REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.—Wynd, described by its CEO, Ray Wu, as a startup based in the Bay area of California, recently revealed the results of a study it had conducted over the past 2.5 years of air quality of hotels in the Las Vegas area. Using Wynd’s Indoor Air Quality Tracker, researchers crowdsourced tens of thousands of data points to measure and benchmark indoor air quality (IAQ) across 28 hotels on the Vegas strip. Taking measurements of fine dust within the lobbies or common areas of these facilities, Wynd cross referenced the data with the EPA’s Air Quality Index to compare and benchmark the hotels’ IAQ levels on a scale from good to hazardous. The results of the study were stunning.
The case study showed there are significant differences between hotels’ IAQ levels, with the worst hotel being 80 times worse than the best one. These differences exist even though the hotels are close to one another. The hotel with the worst air quality had a concentration of dust worse than the average air quality day in Beijing or New Delhi.
While Wynd did not point out the names of the hotels with the worst air quality, it did say that The Aria Resort, Park MGM, and Wynn Las Vegas were the top three hotels in terms of cleanest air. At the time of the study, their average air quality was just as good or better than outside air on a non-polluted day.
Wynd’s study results show five hotels fell into the moderate level of concern, which the EPA describes as “air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some guests, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.” One establishment fell into the unhealthy range, and another in the very unhealthy range, defined by the EPA as “an increased health risk for everyone.”
“Technologies are now cheap enough to get good information on air quality,” Wu says, “We chose to spotlight the healthy hotels. We would prefer to go to the other hotels and help them improve.”
A Holistic Approach to IAQ
With many air purifiers on the market, Wu sees his system as unique because it includes sensors, purifiers, and an app. “At the very beginning we saw IAQ as a holistic problem,” he says.
The Wynd Air Quality Tracker, which uses the same monitoring technology that was deployed to collect the hotel data, is available from Wynd for anyone wishing to consistently monitor indoor or outdoor air quality. It senses airborne particulate matter—including dust, allergens, and industrial pollution—in real time. The small tool connects to a mobile app for ready-to-read results, so anyone can detect invisible hazards in any environment.
PM2.5 or Particulate Matter, which the EPA defines as “fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller,” are about 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Studies link inhalation of these fine particles to health risks including heart disease, heart attack, asthma and other respiratory symptoms. High levels of PM2.5 also strongly suggest that other pollutants and germs are also not being appropriately ventilated or filtered out.
The EPA acknowledges two primary solutions to IAQ. However, the effectiveness of the first—diluting pollutants with ventilation from outdoor air—is often limited by poor outdoor air quality or weather conditions. The second option, portable air cleaners and HVAC or furnace filters and other duct-mounted air cleaners installed in a central HVAC system is a logical preventative measure, according to Wynd. Wu says polluted indoor air can be easily remedied with Wynd’s suite of monitoring and purification tools.
Wynd’s proprietary Wynd Halo Pro includes more than 16 sensors and measures a wide range of indoor pollutants. Wynd’s enterprise software provides an overview of IAQ over time and space. It identifies potential hotspots in stagnant air flow or high pollutant areas and sends alerts to keep occupants healthy and buildings well run.
“We encourage all hotels and public establishments to incorporate both monitoring and purification technology into their buildings as both a value-add and safety measure,” Wu says.
The Dirty Air/Covid Connection
“Indoor PM2.5 levels have direct correlations to how well the building is taking care of ventilation and filtration, which can dramatically reduce viral spread of COVID,” Wu says. “Staying at a hotel with 80 times the concentration of fine particles also suggests a similar increase in concentration of other forms of particles, including viruses and aerosols that can spread disease.”
“Air is invisible, and the subtleties of air quality between different spaces or buildings can be hard to discern with human senses, and difficult to keep track or to compare,” Wu adds. “However, with low-cost, accurate and distributed sensors, one can start building a picture of which places are healthy and which places need improvement. The implications of this study at scale—across different built environments including hospitality, education, office, and more—can improve health and wellness for society as well as help bring us back from this time when everyone is afraid to be in shared spaces again.”
Wu says that HVAC systems are typically the primary means of ventilation and filtration in hotels, but HVAC systems were not designed to remove small particles. That is where air purification products like his company’s WYND Max come in. “Our products get at the root of how Covid is transmitted,” he says.
Air Purifier Placement
Air purifiers can be placed in guestrooms or in large, crowded areas to help provide peace of mind to guests and staff. “The best spot to park an air purifier is near the center of the room, but because rooms come in all kinds of funny shapes and layouts, that’s not always possible,” Wu says. “Wynd’s bundle splits up the air purifier and the air quality monitor. You position the orange-sized Halo air quality monitor anywhere in the same room, and the WYND Max air purifier—equipped with HEPA filters and rated by Wynd to cover 1,200 square feet—varies its filtering power based on the data received from the Halo.”
Wu says air purifiers can vary significantly. In the case of the WYND Max, for example, it can clean 200 square feet every 5 minutes. It purifies and kills 99.99 percent of germs and filters out a long list of items including smoke, dander, pollen, dust, viral aerosol, smog, pollution, paint, and bacteria. The filter includes an anti-microbial pre-filter interlaced with germ-killing silver, a layer with coconut shell activated carbons that removes toxic gasses such as formaldehyde, and a HEPA filter plus carbon that removes particulates.
The Wynd system can integrate with building management software and Wu says his company can help automate a building’s HVAC system, allowing it to run more efficiently. The simple presence of operating portable air purifiers can reduce the need for the turnover of air by the HVAC system—saving energy. According to Wynd, it designs compostable filters for their full suite of purification products.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
