by shining a constant beam of continuous unbroken light within their sensor. Once smoke enters that chamber and breaks the beam, it then scatters the light across the chamber. Upon scattering, the light beam will then hit the activation sensor which will then sound the alarm.
Will Vaping Activate Hotel Fire Alarms?
As vapour will break the light beam contained in a smoke alarm in the same way smoke will, it is most likely to activate a smoke alarm in much the same way smoking a cigarette will.
However, unlike cigarette smoke, vapour does tend to dissipate quickly and does not leave any residual smell. As such, it is much more difficult for vaping to be detected in general despite the fact that will activate a smoke alarm just as fast as smoking will.
Best Advice - Consider Hotel Policy
Most hotels in modern countries prohibit smoking in their hotel rooms. This generally means that vaping is also forbidden.
As you are probably staying in the hotel to relax, the last thing you want to worry about is whether you will be asked to leave due to vaping. As such, our best recommendation is to be up front and ask what the hotel policy is at reception prior to booking or at check-in to be safe.