Benefits of having an air purifier in your hotel

• Indoor air pollution in hotels
• Hotel guests’ opinions matter
• Benefits for the hotel facilities

How to optimize air quality in hotels

• Ventilate the indoor spaces
• Use an air purifier

Case Study: Hotel Terme Olympia for Vitesy

Vitesy Air Quality Management Service

• What is the Vitesy Air Quality Management service?
• Why it’s the perfect service for hotel indoor air quality

Eteria: the best air purifier for your needs

Benefits of having an air purifier in your hotel

Whether it’s for work or holidays, hotels are a common destination for travelers worldwide, and almost everyone has experienced the unique atmosphere of staying in one. 

One factor that tends to be overlooked but is actually one of the most fundamental ones to guarantee a positive hotel experience, is indoor air quality. Being invisible to the eyes, this is a silent threat both to the health of guests and staff members and to the reputation of the hotel.

The World Health Organization says that indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, and in a public and crowded environment this number can rise up to 10 times higher.

So let’s explore together what are the causes of indoor air pollution in hotels and how to prevent this problem with an air purifier in order to offer a high-quality experience to your hotel guests and make their wellbeing a priority with minimum effort.

Indoor air pollution in hotels

The sources of air pollution are countless and not always so obvious. The more evident ones come from what our senses can perceive, such as odors, cigarette smoke and dust. We are also all aware of the biological contaminants (e.g. molds, viruses, bacteria, dust..) and their effect on our health, now more than ever.

But the sources of pollutants are also hidden in everyday objects which we wouldn’t consider dangerous: paints, furniture, TVs, carpets, printers, heating and cooling systems, detergents, cleaning products, disinfectants, and so many others.

All these release VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, a group of chemicals that can contribute to indoor air pollution as they are released into the air and can be inhaled. Their effect on our health varies, but in general they can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Long-term exposure to certain VOCs can lead to more serious health risks, including respiratory and neurological issues.

Other pollutants that can cause harm to our health are PM10 and PM2.5, particulate matter with a diameter of respectively 10 and 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These can be produced from various sources, including combustion processes, vehicle exhaust, and also natural sources such as dust and pollen. They can be very dangerous due to their small size, as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and even reach the lungs.

Needless to say, cleaning the rooms and the common hotel spaces (lobby, restaurant, bar, pool…) is the first step to get rid of many pollutants, but that’s not enough. As we’ve seen, most cleaning products release VOCs themselves, so in order to give everyone the luxury of breathing clean and healthy air, we need to take an easy extra step.

Hotel guests’ opinions matter

Having laid the foundations of the danger and sources of indoor air pollution, we can now explore the more subjective side relative to the guests’ opinions. At the end of the day, their opinion is the one that matters most as it plays a really huge role in the success of a hotel.

Let’s start by sharing some data gathered from different sources.

According to a 2012 research by Expedia, four in ten guests prioritize good indoor air quality when choosing a hotel. And if this information is still not enough to convince you, more than 60% of guests give a higher rating to hotels who make a concern out of air quality. This means that the more you invest in offering your guests clean and healthy air, the more your business will thrive thanks to this improvement.

Another research by Carbon Lighthouse points out that for 77% of customers having data about the air quality of the hotel strongly impacts their hotel choice, and 52% would be even willing to pay more to stay at a hotel with a better air quality.

The pandemic changed our relationship with hygiene standards forever, as it made us all more aware of the importance of clean air. According to Initial, 68% of people are increasingly concerned about the pollutants present in the air they breathe in indoor spaces, while 71% are concerned about the impact of poor air quality on their health. This increase in awareness is a clear signal that we must take this matter more seriously and act accordingly to meet the changing needs of guests.

Good indoor air quality plays a bigger role than we think, but it brings a great return for hotels. This should become a priority, so that hotel guests can feel safer, sleep and breathe better, and establish a relationship of trust with them.

Benefits for the hotel facility

Opting for an air purifier, and in particular for Vitesy’s service which we’ll explore later, brings many benefits not only for guests, but also for the hotel facility itself. We’ve already covered some of the benefits in our LinkedIn newsletter Why hotels would prioritize clean air for a comfortable stay. 

First, a research conducted by Harvard and Syracuse Universities in office environments showed that employees performed 61% better with clean air, which is a significant rise in productivity levels. So you’d not only provide a healthier working condition for the hotel staff (and guests) and reduce the risk of them getting sick, but you’d also allow them to perform better, which can only bring positive results. 

Even though we’ve established the importance of air purifiers in hotels, not many offer this kind of perk to their guests. This means that when the hotel decides instead to provide all its guests with the luxury of breathing clean air, it offers an almost unique service, differentiating itself from the competition and increasing the likelihood of being chosen by guests.

Finally, opting for the Vitesy technology is making a conscious choice for a greener future. We care about our planet and that is why we do our best to be sustainable at every stage, from production (with no use of glues) to shipping (we joined the UPS's Carbon Neutral program). We’ll dive deeper into our green technology later.

How to optimize air quality in hotels

There are some small actions hotels can take in order to improve the air quality in their indoor spaces and ensure a healthy environment, among these switching to more natural cleaning products (and avoiding chemicals), monitor and keep humidity at an optimal level (between 40-60%), and adding some plants (even better if inside our Natede air purifier!).

Ventilate the indoor spaces

Opening the windows is the first and basic tip: it’s the best way to change the air and improve air recirculation, especially in places like hotels where spaces are often crowded and the stagnation of odors (and pollutants) is almost unavoidable. However, it’s better not to open the windows when there’s a high level of pollen, smog or poor outdoor air, but rather wait to do it at a more safe time.

Properly maintaining ventilation systems (HVAC) is also crucial as they can otherwise become a source of pollution themselves, as the filters can accumulate dirt and turn into a breeding ground for the accumulation and spread of viruses and bacteria. This could lead to an increased risk of respiratory diseases and lung infections.

Use an air purifier

Air purifiers are technological devices designed to improve indoor air quality by removing pollutants and contaminants from the air. By removing VOCs, odors, viruses, bacteria, and harmful substances, they create the perfect healthy environment for hotel guests and employees, thus being the most convenient way to take care of everyone’s wellbeing.

The air purification market is always expanding and there are many technologies available now. We covered some of them in a short but helpful newsletter, but the technology found to be most effective is photocatalysis, which is used by all Vitesy products. 

Thanks to our innovative photocatalytic filter, you can remove all pollutants in a safe way and don’t have to worry about changing the filter. Just wash it under water and it’s good to go, no extra costs and unnecessary waste over the years! 

You can read this article in the We:ll Magazine, Italian magazine about hospitality trends, which explains how you can make your hotel a sustainable ecosystem thanks to the Vitesy technology.

Now we’ll share an awesome case study we did in collaboration with Natural Thermal Hotel Olympia in Montegrotto Terme (Padua, Italy) in which we tested our Vitesy Air Quality Management service. So you can see for yourself all the amazing benefits our air purifiers can bring to hotels.

Case Study: Hotel Terme Olympia for Vitesy

Lodovica Carniello, Hotel Manager of Hotel Terme Olympia, has always been very interested and open to novelties and innovations that can improve her hotel, so when we reached out to explain our service, she was really impressed and happily decided to test it to enhance the quality of her facility.

After a smooth installation of our Eteria air purifiers inside the hotel and letting them test them for a while, we interviewed guests and cleaning staff to know what they think of it. Spoiler: everyone loved it!

The cleaning staff said that our air purifiers were very easy to maintain and weren’t a problem at all. The guests really appreciated the presence of an air purifier and the possibility of monitoring the temperature, and some even highlighted the importance of such a device in their room given the time we’re living in (as we’ve pointed out earlier, the pandemic drastically changed our view on this matter).

We provided them a monthly report which carefully explained how the values were that month, what the recommended ranges are and the effects these could have on our health. This allowed the Hotel to gain consciousness in which areas they need to focus their attention in order to guarantee a better air quality at all times.

In conclusion, this test was very successful and the positive impact our Eteria air purifiers had on the facility and its guests is undeniable.

Vitesy Air Quality Management Service

Now that we’ve shared the great results of our service, let’s take some time to explain it better.

What is the Vitesy Air Quality Management service?

The Air Quality Management (AQM) service is our indoor air monitoring and purification solution. It’s a subscription based program we set up to offer hotel guests and employees the luxury of breathing clean air. 

Thanks to this, you can basically rent our Eteria air purifier for the price of way less than a coffee a day! Not only this, but we’ll also help you strategically position your air purifiers so that you can have the best results with them.

Our Eteria air purifier has a double step purification: first a fabric pre-filter blocks larger particles like pollen, pet hair and dust, and then the photocatalytic filter eliminates the pollutants at molecular level and doesn’t simply collect them. Say goodbye to VOCs, bacteria and viruses, PM2.5 and bad odors.

Our filter is washable and doesn’t need to be replaced, making it a very sustainable and convenient choice: just wash it under water and it’s good to go! No more extra costs and waste over the years.

Finally, Eteria has some cutting-edge sensors that monitor: temperature, humidity, VOCs and CO2. These can be accessed through the Vitesy Hub app, where you can also see charts and change the fan mode to fit your needs (auto, silence, standard, performance, custom or timer).

Why it’s the perfect service for hotel indoor air quality

Choosing our Air Quality Management service comes with a lot of benefits, here’s a short list of the main ones:

• Dedicated dashboard to control all your air quality data in one place, so you’ll always be aware of the health of the air you’re breathing
• QR codes for your guests so that they can easily scan it to access the data about the air quality the device is monitoring
• Priority support for any kind of question or problem our team of experts will be at your disposal to solve the issue as soon as possible
• Periodic reports to let you know how’s your indoor air quality and what values need more attention in order to improve it, as well as informative content about the pollutants and their risks
• Export of data valid to obtain certifications and recognitions
• Tax benefits

If you’re interested in the Vitesy Air Quality Management, please visit the hospitality section on our website and get in contact with our sales team to get a dedicated offer.

Eteria: the best air purifier for your needs

You don’t need to go to a hotel to experience the benefits of our Eteria air purifier, you can also get one for your home and/or office! All the benefits listed earlier apply also to you, you’ll finally breathe clean and healthy air all the time and also be able to monitor the values and be sure your air quality is always perfect.

Also, if you buy more than one monitoring module you can build your own ecosystem and map the air quality of all your spaces, so that you can have everything under control in the Vitesy Hub app. What are you waiting for?