I have reported many times over the years—especially during the height of COVID-19—about the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on the guest experience. (See the IAQ section of Green Lodging News.) According to EPA, there are a lot of elements of a hotel space that can negatively impact IAQ—everything from carbon monoxide to pesticides to cleaning products to what is off-gassed by pressed wood products. Hoteliers often fail to provide the level of IAQ that guests deserve. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8 percent of the U.S. population has asthma. An estimated 55 million Americans, or roughly one in four adults, report experiencing some form of chemical sensitivity, with about half of those individuals being diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
“The number one guest complaint today is poor indoor air quality,” says Will Darrah, Chief Commercial Officer at FreshAir Sensor. “The industry is not talking enough about IAQ and odors.”
This past week I revisited three of the programs that allow hoteliers to charge more for providing a higher level of IAQ. Be sure to read my article. The programs are offered by FreshAir Sensor, Pure Wellness, and Delos Living. Each program has parts that are unique in their own way.
The FreshAir Sensor program relies on molecular air quality monitoring solutions that are installed directly in the hotel guestroom to track and certify rooms that are free of common irritants (including odors from unauthorized smoking of tobacco and marijuana, scented sprays, and conditions for mold).
Earlier this year, FreshAir Sensor launched FreshAir Certified, a low-cost, high-margin bookable room attribute that allows hotels to leverage air quality as an exclusive guest purchase option. The lodging industry reacted favorably with FreshAir Sensor signing up 15,000 guestrooms in the first five weeks.
Pure Hotel Rooms
Pure Wellness offers a Pure Hotel Room program that involves a seven-step process. First, a guestroom is given an ozone shock treatment to eliminate bacteria, viruses and germs—as well as the odors they create. Second, the in-room air handling unit is deep cleaned, disinfected and sanitized. Third, all soft and hard surfaces are deep cleaned and sanitized with a plant-based cleaning agent. Fourth, a bacteriostatic barrier is sprayed on every surface that prevents allergy-triggering microorganisms from growing. Fifth, medical-grade air purifiers clean the air four times every hour, removing 99.99 percent of all airborne viruses, bacteria and other ultrafine particles. Sixth, an antimicrobial tea tree oil cartridge placed in the in-room air handling unit maintains cleanliness, fights bacteria and emits a subtle, fresh scent. Seventh, a hypoallergenic mattress protector and pillow encasements are installed, providing protection from dust and dust mites.
Haley Payne, Chief Commercial Officer, Pure Wellness, says there are now 225 hotels with just under 3,000 Pure Hotel Rooms.
Stay Well Rooms
Within the Delos Living Stay Well Rooms program, different room package options include a focus on improving IAQ. One such option includes Advanced Air Purification as a standalone upgrade.
In addition to offering Advanced Air Purification by itself, Delos Living offers three tiers of its Stay Well Rooms program that each include improving IAQ as a focus.
- Stay Well Rooms. Core wellness features include advanced air purification, chlorine-reducing shower infuser, circadian lighting, and wellness content access.
- Stay Well Fresh. Includes everything in Stay Well, plus enhanced scent control, additional cleaning protocols, and optional HEPA vacuum integration.
- Stay Well Premier. Includes all previous features plus real-time air quality monitoring, UV-C cleaning tech, and dedicated wellness concierge content.
According to the Delos Living website, there are 26 hotels currently with Stay Well Rooms, with a twenty-seventh on the way.
Whereas the FreshAir Sensor program works best with 100 percent of guestrooms converted, the Pure Wellness and Delos Living programs typically include just a portion of guestrooms converted. For example, Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Galleria just announced it has converted 10 guestrooms to Pure Hotel Rooms.
Will we ever see a hotel brand with a high level of IAQ as its main focus? It would be a challenging but worthwhile effort. How about IAQ Inn & Suites? Or maybe FreshAir Inn?
How Much More Hotels are Charging
Hotels participating in the above programs typically ask a premium of $10 to $25 per night with some charging substantially more—luxury hotels, for example.
Suppliers in this space have proven that selling guestrooms that have a higher level of IAQ at a premium is definitely more than a fad but the trend accounts for just a tiny portion of overall U.S. guestrooms inventory. Of course, there are many hotels that offer a high level of IAQ without charging extra for it.
Congratulations to those entrepreneurs who are taking advantage of opportunities to profit more by providing a higher level of IAQ. Given the wellness boom and the number of travelers with health/breathing concerns, I am surprised there are not more of them.
Your thoughts? I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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