If I was your friend I would light it outside. They produce loads of smoke when first lit. Once the coals are hot I can't see it being a problem. Just put it con the cooker with (hopefully) the extractor fan on. Moving it might be a problem though.
As the one we had cracked the ceramic floor tile we laid had it on and burned the slab of wood under that and burned the grass under that, i wouldn't recommend using them indoors!
Couldn't your friend use this outside his front door instead? The smoke will ruin his decor and you have the danger of a jumping coal which could burn down his house, couldn't he just use this outside his front door where any problem could be easily dealt with?