Sheraton's Pure Rooms

Getting rid of pesky bugs in hotel rooms
By RASHVINJEET S. BEDI

Andersson: ‘Our process can maintain the hygienic conditions for extended periods of time’THE Subang Sheraton Hotel calls them the Pure rooms. These are allergy-friendly rooms that have been treated to minimise irritants such as mould spores, yeast, bacteria, pollen, dust mites and odours.

The hotel charges a premium of RM50 for each of its 10 “Pure” rooms.
“The response has been good, with many people wanting to stay in the rooms,” said Datin Jasmine Abdullah Heng, the hotel's general manager.

Sheraton plans to convert another 17 rooms by December. And if the concept shows further response, two floors of “Pure” rooms could be a reality.

“Anyone can make a room totally sterile. The problem is the recontamination process when you close the door and walk away. For example, mould spores can reappear in 24 hours,” said Goran Andersson, CEO of the American-based Pure Solutions.

Following requests from the hotel industry for a system to wipe out contamination, Pure Solutions spent more than US$1mil on research, working with American universities and laboratories.

“Our process can maintain the hygienic conditions for extended periods of time by using certain tools, equipment and chemicals. We did some tests with universities back home and 180 days after conversion, the room got much cleaner,” claimed Andersson.

There are more than 2,000 pure rooms worldwide including in China, Thailand and Singapore. The demand in Asia for the rooms is growing especially with the problems of SARS, bird-flu and haze.

In Malaysia, Enviroverks (M) Sdn Bhd has a joint venture with Pure Solutions to distribute the system.

A room takes one day to be converted with no change to the day-to-day operations for housekeeping and maintenance. The system itself has to undergo maintenance every three months.

Enviroverks CEO Nitesh Malani said the company hopes to tap into the government’s enthusiasm of developing the biotechnology sector.

“Under biotech, the microbiology technology is one of the focus areas. We plan to collaborate with local universities and hotel schools for research and development. We hope to develop the existing system further,” he said.

Pictures:

a. An air purifier placed in the Pure Room ensures good air quality.

b. Anildeep points to the chlorine filter attached to the bathroom’s shower head.

c. Sheraton Subang’s special touch to rooms: an aromatherapy oil burner.

d. Anildeep and Jasmine show the special covers made for the bed’s mattress.

Six steps to making a room ‘Pure’
1. The air-handling unit is cleaned and sanitised. Anti microbial treated filters and tea tree oil (TTO) deodoriser is installed. TTO gives the room a mild scent.

2. Dirt, bacteria and mould are cleaned off surfaces of upholstery and carpet.

3. A bacteria static barrier is applied to all room surfaces to repel micro-organisms.

4. High-shock ozone treatment kills mould, yeast and bacteria. It also removes odours caused by cigarettes, cigars and animals.

5. The 24-hour system air purifier (Class 2 medical device) recycles air and kills microorganisms.

6. Allergy-friendly bed casings are fitted to mattresses and pillows.
Maintenance is conducted every three months. This includes inspection of general room conditions, changing filter in the air handling unit and air purifier, upholstery cleaning and replacement of TTO canister.


News Source : STAR New Strait Times

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