With all the precautions you are taking to protect your guests and staff against COVID-19, you should pay special attention to your drains and pipes. The interconnection of all parts of a hotel building by the wastewater plumbing system makes it vulnerable. The plumbing can be the conduit for the spread of the virus and stagnating water could increase the growth of Legionella bacteria and other pathogens. A recent article published in The Lancet explains how wastewater plumbing systems have the potential to enable airborne transmission of COVID-19. Buildings that have gone dormant for long stretches of time are especially...

HAMILTON, ONT.—Reduce the chances of slips and falls on surfaces throughout hotel settings with the new TracSafe Anti-Slip Sealer from Daich Coatings. With anti-slip ratings up to twice the OSHA standard, TracSafe provides aggressive anti-slip performance with all-weather durability for both interior and exterior areas around any hotel. New TracSafe Anti-Slip Sealer performs double-duty, as both a high performance clear coat that strengthens and protects surfaces, while also helping to protect the hotel guests and employees who walk on it from slip and fall mishaps. Its high-performance, odorless water-based technology bonds firmly to all types of flooring materials, from concrete,...

MCCOMB, OHIO—Crushproof Tubing launched its Simple Drain product (see video), an easy-to-clean and self-plunging drain trap, to the hotel industry. The decline in customers throughout the hotel industry is resulting in rooms being empty for extended periods of time. This can result in a very dangerous situation called “dry trap” where the water evaporates out of the traps that are critical in keeping sewer gasses from coming into living spaces through drain pipes. “We have heard from several hotel chains that they are paying people to flush toilets and run water in their sinks and showers to avoid the potential...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE has published two statements to define guidance on managing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease (Coronavirus) with respect to the operation and maintenance of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems in buildings. “In light of the current global pandemic, it’s critically important that ASHRAE responds with guidance on mitigating the transmission of the virus, as well as ventilation and filtration recommendations,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. “ASHRAE has a significant role to play in ensuring safe and healthy building environments and these statements offer the expert strategies needed at this time.” ASHRAE developed the...

Like a Tsunami coming at us with nowhere to hide, we’re all facing COVID-19 head-on. There’s no way out but charging head-on through it. It is encouraging that some things are under our control. For our partners and customers, we offer the following food for thought. We Can Provide Healthy Air When fresh outside air circulates through a building, it helps maintain a healthy indoor climate, which is especially critical these days. Investing in high-quality air filters using the latest technology will go a long way toward promoting occupant health. According to Justin Lendowski, Sales Engineer at Telkonet, “the higher MERV rating, the...

NATIONAL REPORT—Whether in fixed areas such as air handling systems or in portable devices such as air purifiers or germ-killing robots, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is being used to help combat the threat of coronavirus (COVID-19). UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10 percent of the total electromagnetic radiation output from the sun. In manmade lamps, more highly concentrated UV rays can be highly effective at killing germs, bacteria and viruses. UltraViolet Device, Inc. (UVDI), in a press release issued this month, says coronavirus is highly susceptible to germicidal UV irradiation. The susceptibility of coronavirus to UV rays...

ATLANTA—Oxy-Gen Powered, a leader in innovative air-freshening solutions, has entered into an agreement with Denver-based Sunlight Sales to represent its products in the Western United States. Sunlight Sales joins Oxy-Gen Powered’s network of manufacturers representatives groups, allowing Oxy-Gen to serve the entire U.S. market. “This is a significant strategic solution for our ongoing sales and marketing blueprint,” said Chris Whiting, Executive Vice President, Oxy-Gen Powered. “We now have the entire U.S. market covered with the highest quality sales organization. Sunlight Sales will be instrumental in introducing new customers to our products and supporting their long-term needs.” Sunlight Sales will be responsible...

HOUSTON—The Westin Houston Medical Center is the first and only hotel in the United States to utilize LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots to sanitize and disinfect its guestrooms and common areas to help combat the threat of coronavirus. The room disinfection technology, provided by San Antonio-based Xenex Disinfection Services, was developed by two epidemiologists in Houston, with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as their first customer. The Westin Houston Medical Center purchased two of the decontaminating robots, which are already at work sanitizing rooms inside the building. LightStrike robots have been proven to quickly destroy viruses, bacteria, and fungi using...

The rise of coronavirus infections across the globe has meant that many important events and conferences have been suspended. However, it is expected that once peaks subside and business eventually gets back to normal, the demand for clean, green centers will rise exponentially. Just five days ago, the Council on Foreign Relations canceled a roundtable called Doing Business Under Coronavirus, an indicator of the pause many businesses are being forced to take. When these events are once again in demand, what steps can you take to ensure your hotel’s conference space rates highly on the sustainability index? Follow these tips to stand out...

FAIRFIELD, CONN.—In ensuring the safest, most sanitized space for your guests—the most protected from the New Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)—ions are your best friend. So says Steve Levine and Tony Abate from AtmosAir Solutions. Their company’s technology has been proven to eliminate the Coronavirus, other viruses, bacteria, fungi and allergens. Levine is President & CEO of the Fairfield, Conn.-based company and Abate is Chief Technology Officer. At the core of AtmosAir systems is Bi Polar Ionization technology. Within an HVAC system or as a standalone unit, ionization tubes are placed. As airflow passes through the tubes, Bi Polar—positive and negative—ions are created...