Hospitality

A happy guest is an objective for all hoteliers and much hard work is employed towards creating a unique guest experience. As a “home away from home,” hotels are expected to guarantee a pleasant and safe environment for guests and staff. That includes good indoor air quality-something that is fundamental for our health and well-being.

Guests demand more and more comfort in terms of indoor air quality. They want to breathe fresh and clean air. This trend will only continue as consumers become more and more aware of the impact that indoor air has on their health and will see them demand that their air be as clean as possible. This is especially true as we approach a post-COVID world when it’s now becoming mandated across industries to up the ante on air purification in enclosed spaces.

Each hotelier has to make sure that their guests are completely satisfied in order to win the mass loyal customers but also to receive positive feed back and recommendations.

Clean air can give hotels a competitive edge. Hotels that take care of their indoor air are not only taking care of the obvious elements that are part of a great hotel experience such as interior, service and food quality–they go a step further by caring about the overall health of their guests.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 5% of business travellers ranked health and safety as the most important factor when booking a trip versus 40% during the pandemic.

Three arguments why hotels should start monitoring and communicating their air quality:

1. Improved Guest Experience

The awareness about the adverse effects of bad indoor air quality has increased significantly. While pre-COVID-19 guests who experienced poor indoor air quality during their stay may have chosen not to return or leave a negative online review, post-COVID-19 guests want to be reassured before and during their stay that the air they breathe is safe for them and does not increase the risk of being contaminated. The ability to prove to guests that the air they breathe is healthy can instil confidence to return to stay at hotels and increase the hotel’s reputation in the industry and among potential guests.

2. Increase operating efficiency

Did you ever stay in a hotel room that smelled stuffy? That room might have experienced mould growth within the enclosed environment because of high humidity and non-sufficient air ventilation. This proves that bad air quality can influence the guest experience and lead to higher renovation and reactive maintenance costs.

Especially now that many rooms are idle for a long time, hoteliers must monitor the air quality in those rooms to reduce the risk of losing value by them being unused and incurring damage (for example due to mould). A centralized air quality treatment and monitoring system can save hotels costs and resources, as it can increase the quality of the manual checks of rooms done by the maintenance teams in a hotel.

By treating, monitoring and measuring the hotel’s air quality, facility managers can take proactive measures before problems with air quality can lead to costly damage to the property and lower building quality.

3. Staff Productivity

Same as for the guests, bad indoor air quality can have adverse effects on the hotel teams. A good example here are cleaning supplies and solvents from freshly painted walls and furniture that increase the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can have adverse health effects, if staff are exposed to this air for a longer time.

If they are uncomfortable, they will not be able to work efficiently and effectively. It can affect their concentration and productivity, which can hurt the guest experience. Low air quality can cause headaches, dry eyes and throats, dizziness, and tiredness.

Furthermore, where in March 2020 the WHO issued advice that COVID-19 is not airborne, since then, mounting evidence has convinced the WHO to change its position–with the WHO now accepting the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Therefore, low air quality can lead to a higher risk of contamination with viruses such as COVID-19.

Study: Indoor air quality can drive hotel bookings

A new report from Carbon Lighthouse examined indoor air quality and its perception by the public amid the pandemic. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment on Indoor Air Quality and COVID-19 survey found that:

  • a vast majority (91%) of consumers believe that IAQ is important in the prevention of COVID-19 spread;
  • 77% of consumers said proof about a hotel’s IAQ would impact their decisionon where to stay;
  • 52% said they would pay more to stay at a hotel with better IAQ; and
  • 76% said a rating system on the IAQ of a building–similar to restaurant ratings, would help them feel better about entering that building.

With these statistics in mind, Carbon Lighthouse suggests that hoteliers and Liesure opperators should not only ensure their buildings can adequately manage IAQ and implement the appropriate measures, but that hoteliers must also effectively communicate their efforts and the resulting impact on occupants, to begin driving occupancy and working towards economic recovery.

Fortress Air is a distributor of Australian and international designed, tested and patented advanced air and surface treatment systems that safely and efficiently restore the balance of recirculated air by maintaining air quality as well as eliminating contaminated and poor-quality air in residential, commercial, industrial, retail, office, school and indoor public spaces.

These innovative technologies produces Ions and Free Hydroxyl Radicals which are naturally occurring molecules to continuously sanitise the total volume of air, while simultaneously sanitising all soft and hard surfaces, 24/7 in an indoor environment by eliminating and preventing airborne risks and cross infection in indoor spaces including:

  • Bacteria which includes staph and strep;
  • Mould and mould spoors;
  • Odours and other toxic fumes;
  • Pathogens;
  • Viruses, eg:
    • Common cold;
    • DNA viruses which include chicken pox;
    • Influenza;
    • RNA viruses which include COVID-19 and measles;
    • Stomach flu; and
  • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s).

ENSURE YOUR HOTEL AND CATERING IS CLEAN AND FRESH

Offensive odours and airborne infections are created in hotels, by bacteria, viruses, mould, fungi and volatile organic compounds carried in the air. Washrooms, bedrooms, restaurants, kitchens, sluice rooms and waste bin areas are all subject to offensive odours.

AIRsteril offers solutions to remove lingering odours allowing dining areas to be used for alternative purposes or simply eradicating the unpleasant leftover food smell. Our units can also be supplied as barrier systems in kitchen areas to reduce cooking smells and stop them from spreading elsewhere.

