AN ABERGAVENNY hotel is the first in the town to become a smoke-free zone.

And Kevin Reardon, the owner of the Abergavenny Hotel, in Monmouth Road, hopes the ban will also help him kick the habit.

Mr Reardon, 49, and his partner, Lynne Jones, 48, brought in the ban on Sunday.

Mr Reardon, a smoker for more than 30 years, says they decided to make the eight-room hotel a smoke-free area because of customer demand.

Mr Reardon said: "We based it on information from clientele. People are looking for hotels where there are no-smoking areas.

"It's so far so good."

Mr Reardon said the true test would be if the number of guests increased.

The former motor trade manager said it would help him quit.

"I want to give up, I can join the customers in having some fresh air and it will please my partner because she's against smoking."

There will be a smokers' "den" outside the hotel for those who want to light up.

Public premises throughout Wales will join the smoke ban from April 2007.

Smoke-free pubs in Abergavenny include The Bell, The Hardwick, The Lamb and Flag, The Somerset Arms and Cripple Creek.

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire county council said: "We worked with pubs in Monmouthshire to try to get them to go smoke-free for No Smoking Day. The feedback from customers was so good that many continued to stop smoking altogether."