Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 - (Page 44)

44 Technology PTACS H&MM June 2, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition BY JASON Q. FREED, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Don’t judge a tech TALK Kaba IIco signed an agreement with ResortQuest to install the Oracode keyless access system for its managed properties. Oracode Locks will be installed in vacation rentals managed by ResortQuest throughout North America. GE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PTAC by its cover Another energy-saving feature that PTACs offer is a heat sentinel, which will kick the cooling unit on once the temperature in a room reaches a certain high temperature. This way, the room can cool slowly rather than use maximum power to cool an overheated room. Amana offers an energy-management system centered on occupancy detection that can be added to its PTAC units to conserve energy use. “We have a door sensor system, and when the guest walks out of the room it goes into setback mode,” said Tom Guffey, v.p., Amana brand PTAC sales division. “Conservatively, the heating and cooling system is 50 percent of a property’s load. You can get a 20- to 30-percent reduction with an occupancy-sensor device.” TOP FOUR Things to look for in a PTAC Efﬁciency Guest comfort Reliability Service and serviceability Source: James Benz, marketing manager, GE Consumer and Industrial Changes in industry will cost hoteliers of heat exchange on a PTAC, you are going to The PTAC industry will undergo major changes in have to look into different compressors and 2010 that most likely will lead to higher installation different air coils, and the cost of the unit will go and subsequent service costs. up.” The main refrigerant that has been used in According to James Benz, marketing manager heat pump and air-conditioning systems for with GE Commercial and Industrial, these new decades, R-22, has been deemed harmful to systems will use more copper—and therefore cost the ozone. According to the Environmental more to produce. Protection Agency, after Jan. 1, 2010, chemical manufacturers still may produce R-22 to service existing equipment, but not for use in new equipment. As a result, PTAC manufacturers will be forced to produce new units. You only heat and cool the rooms that are “The impact on the lodging occupied. With 60-percent occupancy industry is that the PTACs are rates in a slowdown, that’s a big deal.” going to go up pretty signiﬁcantly JAMES BENZ, marketing manager, GE in pricing,” said Tom Guffey, Commercial and Industrial v.p., Amana brand PTAC sales AMANA At ﬁrst glance, PTAC systems may not seem very eco-friendly. After all, the common joke is that PTACS have two settings: extremely cold and extremely hot. Many hotel guests have been known to crank on the heat or air-conditioning when they check-in, they leave to go to dinner, and then turn it off when they return and go to bed. That inefﬁcient use of energy can be a signiﬁcant portion of a hotelier’s utility bill. To combat this, PTAC manufacturers say efﬁciency is their biggest concern and, if operated properly, units actually can save energy and lower utility costs. James Benz, marketing manager with GE Commercial and Industrial, said a PTAC unit with a heat pump is far more efﬁcient than one with strip heat. Strip-heat systems use technology similar to what heats a hair dryer, he said. “That’s not a little energy improvement, that’s huge,” Benz said. “The savings can run into the hundreds of dollars per unit, per year.” Beyond purchasing the proper type of heating or cooling unit, Benz said hoteliers can save on energy costs by setting temperature limits. “Guests have this notion that if they crank the temperature all the way down, it will cool the room faster,” he said. “That’s just not the case.” The new XP by NYLO Hotels will feature allergyfriendly guestrooms created by Pure Solutions North America. Each of the selectservice lifestyle hotels will feature at least 10 Pure Rooms. California Faucets launched a new Virtual Faucet Creator that allows users to customize their own faucet designs. More than 2 million combinations are possible, using a variety of faucets, handles and ﬁnishes. Leading Hotels of the World chose Sendio to help block unwanted e-mails. Las Vegas Sands Corp. selected Micros 9700 Hospitality Management System for its new luxury resort, hotel and casino. The Palazzo Las Vegas opened in January with 110 Micros Workstation 4 LX terminals added to the adjacent Venetian’s existing system, resulting in a single 275 terminal POS system spanning both properties. La Quinta Inns and Suites selected Worktopia to power its ﬁrst online meetings reservation service, giving customers real-time access to booking meeting space. Carlson Hotels Worldwide selected Birch Street Systems’ Capital Projects Management Suite for its brand renovation project consisting of more than 250 Country Inns & Suites. Compiled by Jason Q. Freed, jfreed@questex.com For more info Company Circle No. Amana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Friedrich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 General Electric . . . . . . . . . . 273 Hospitality Air Solutions . . . . 274 LG Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . 275 McQuay International . . . . . . 276 Mitsubishi Electric. . . . . . . . . 277 Trane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Quotable “ division. “To get the same amount http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 Contents State Programs Help Define Green Hotels AmericInn Boosts its American Presence Questex, The Bench to Host Russia Event Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column Marketing Matters Consultant's Corner Satisfaction Trends On Finance Travel Trends Cornell Insights Energy Star Update Maintenance Doctor Management Trends Trends & Stats Finding Financing Challenges Developers Credit Crunch Still Tops List of Lawyers' Concerns Mixed-use Funding Bleak, Panelists Say Luxury Landscape Keeps Pushing Higher PTACs Events Casegoods Seating Energy Controls and Sensors Pest Control Electronic Locks Transactions Supplier News Timeshare Misconceptions Still Prevalent Awards People Ad/Edit Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

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