PLEASE SEE BELOW PRODUCTS SUITABLE FOR Hospitality

Air Silent Range
Multipurpose Range
Multiflex Range
Washroom Thermal Range

The AS Range has been specifically designed for small spaces such as bedrooms with continuous occupation, it is ideal for residents who suffer heavy incontinence. It does not have a fan making its silent thermal convection operation a favourite with residents and staff who may be disturbed by noisy machines in their rooms. It uses a standard wall socket and once installed, an AS unit runs continuously requiring just one annual lamp change.

The MF Range is designed to control odours in medium to large sized enclosed spaces. It is ideal for reception areas, corridors, dining rooms and resident’s lounges. The units are installed to suit the size of space (20 sq m to 100 sq m) and the level of contamination, they are fan driven and operate 24/7. Once installed they can be easily tweaked to achieve the optimum level of performance and an MF unit requires minimal maintenance and one annual lamp change for years of operation.

The WT Range uses the latest thermal convection technology to control high levels of odours in smaller enclosed spaces, washrooms and any rooms where there is non-continuous occupation. The units are hard-wired to an existing power source such as a lighting circuit spur to operate 24/7. 

Our groundbreaking AIRsteril technology is guaranteed to help you:

– Improve cleanliness by removing all odours.
– Improve infection control for residents, patients, staff and visitors.
– Improve air quality especially for residents with respiratory problems.
– Cut the need for cleaning chemicals and perfumes.
– Extend the life of soft furnishings.
– Cut staff turnover and absenteeism.
– Improve first impressions for new clients and families.
– Comply with regulations.

HOTELS 

Regular cleaning, disinfecting and masking agents are not enough to kill bacteria which can multiply from one to 8 million in 8 hours. AIRsteril’s technology ensures:


– Improved cleanliness by removing all odours.
– Smoker contaminated bedrooms are rapidly cleaned.
– Improved infection control for guests, staff and visitors.
– The need for cleaning chemicals and perfumes is reduced.
– Extended life of soft furnishings.
– Cuts in staff turnover and absenteeism.
– First impressions for new clients is improved.
– Compliance with regulations.

In hotel bedrooms, smoking, incontinence, vomiting, spillages and poor cleaning are the sources of many odours. General use toilets and washrooms are a major source of odour in lobbies, restaurants and bars and cooking smells from kitchens can linger throughout a hotel. Bacteria gathers in air ducts, air conditioning equipment and other inaccessible places throughout hotels and overtime, untreated odours and airborne bacteria permeate soft furnishings and even building fabric. Chemicals, perfumes and masking agents are not dealing with the source of the problem, unlike AIRsterils technology that eliminated the bacteria from the air before it has a chance to spread and settle.

CATERING

AIRsteril provides an air purification system which is proven to eradicate bacteria and viruses, as well as controlling odours. The units have proven effectiveness in eliminating airborne compounds and microorganisms as well as those found on surfaces, bringing a breath of fresh air inside.

AIRsteril’s systems ensure:
– Improved cleanliness by removing all odours.
– Improved infection control for customers and staff.
– The need for cleaning chemicals and perfumes is reduced.
– Extended life of soft furnishings.
– Cuts in staff turnover and absenteeism.
– First impressions for new customers is improved.
– Compliance with regulations.


*Certain bacteria such as Ecoli can replicate every 20 minutes, which could in theory leave you with 16.7 million in 8 hours, what we are highlighting is that bacteria breed very quickly and cannot be controlled with traditional methods.

CREATE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION ON CUSTOMERS

Extractors and ventilation can reduce commercial cooking odours but strong odours such as frying fish or onions can easily spread outside the kitchen where these odours are unwanted. Lingering food odours gives the impression of poor cleaning standards and restricts the multiple uses of rooms.

Bacteria can travel through the air from room to room meaning bacteria from the washrooms could end up in the kitchen or dining area. AIRsteril’s technology ensures that you have round-the-clock clean air in your establishment, eliminating bacteria which can cause odours and present a potential health risk to those dining.

CLEAN AIR FAST TO SAVE MONEY

A room contaminated by cigarette smoke, stale food or even pet odours can remain unusable. The AIRsteril MP100 unit will clear the room within 30 minutes to get it back to full use. Ensure that you waste minimal time in labour cost and have a fast turn around on rooms for new guests.

In hotels, AIRsteril uses the latest technology to purify contaminated air and eliminate bacteria, whether you want continuous operation or a short sharp bust in very contaminated rooms our powerful, portable MP100 unit, provides the complete air purification solution.

Testimonials

Since 2014, the RCN has utilised AIRsteril in our HQ office and our Bolton Office. Every year, we, at RCN, buy the replacement lamps and any other additional units if required. We do have another AIRsteril Unit in our rubbish storage room and this works well for us. I am very happy with the Airsteril Units in our toilets and we get great service and reminders every year for the replacement of the lamps. These Units have been working very well for us and I would highly recommend them.
Testimonial by “Al Lalji”, the RCN’s “Building Services Engineer”

Demonstrated control of airborne microorganisms in two independent Butchers shop cold stores as selected by the local Butchery association, Further information can be found here.

More Testimonials can be found here