Freshstay.com is an online directory of smoke-free hotels. Launched in January, it has assembled a list of 120 smoke-free properties so far.

But making all hotel rooms allergy-friendly could take a lot longer, said Abe Pizam, dean of the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

" 'Allergy-friendly' might be a good marketing tool to attract some that have those problems and need assistance," Pizam said. "Will it spread like nonsmoking floors and nonsmoking rooms? I doubt it."

According to a 2004 lodging survey conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, only 17 percent of the 6,000 properties queried had air purifiers.

Some hotels have opted for the more traditional method of reducing the amount of airborne allergens in a room. That usually entails replacing draperies with blinds and ripping out carpeting.

Last year, the Hilton O'Hare in Chicago overhauled two rooms this way, as well as added an air purifier that senses odors and monitors carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature, according to Hotel Interactive.

The popularity of these rooms has prompted the hotel to remake 15 more rooms at a cost of $8,000 each.

But Pickles believes effective improvements can be done much more cheaply. His company can make changes to a room in 24 hours, with each costing $2,025.

Even so, Pizam believes that such efforts by the hotel industry to begin marketing clean, sterile rooms is just "an experiment."

But it's an experiment with vast potential. According to a study of travelers by Cornell University's Survey Research Institute, nearly one-third had allergy issues or traveled with family members who had allergies or asthma.

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E-mail: mhaynes@post-gazette.com