INDUSTRY EXPERTS OFFER DATA AND INSIGHTS INTO WHAT WILL MATTER TO CONSUMERS AND HOW HOTELIERS COULD BEST ADAPT .
By KATHAKALI NANDI
Protection Filtration System , which is a mobile , plugand-purify device that claims to eliminate the COVID-19 virus ( 99.99 %), anthrax spores ( 99.8 %) and other airborne contaminants through a heated filter without affecting the ambient air temperature .
The Ameswell Hotel in Mountain View , California , filters air with a Dedicated Outside Air System , which is then processed through a MERV 13 filter . These filters are frequently used in medical facilities and universities to capture microscopic particles like allergens , pollen , bacteria and viruses .
SCIENTIFICALLY-DESIGNED The pandemic has resulted in a demand for scientifically-designed systems that guarantee the purest form of air .
The InterContinental Houston — Medical Center ’ s mobile IVP machines were designed in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , the Texas Center for Superconductivity at University of Houston , University of Texas Medical Branch , and the Texas A & M Experiment Engineering Station . The hotel is the first property to install this system .
“ The portable IVP units are relatively quiet . They originally found a home in the hotel lobby , meetings rooms , and restaurant and lounge areas . Newer , smaller units can be placed in guest rooms to cleanse the air without creating any clutter ,” says the hotel ’ s GM Jorge Landa .
Hoteliers say many guests demand individual highquality air filtration options inside their rooms , instead of a generic system which centrally purifies air for the entire hotel . For pet-friendly hotels , the need for such kind of individual systems becomes even more significant , as rooms and surfaces must be kept free from pet-derived allergens and dust .
Responding to these requirements , the pet-friendly dusitD2 Hua Hin in Thailand has equipped each guest room and public area with a Panasonic Nanoe X machine , which filters the air and prevents the activity of airborne bacteria , viruses , animal-borne allergens , while removing odors as well .
“ Unlike standalone air purifiers , the Panasonic device actively spreads ions through the air and onto surfaces ,” explains Sascha Kunze , GM of dusitD2 Hua Hin . “ According to Panasonic , these ions reach deep into the fibres of clothing , sofas and carpets , and inhibit up to 99 % of airborne and adhered bacteria and viruses .”
EASY TO ADAPT Installing these new-age technologies does not always require hotels to change the existing infrastructure . While the portable nature of IVP units makes it easy to quickly install it in rooms or lobbies with an electrical outlet as the only requirement , at The Ameswell Hotel , no additional changes were made to accommodate the new technology .
“ We did not need to change our air filtration system in response to COVID , so everything was installed as
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