Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a significant role in both the comfort and health of hotel guests and employees. Fresh, conditioned air helps create a pathogen-free environment.
Pressurizing the building with fresh outside air prevents unconditioned air from infiltrating when doors open, which can introduce unpleasant temperature extremes or moisture, causing discomfort, according to Scott Lenger, director, global enterprise solutions for hospitality at Carrier Global Corporation. This also helps avoid mold and mildew growth, which can damage the property and trigger allergens.
“Bringing in fresh, conditioned outside air and pressurizing the building makes it comfortable and preserves the asset,” he said.
The importance of clean IAQ extends beyond comfort. Research has shown that IAQ significantly affects cognitive functions, particularly in work environments like hotels. Lenger shared that Carrier Global funded a study from Harvard University that demonstrated improved cognitive functions for individuals in spaces with good IAQ, particularly relevant in hotel settings.
“This impacts guests, whether they’re working in their hotel rooms or attending a conference in the hotel, and it impacts the hotel employees and their cognitive function and physical health as they’re working,” he said.
Inadequate IAQ—whether due to high levels of carbon dioxide or pollutants—can cause discomfort, making it harder for people to focus or even stay awake.
“If you’re in an area that doesn’t have sufficient fresh air intake, you may be in an environment where there’s too high levels of carbon dioxide,” said Lenger, adding that this leads to a lack of oxygen, which can hinder mental performance.
Ensuring clean air and proper filtration is essential in maintaining a safe environment for both guests and staff.
“Distributing the air through a high-rated MERV filter is important,” said the Carrier executive. “We produce standalone units that have HEPA filters, and they filter and clean the air. We would put them in meeting rooms to filter out any pathogens so that they’re not recirculating to the room for people to breathe.”
These filtration systems are essential in reducing the risk of airborne illness transmission, and hoteliers can take further steps by ensuring air-handling systems are functioning properly. According to Lenger, it’s vital that hoteliers check that filters are changed regularly, and that the equipment is rated for the type of filters being used to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the systems.
Hoteliers have a range of options to ensure air quality is maintained at optimal levels. First and foremost, Lenger recommends ensuring that makeup air systems—those that bring fresh air into a building to replace air that’s been exhausted—are operating effectively.
“If you walk through 10 hotel properties, there’s probably going to be 40% of them where the outside air systems and recirculation systems aren’t properly functioning,” he noted.
Additionally, building automation systems that can monitor IAQ, humidity levels and carbon dioxide concentrations are incredibly valuable.
“Automation systems can tell you when you have a humidity issue, when there’s not enough fresh air coming into a space, and when carbon dioxide levels are too high,” Lenger said. These systems help manage air quality proactively by adjusting fresh air ventilation or triggering dehumidification cycles when necessary.
One innovative solution implemented in some hotels is an air quality dashboard displayed in public spaces. These dashboards show the temperature, humidity and the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air, helping guests feel confident about the air they’re breathing. Lenger shared a story about a hotel that displayed such a dashboard during a convention, resulting in a significant reduction in complaints about temperature and comfort.
“Displaying that air quality data actually reduced the number of complaints to practically zero,” he said.
