It was a first for me too. My guess is that they were always in there. There were several regulars chatting away in the humidor, all smoking with the staff.First I've heard of ashtrays in the humi. Normally we just walk though to get to the back office or allow people to make a selection while smoking.
A single lit stick for a short time (passing through to the office or grabbing a product) wouldn't bother me, but this place was like an extension of the lounge. It wasn't all that big either.