Sales of air conditioners for hotels are growing due to the increase in the construction and remodeling of these buildings. Customer advice, low energy consumption, lower noise and reasonable price are the elements that play in the purchase decision.
By Vanesa Restrepo
Due to the volume of customers they manage and the continuous use of the hands of people who do not always know how to operate a team, the hospitality sector is one of the main clients of the HVACR sector. And it is that since a facility for hospitality is conceived, we think about the comfort conditions that will be offered, because finally what is about selling is a service and a sense of well-being. Can you imagine a paradisiacal beach destination, the most incredible structural design and a heat of hell in the lobby and an unbearable embarrassment in the rooms?
Thus, once you think about the operation of a hotel, different equipment enters the shopping list, from split equipment, minisplit and window for rooms, to ice water systems for each floor, the lobby and restaurants, through energy and water saving systems. The elements that are considered when acquiring one of these equipment are quality and duration, although in some segments (two- and three-star hotels) the issues related to the initial cost of the investment are still prioritized.
First line of importance
It is relevant to highlight in the first instance the difference between the split and mini split systems with the central systems. The former are the equipment that is usually installed to keep small spaces such as rooms cool and that are normally recessed into the wall, while the latter require elaborate design work in the infrastructure of the hotel, ductwork and larger equipment and, in the case of an industry company that does not have fireplaces, they are used for larger areas such as the kitchens, the lobby or the restaurant.
On the importance of ventilation systems, the president of Protec, Inc.; Alfredo Sotolongo said that "air conditioning is important in hotels, since for most companies of this type the comfort of their guests is paramount, especially in the towns between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn where the outside air is hot and humid because it is not in the vicinity of the mountains".
While the type of air conditioning solution for a hotel is determined by the size of the hotel and the number of rooms, there is one aspect that many hotel chains consider, regardless of their size, and that is to offer the best comfort to customers and employees with the lowest energy consumption, which ultimately means money and high costs in the operation of a hotel.
Likewise, to determine which type of system is the most recommended for the business, it is necessary to analyze variables such as the location of the installation, the size of the rooms, the distribution and type of common areas, the spaces available for the location of the air conditioning systems, the electricity rates of the area, etc.
A care choice
Miguel Ángel Hernández, distribution director, of Johnson Controls in Mexico, highlights the advantages of split and mini split systems as equipment that has ease and flexibility in installation by not requiring duct systems. They are flexible applications for both new and existing hotels, as they require minimal space for assembly and commissioning.
He adds that they also have low installation costs because they are of high consumption in the global scope for residences, hotels, among others, and their energy efficiency provides ample zoned comfort.
For his part, Alfredo Sotolongo spoke of central air conditioning systems, particularly cooling towers. He explained that depending on the size of the hotel, central ice water systems are recommended where a chiller cools the water that is distributed throughout the building to the "fan coil" units that are in the rooms and the handling units that are in the rest of the hotel.
"The biggest advantage of ice water systems is that they allow you to diversify the load. This means that not all rooms will be at maximum thermal load at the same time, therefore, the total capacity of this type of air conditioning system is lower than that of other types of systems that are not ice water, "said Sotolongo.
Likewise, this expert added that "hotel chains always require central air conditioning systems, first to offer comfort to their guests and also to ensure that carpets, wallpapers, furniture and others do not deteriorate with the high humidity of certain places."
Other considerations
If we talk about central air conditioning systems for hotels, the cost of the initial investment is lower if it is installed during the construction process, in addition to the fact that the hotel will not incur temporary closures and discomfort for guests.
Returning to the split and mini split equipment, Miguel Ángel Hernández, the guest of the company Johnson Controls, said that the trends and functionalities that the consumer of these equipment is looking for are the following:
- Energy efficiency: "By far the biggest concern of the global consumer given the growth in the cost of energy," he explained.
- Zoned control: It is the ability to provide conditioning on demand through systems that serve multiple areas.
- Integration: "The hotelier and other consumers seek to have a network that allows the manipulation of the different systems of the building: security, air conditioning, ambient music, among others.
Likewise, this professional added that the commercialization of this equipment in the hotel industry has been harmed because according to him "the hotel sector, like many others in the world economy, has been significantly affected by the global economic recession, however this has always been a very dynamic sector so we trust in a soon return to growth", Pointed out.
When asking Hernández about the specific needs of the hotel sector in terms of air conditioning, he said that in this industry multi-zone products are required, with the highest energy efficiency, low maintenance costs, reliability in operation, functionality and simplicity in handling.
Something that cannot be overlooked, and on which Sotolongo emphasized specially, is that the ventilation of bathrooms and kitchens must be seriously considered since the air that is extracted must be replaced with outside air that is normally humid and hot, which represents a considerable increase in the thermal load.
To highlight
The business continues to grow
The construction of hotels in Latin America is going through a boom that, according to the calculations of the tourism authorities, will last for the next four years. That implies a direct benefit for the air conditioner industry, given that most of these complexes are located in tropical beach areas.
The most recent statistics indicate that in Colombia 1,700 new rooms were opened in 2010, which required an investment of close to US $ 1,700 million. In Panama, 10,000 new rooms are expected to be built in the next three years, with investments of more than US$2,000; while in Chile, for 2011 alone, investments of more than US$1 billion were estimated for the hotel sector.
Thus, it is preponderant that AC companies approach their customers, invest in advertising and promote their latest technology products, so that they benefit from the hotel boom that, at least until now, it is not known how long it will last. The opportunity is served.
