Circular Economy Business Model?

How 'Well' Is Your Hotel?

By Nancy Loman Scanlon, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

In January of 2020 the response to 'How Well is Your Hotel' focused on the increasingly popular trend 'Wellness'. Hotels, resorts and spas internationally have incorporated this trend, offering a wide range of guest focused services and activities based on the principles of well-being: fitness, nourishment and mindfulness'. In March of 2020, relating wellness to a lodging/spa property took on a very different set of criteria and definitions.

The onset of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus pandemic impacted the tourism and hospitality industry, closing down facilities across the globe. As a response to COVID-19, major hotel companies quickly opened their web sites with banners announcing COVID-19 preventive practices and policies for staff and customers. Marriott International has a continuing program 'Commitment to Clean', Hilton Hotels 'Clean Stay Program' partnered with RB Products Lysol and Dettol and Hyatt Hotels partnered with the Cleveland Clinic. All three hotel companies responded with a concerted attempt to convince customers and investors of their focused efforts to create a 'safe environment' for the 'wellbeing of guests and associates'.

Customer confidence that lodging companies will focus on their safety and well-being has become the key focus of hotel marketing efforts. With business travel down significantly, efforts are focused on the individual traveler. Currently the spread of COVID19 variants across the United States and globally, coupled with mixed messages as to restrictions and regulations, and regional, large group gatherings has created outbreaks of COVID19 virus 'hot spots' and increased concerns about the safety and common sense of travel. While large populations across the countries have received vaccines there are still groups that are not yet vaccinated or resistant to being so.

How now do owners and companies face the reality that this will not 'all go away soon'? Individual travelers on expendable income budgets are focusing on lower rates rather than quality facilities. The business traveler is generally staying in their home office, leaving mid-range and luxury hotels to rely on financially able individual travelers seeking vacations and away from home breaks. While the source of customers remains unsure, what is consistent is the need to provide staff and guests with the assurance that 'Safety and Wellness of Staff and Associates' is at the forefront of hotel operating practices. It is not just the customer that is uneasy about coming back to hotels. Hotel staff are reluctant to return to a work place population that is constantly changing. Many younger employees have not had access to vaccines and are also unsure of the health status of incoming hotel guests. Line level employees work in direct contact with guest areas, sleeping rooms and restaurants where people are often without face masks and gathering in groups. So how then to demonstrate the actual operating practices that will give both staff and customers confidence?

Operating Practices for Well Hotels: Safety and Wellness

practices, mask and distancing policies, food handling regulations in the kitchens and food service outlets are the key components. There is however, a much larger area of operations that needs to be addressed in that umbrella of 'Safety and Wellness". The key areas of air quality, water quality and comfort quality have always been a focus of operations, but not necessarily a priority with the customer.

Air Quality and Comfort have generally been combined together under heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Today we see this as two separate operational areas with each now given separate priorities. Air Quality, unless you have a health concern such as asthma or allergies, has generally been thought of by customers as a function of heating and air conditioning. While no one wanted to be caught around people sneezing and coughing, it was a reality of being out in public. Start to cough or sneeze in a public area today and people flee for the nearest exit spraying disinfectant as they go. Wellness in Air Quality is about Life Quality

In May 2021, the quality of the air we breath has taken on a whole new meaning. Whether fresh or conditioned (heated or cooled), air quality in public space areas is expected to be filtered and monitored for particulate matter. We once opened doors and windows with the idea of flushing out 'used and contaminated air' with fresh outside air. We are now 'designing for air quality' with the newest practices in air quality monitors and high grade air filters. We are considering technology that will monitor air quality for viruses, fire smoke, dust storms, car exhaust and other particulates and installing air handling unites specifically for outside air intake with high grade air filters. Air quality monitors are blue tooth enabled making them much more flexible. UV (ultra violet) systems implemented to disrupt the virus, require specific contact times, creating the challenge of monitoring the flow of air. The value of these air quality efforts cannot be underestimated. Brian Lomel, PE, TLC Engineering Solutions while recently speaking about air quality issues, noted that "If I tell them (investors) we are building a healthy smart building that has air quality monitors I can raise capital overnight."

Indoor air quality is also about air flow and duct work. In a conversation with indoor air quality consultant Sterling Laylock, these questions were posed for hotel property operators: What is the condition of a building's HVAC rooftop systems? Was the duct work installed properly?

CDC regulations require that a building take in more outside air into the ventilation system where possible in an attempt to dilute possible contaminants. Can the building meet that requirement? Can the HVAC system remove humidity from that airflow at the rate that it is coming into air handling units and at what cost to energy efficiency? In an effort to manage the risks and associated financial costs of these decisions, what are the accessible trade offs? How will we really know what works? 2.Enact some of the engineering controls mentioned. 3. Verify the efficacy of the implemented controls specific to the established baseline.

In addition use ground breaking pathogen technology that leverages DNA#articles which safety mimic the mobility of airborne pathogens like COVID19.

Perhaps your building is using a combination of decentralized and centralized air handling units. The maintenance plan for decentralized window/wall mounted units is certainly on a different schedule given today's challenges than was previously in effect. This makes the installation of air quality monitors in every impacted room a responsible investment, demonstrating consistent data driven decisions that will need to be fully documented if and when confronted with possible litigation. Comfort

Healthy, smart buildings are also about COMFORT. How do we create comfort in a built environment that supports 'wellness' without producing excess carbon emissions? How do we create ambient temperatures that combine natural heat and cooling sources in addition to that produced by air conditioners and heating units? Ventilation is about removing humidity from the air. In hot climates this is about reducing the risk for mold. Treatment plans for ventilation loads, like lighting loads, is climate specific.

The operational benefits of natural light sources vary by climate. In cold climates, untreated glass will radiate cold and create a demand for indoor heat. In hot climates the reverse applies with glass radiating heat into the space and increasing the AC load. The challenge of operational designing for lighting with hotels is to factor in the value of the view even while trying to reduce the amount of heat induced energy or radiant cold coming into the building. Biophilic Design is indoor design for wellness creating green spaces in buildings, particularly public indoor areas in hotels. Green walls and indoor plantings recycle air, removing carbon and releasing oxygen. Natural light harvesting captures the heat in light, provides the benefits of vitamin D and the psychological impacts of open space. Water in the form of fountains and/or flowing channels provides acoustical sound buffers and creates a soothing psychological impact. WELL Building Standard

The International Well Building Institute Well Building Standard has created a WELL building certification. "The WELL Building Standard takes a holistic approach to health in the built environment addressing behavior, operations and design…. and focuses on seven aspects of a building for the WELL Building Standard: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort and Mind".

How well is YOUR Building? How many of the operating practices and designs touched on here are currently in practice in your buildings? New ways of prioritizing the operation of healthy buildings will increase both financial value and consumers' perceived value of businesses.