DAVIE, FLA.—AirRevive, a leader in sustainable HVAC refurbishment and retrofit services, recently announced its been awarded a guestroom air-conditioning project at the Houston Marriott Medical Center during the hotel’s renovation. Utilizing its sister company’s expertise as a specialty engineering solutions manufacturer, AirRevive developed an affordable method to re-commission fan coil units comparable to off the shelf units. Improvements to existing units that increase guest comfort include quiet operation, faster cooling and heating, accurate temperature sets and reduced humidity.Before AirRevive created its niche in the hospitality industry, the 34-year-old units could have been deemed at the end of their life,...

NEW YORK—Buildings of at least 10 stories in height have the most potential to suffer from the chimney effect if rooftop vents are open at the top of elevator shafts. The chimney effect occurs when heated air is given an opportunity to escape through a rooftop. This can add costs, of course, as makeup air coming into the building through the lobby must be heated. According to Grant Salmon, Deputy Director, Steven Winter Associates, New York, the taller the building, the greater the chimney effect. “In a taller building there is greater pressure,” he says. “The temperature differential also...

BOURNE, MASS.—Onset, a leader in data loggers, announced the availability of a new white paper, “Managing Carbon Dioxide Risk: What You Should Know.” Developed by Onset and Greg Lowitz, CEO and founder of the structural forensics firm Buildera, this 13-page guide explains the risks associated with elevated carbon dioxide levels and discusses how data logging can be a cost-effective indicator of degraded indoor air quality and sick-building syndrome.Facility managers and building engineers can utilize the practical information and tips included in the guide to help them make informed decisions about CO2 data logger selection, calibration, and deployment.A free copy...

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Excel Dryer, Inc. introduces the new ThinAir Hand Dryer, a high-efficiency surface-mounted model that protrudes no more than four inches from the wall, making it ADA-Compliant. ThinAir dries hands in 15 seconds, operates on 960 watts.“The ThinAir Hand Dryer eliminates the need to recess the dryer into a restroom wall to achieve ADA compliance, which is beneficial for facilities with walls that are difficult to modify,” said Excel Dryer Vice President of Marketing, William Gagnon. “ThinAir has a lower cost of ownership than other hand dryers, and is easier to install making it a cost effective and...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earlier this summer hand dryer maker Dyson Inc. released an e-mail linking to a video that demonstrates how one of its competitor’s hand dryers can potentially blow washroom air containing bacteria, viruses and even fecal matter onto your hands. Of its competitor’s hand dryer, the video said, “It sucks in the dirty air and blows it straight onto your hands so you think your hands are clean…but are they?” Other Dyson videos focusing on two other competing hand dryers make similar claims—that the two dryers just redistribute dirty air. Whether true or not, what the videos show is...

DAVIE, FLA.—AirRevive announces the completion of a hotel guestroom fan coil unit refurbishment project at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott, a fixture at Newark Airport since 1983.Marriott and Host Hotels and Resorts demonstrated their continued commitment to the environment and guest comfort by choosing AirRevive to refurbish the property’s 595 guestroom air conditioners. The decision to refurbish over replacement not only saves money, but also avoids discarding close to 600 air conditioners.AirRevive refurbishment of the Unilux guestroom vertical fan coil units included cleaning and disinfecting the coils, reconditioning the blower assembly, refurbishing the condensate pan with epoxy coating,...

DECATUR, GA.—Seresco USA Inc., Decatur, Ga., a leading indoor pool mechanical dehumidifier manufacturer, introduces the three-model NE Series Compact Cabinets, which are pool/spa room dehumidifiers with enclosures designed specifically for mounting above suspended ceilings and other small, tight spaces. The Compact Cabinet models target humidity control in small aquatic-centric spaces containing physical therapy pools, spas, swim-spas and other small vessels used in healthcare, medical office, assisted living, condo, small hotel and residential buildings.The Compact Cabinet models feature Seresco’s NE Series 2, 3 or 4-ton units, but in a new 46 (d) x 32 (w) x 22 (h)-inch enclosure reconfiguration...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added an AirRevive case study to its website. The case study details the successful refurbishing and re-commissioning of 167 fan coils at a Marriott hotel—a process that took 21 days.The hotel that runs at 98 percent occupancy year round needed to upgrade or replace their guestroom fan coil units. The units were not properly operating to cool and heat. This resulted in guestroom complaints, reduced guest satisfaction and the consumption of more energy for less return. The challenge for this airport property was the property could not...

ALBANY, N.Y.—A bill proposed by state lawmaker Ken Zebrowski (A08371) would ban smoking rooms within lodging establishments in New York. Zebrowski announced the legislation during a press event last week at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern—Mahwah, N.Y. He was joined by the general manager of the Crowne Plaza as well as by a representative of the American Lung Assn. The American Lung Assn., POW’R Against Tobacco, American Cancer Society and the American Heart Assn. have all expressed support of the legislation.Zebrowski told Green Lodging News that he was inspired to act because of his own experiences staying at hotels...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International announced that Comfort Inn will join Comfort Suites in implementing a 100 percent smoke-free policy beginning July 1, 2016, making Comfort the largest hotel brand in the United States to do so with more than 1,700 properties across the country. Becoming the largest hotel brand to provide a smoke-free environment reinforces the Comfort brand’s commitment to wellness and helping travelers feel refreshed while on the road.“This smoke-free initiative is the latest in a series of bold steps the Comfort brand is taking to enhance the guest experience and deliver the needs of today’s business and...