Depending on which survey you read, the biggest complaint that guests often have in hotels is the HVAC (or PTAC) systems. Our Service Experience Analysts have spent many restless nights fighting hotel air conditioning systems. First, it is too hot, then it is too cold… and it is always too loud! We came across a couple of good articles on hotelmanagement.net that we are glad to share.
In an article about managing the effect of PTAC noise, hotelmanagement.net gives some great tips. From the article:
“Imagine if you are in a car and you stomp your foot on the gas pedal to go full speed, then at every stoplight you turn the car off,” said AJ Bhimji, HVAC consultant for Hybrid PTAC Systems. “That’s the way PTACs have been used over the years.”
Bhimji recommends hotels use PTAC models with variable speed systems that allow the machine to alter its speed according to external information, allowing the device to work harder when it needs to and slowly power down to a lower setting when a certain comfort level is met.
Units capable of controlling their speed in this way create a consistent, non-disruptive noise, unlike machines that loudly spring to life after long periods of silence, and also create a more consistent atmosphere for the guestroom while saving energy. According to Bhimji, every time a unit powers on, it uses power equivalent to it running for 20 minutes.
Mechanical improvements to PTAC noise also include changes to the actual blower wheels. According to Douglas Mackemer, director of parts supplies and specialized equipment at Carrier Enterprise, modern blower wheels have switched from rounded shapes to a tangential shape that is smaller and has more veins to transmit air over a broader area, softening the sound.
Also, be sure to check out these articles from their site: