AFTER DISCOVERING A MECHANICAL FAILURE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS THAT CAUSED ELEVATED HUMIDITY AND MOLD LEVELS, A MAJOR HOTEL TURNED TO ENGINEERS AND TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS AT WELLINGTON ENVIRONMENTAL TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION. THE HOTEL WANTED OPTIONS ON REMEDIATION THAT WOULD BE BACKED WITH SCIENTIFIC DATA TO PROVIDE RELIABILITY AND SAFETY ASSURANCE FOR HIGH-END HOTEL CUSTOMER USAGE.
The Approach
Under the guidance and direct supervision of Thom Wellington, the team’s initial research included inspecting and testing over 350 rooms. Once the data was compiled it was used to put room conditions into three (3) different categories. The categories were determined based on total spore counts, specific mold species, and visual conditions.
A remediation plan was developed for all three classifications.
The goal of the overall plan was based on the four (4) pillars of acceptance:
- Room must be documented safe and clean beyond normal levels before returning to service
- The hotel must remain operational (using rooms that had no issues and determined to be clean) with no disturbance to customers
- All categories of rooms are to be disinfected for COVID viruses using an EPA N Listed disinfectant no matter what category they fall into as an added safety measure
- Worst ranking rooms required special treatments and actions that include longer air exchanges, AHU disinfecting, coil cleaning, fogging, drapery and carpet cleaning, plus disinfecting all surfaces including walls and ceilings.
The Solution
The steps outlined were used in conjunction with testing to determine if carpet removal and other demolition was necessary to achieve the plan’s goals.
The entire process took months to complete. With lower occupancy demand due to COVID and with rooms moved back into service during the process – the plan was acceptable to hotel operations.
While restoration firms wanted to immediately strip the rooms and start over, the Wellington Environmental solution offered the following benefits:
- Hotel remained open with no major construction/demolition disturbance
- Furnishings were effectively cleaned and disinfected, preventing replacement or warehousing expense with other plans
- The specialized cleaning and disinfecting prevented costly replacement of drapery and carpeting
