Excel Dryers puts focus on wellness, sustainability

As travelers become more aware than ever of both sustainability and wellness, hoteliers are seeking products that can keep their guests healthy and protect the environment—all without breaking the bank. 

Excel Dryer is a family owned and operated manufacturing company based in East Longmeadow, Mass., that has been manufacturing hand dryers for more than 50 years.

“What we sell really is hygienic, cost-effective and sustainable touchless hand hygiene solutions,” said William Gagnon, the company’s VP of marketing and sales. The company has installed its hand dryers, particularly under the Xlerator brand, in hotels flying Hilton, Fairmont and Marriott flags, Gagnon said. “Our products help solve local problems of all commercial facilities, and basically help them save time, money and the environment.” 

Wellness

After nearly two years of singing “Happy Birthday” while washing hands, guests are very aware of how important clean hands can be. Wet hands, Gagnon said, could be 1,000 times more susceptible to transfer or receive germs. “So dry hands are paramount, and our products dry your hands thoroughly, and they do it quickly,” he said. 

Excel’s dryers have HEPA filtration, and Gagnon said the units have been tested to remove “99.999 percent” of viruses from the airstream. “380 million viruses were put through our Xlerator hand dryer and basically zero came out the other end,” he said.

Sustainability

According to Gagnon, using a high-speed energy-efficient hand dryer like Excel’s Xlerator brand can reduce a business’ carbon footprint by up to 75 percent. “People think that recycled paper towels are the most environmentally friendly way to dry your hands, and that couldn't be further from the truth,” he said. For paper products—even recycled paper products—the material needs to be manufactured and then transported to each location, where it can only be used once before it returns to the waste stream.

Cost

Gagnon said another benefit hand dryers have over paper towels is cost, and estimated the machines deliver a 95 percent cost savings compared to paper products. “They typically have a return on investment in less than one year,” he said, noting that hoteliers can include purchasing and installing the units as part of an operational fund investment or a capital investment.

Excel Dryer

Fewer paper products in a bathroom also mean fewer staff members will need to spend time in the room cleaning it, Gagnon added. “Hotels are being asked to do more and add steps to their maintenance procedures—and they’re doing it with less people,” he said. By taking paper towels out of the equation, hoteliers do not need someone to place the order, someone to stock the delivery, someone to refill the dispensers and someone to clean the waste and replace the garbage bins in the bathroom. 

Before the pandemic, Gagnon said, hoteliers focused mainly on cost savings when deciding what hand-drying options they would install in public restrooms, with savings in labor, maintenance and the environment following. “Post-pandemic, [hygiene] is probably looked at first and foremost,” he said, with cost savings and labor, maintenance and environmental concerns now less important.

The next evolution in hotel restrooms will likely be integrated sink systems, Gagnon said, with a hand dryer on the sink next to the soap dispenser and faucets. “You can wash, rinse and dry all at the same time in your own safe space,” he said. “You're not crossing paths with other people if you have to turn around and go get the paper towel or use the hand dryer—that might drip water on the floor. It’s an enhancement to the whole experience into the hand hygiene process.” 

Clicking with Clients

Since the pandemic made in-person visits especially challenging, the Excel Dryer team has been meeting with clients virtually, Gagnon said. “We've enhanced our materials to be able to send our message more clearly, creating enhanced videos and things like that, knowing that people will need to watch and listen and learn and can't do it face-to-face,” he said. When customers—and potential customers—watch the videos, read the case studies and can talk to a representative directly, “they understand the benefits,” Gagnon added.

Logic in Logistics

Since Excel was determined to be an essential manufacturer, its team spent the pandemic in its factory building the dryers that would keep hands as clean as possible. “We made all the adjustments in the factory to separate employees and we've added the bipolar ionization fans to help circulate air and protect our employees,” Gagnon said. The sales and marketing and customer service teams, meanwhile, moved to a mostly remote set-up with a skeleton crew in the office. “People [are] coming into the office a few more days during the week in the rotation than before.”