Even as Covid restrictions on travel are eased, travelers will likely maintain a heightened awareness of the cleanliness and safety of the environment they encounter on their travels. Hoteliers should be ready to meet these expectations with facilities that are clean and safe– and put their guests at ease. This should extend beyond the services provided by housekeeping staff– clean bedding, floors, fixtures, and bathrooms–to include the air that is circulating within the room itself. Now, thanks to advanced HVAC technology, clean filtered and conditioned outdoor air can be brought directly into the guestroom– quietly, efficiently, and effectively. And as hotel developers move towards smaller, more compact guestrooms, today’s advanced HVAC equipment has evolved (and downsized) to provide optimum comfort, efficiency, and clean fresh air into these spaces.
Space-saving Without Compromising Performance
Prior HVAC designs for bringing fresh air into a hotel required large, (and sometimes unsightly) rooftop units that pushed fresh air throughout the entire property, but forward-thinking manufacturers have integrated new fresh air capabilities into closet-installed and smaller packaged HVAC units. Now, hotels of any size in any location – whether before breaking ground or even some existing properties – can reap the key benefits of this game-changing IAQ technology.
Thanks to its fresh air capabilities, Friedrich VRP® studio, the latest addition to the award-winning VRP® line, is well-suited to ease guest concerns about the air they breathe. VRP studio is designed for today’s smaller hotel rooms. With a small (23-inch x 23-inch) footprint, it saves valuable floor space for furniture and fixtures. And although compact, it provides up to 35 CFM of filtered, conditioned fresh air into the guestroom, and can help owners achieve ASHRAE 62.1 requirements for indoor air. Providing fresh air directly into the guestrooms means large rooftop units can be considerably downsized to service only the common areas of the property. This reduces system complexity and can pay big dividends when there is an HVAC equipment issue. If one unit is taken out of operation, a hotel loses one or just a few rooms; losing a rooftop system means a hotel must shut down more rooms and services, ultimately diminishing operating ability.
Flex Cooling/Heating Capacities Provide Optimum In-Room Comfort
Beyond its fresh air capabilities, the VRP studio is sure to please guests with its precise temperature and comfort control. Temperature fluctuations are almost non-existent thanks to its variable speed, Precision Inverter® compressor. Think of a light switch – a single-speed standard compressor makes the light simply go on and off, but the Precision Inverter variable speed compressor operates like a dimmer, where the equipment has the flexibility to set the light at various shades depending on individual preference. Rated at 7,000 BTUs, VRP studio has an operating range of 3,800 to 10,000 BTUs. The results are continuous optimized comfort, dramatically reduced temperature swings, and improved in-room humidity levels. Add this to quieter start-up and operation, plus robust insulation to minimize sound, and VRP studio helps promote better, more restful sleep, a precious commodity for both business and leisure travelers. That translates into an elevated guest experience and enhanced loyalty. And as an added bonus to the hotel’s bottom line, the unit’s energy efficiency and reduced on-off cycling will reduce energy costs. Energy management controllers offer options for energy management and even greater savings.
Step Up to CDC, EPA and ASHRAE Recommended Air Filtration
You can choose to take clean indoor air to an even higher level and provide the ultimate in clean and safe indoor air for guests. All VRP units can now be fitted with an optional MERV 13 filter, one of the new air quality solutions that are part of Friedrich’s FreshAire® IAQ, a suite of indoor air quality (IAQ) accessories for use with Friedrich air conditioners, all with one dedicated purpose- healthy indoor air. Leading authorities, including the CDC, EPA, and ASHRAE recommend upgrading your filter to a MERV 13 or higher to help guard against the spread of infectious airborne particles, including COVID-19. MERV 13 filters are 85% or more effective at capturing particles down to 1 micron in size*. The COVID-19 virus travels on particles and nuclei between 1 and 6 microns in size. Your guests will be thrilled to know that you are providing exceptional indoor air quality.
Existing properties that are currently utilizing Friedrich Vert-I-Pak® units can choose to upgrade to VRP studio as the units are a direct-fit replacement. Variable refrigerant packaged units with fresh air capabilities are shaping smarter HVAC hospitality solutions by raising guest satisfaction, boosting financial rewards with more effective energy consumption, and downsizing cumbersome equipment without sacrificing performance. In today’s lodging environment, these solutions are literally a breath of fresh air.
*ASHRAE Standard 52.2-2017