In this case probably it does! 

This month we’re looking at chemicals used around the hotel and in particular the housekeeping departments. 

Did you know there were 81,000 chemicals registered with the EPA in the last 30 years? Reports tell us that fewer than 20% have been tested for toxicity. That’s a bit scary considering the everyday use of these products.

Going “Green” in the cleaning of hotel guest rooms probably conjures up using well know products like baking soda, white vinegar and salt!

Hardly practical when it comes to cleaning hundreds of rooms everyday. 

Health and safety issues in chemicals used for cleaning by hotel staff are pretty well known. Cost of a sick leave provision for staff is a real issue for management. Improper use of chemicals and anything that goes down the drain costs money to the hotel and the environment. 

So what product has technology bought to us in the last 15 years that is used extensively in hospitals and can resolve all of the issues mentioned earlier? I won’t give you the answer just yet but I do have some hard facts for you to consider from a 5 star hotel in Sydney that has completed a comprehensive trial to prove the true worth of not using chemicals. 

• They had a 3% higher rating from guest comment cards that room cleanliness was better.
• This was backed up by a bacterial swab count which came out lower than chemical cleaned surfaces. 
•  Infra red light tests for dirt buildup showed negative.
• And reports, that to the naked eye, glazed and metal surfaces such as sinks and kettles as an example looked to have an enhanced appearance.
• “They looked cleaner”. Great that’s what keeps the guests happy!!

 The trial by the hotel did include costings in terms of products and labour, training and was completed in March 07. 

Feedback from the housekeeping staff was very good with comments like -

• “The method used was less physically strenuous”
• “Feel good about less chemical usage and its helping the environment”
• “Far less water used”

In addition to the positive comments - 2 big factors were…

1. Chemical costs were reduced by 80%.
2. Water usage was down by a million litres.

   OK, so what are we talking about?  

Microfiber of course. 

Used in hospitals since the 1990s – it’s a water based cleaning solution invented and developed in Sweden in the 1990s. 

Just how high tech is Microfiber cloth?

Well when these guys say the fibre is thinner than human hair, that’s only part of the story. 

Actually one square centimeter of Microfiber contains over 30 kilometers of fibre.  

But that’s not all round surface threads on a traditional cloth are not really designed to pickup dirt particles.  Microfiber secret is the fibres are wedge shaped and that makes the millions of fibres much more effective in trapping the dirt particles. Hence the reason no chemicals are required.

The cloth is simply washed out with water at the end of the day for re-use the next day. 

All in all, a genuine Green proven product. 

Until next time… 

Greg

Click Here for One of the Leading Suppliers of Micro Fiber

Think before you speak, type or respond to guest complaints.

The internet has changed. It has the power to put businesses OUT of business.
And before you think I am exaggerating, let me share an example.

This Brisbane restaurant had to shut its doors for over 2 weeks as a result of poor service and the social media that is taking the world by storm. Watch this short video to see what I mean.

Note - stories were run on both "A Current Affair" and "Today Tonight" as a result - not to mention the International attention it received from sites like www.consumerist.com and more.

The moral of the story - treat every customer and guest like they have the power to make you famous - good and bad!

Does going “Green” make you more money? 

You’re chasing higher occupancy, achieving better room rates, keeping your overheads down – and you sometimes wonder what else can I do?  

Over the coming months I will produce a range of articles featuring tips, ideas and highly valuable information that many have not thought of that can add  $200K to the bottom line and more importantly may address hotel greenhouse emissions in a direct and indirect way.  

First up…Computers.  

Computers are rather notorious energy hogs. In the 14 years I worked in hotels I remember how many computers where left running after hours.  

Stop and think for a moment about the number of computers in sales and marketing, housekeeping, finance, and admin departments.  If your property has around 40 computers running day and night you might be shocked at the cost of this simple act of not shutting down after the shift has finished.  

According to the Dell energy calculator, a typical computer uses a minimum of $80 annually if run on an 8 hour day. Obviously that can increase when machines are left running all night long and all week long. They can cost even more when there is a printer hanging off the machine.  The old fat CRT monitors costs more to run than and LCD monitor. So you see little things make the costs add up.

Typically a bigger property with around 40 Computers may cost around $3,200 annually to run when left on all night. That figure will easily double and get even worse if other devices attached are left running also. 

Want to check for yourself? 

Go to…www.dell.com/html/us/products/optiplex/calculator/index.html 

Well you may be right thinking “that’s not much”. It’s the collection of a host of little things that can be done around the property that will deliver you energy efficiency, minimize your emissions and create significant cost savings as a result of the hotel actions. 

But there’s more you may not have thought about. 

Listen up. 

One computer for an 8 hour shift annually uses 600 kilo watt hours of energy to run – leaving it run all night all week long and that figure can double.  A power station somewhere has to generate that power and therefore creating more CO2 emissions. 

What does this all mean to you, as the person responsible for profit in your hotel? 

Stay with me as I bring the big picture together (read on…) 

These CO2 emissions are having devastating effects on the globe – with acidic levels increasing in our oceans, coral reefs disappearing and bleaching almost overnight, rising world temperatures and more.  Every little thing we each do to reduce these emissions can add up to a better more profitable future. 

On a more local and economic level, you can use these little savings to generate serious long term financial savings.  

You can use the “green” effort for some valuable PR within your hotel, and in the media. Guests want to know you are doing your part. Don’t underestimate the power of this. More celebrities and high profile people are getting behind these causes, and with the power of social media online these days – can you afford to be haphazard with your approach to being “green”? 

The money you save can be used to buy better equipment – saving you even more money. The effect compounds. Staff can get involved. Morale gets lifted. And the effect goes on. 

If you have any questions about where to start – give us a call. There are more than a hundred ways to reduce emissions, saving you thousands of dollars – some big hotels will be up to $200,000 better off if you implement what I will explain over the coming issues. 

We’d be more than happy to explain energy efficient equipment you can use to facilitate everything I’ve talked about above. Here’s to saving more money – attracting good PR – filling hotel rooms with happy guests – and helping the world in the process. 

Until next edition…  

Greg 

Managing Director Lamelec Aust.

Knowledgeable Reliable Solution Providers 

There is so much misinformation in the world of selling large screen tv's, that I have found a good video for you to clear up some misconceptions and outright lies.

Take a look at this short 4 min video and let me know what you think.

Greg

Who will win the race for the replacement of the current successful DVD format?

High definition television and bigger PC storage requirements have bought forward the need for a new format to be released.

The current contenders proposing these new formats have some heavyweight electronic giants in their corners. Companies like Sony, Panasonic and Dell support Blu-Ray Disc
Format whilst Toshiba, NEC, Microsoft and Intel support the newly named HD DVD.
(Previously called AOD – Advanced Optical Disc)

Both camps put forward their systems in the same year -2002
Since the existence of the two formats has become a race a DVD forum has been formed to try to sort out the best format to take to the market place.

Despite the request for both parties to submit their technology to the forum, Blu- Ray Disc was not put forward for consideration telling the chair it was a new technology and nothing to do with the existing DVD format.

Obviously with sales expected to exceed 5 billion discs worldwide in 2006 and not wanting a repeat of the Beta and VHS format war of the eighties, there is much at stake.

So what’s the difference between the two? In a nutshell – very little, to get understanding let’s see how the system works.

Fortunately both formats operate in the same way as CD – meaning that a laser scans the reflective surface of the disc, reading or writing data which is stored in the form of microscopic pits that are moulded into the substrate layer of the disc.

Both formats use a blue violet laser to scan, operating at 450nm.
The old red laser operating a 650nm is put at a disadvantage. It is out of date because the new laser technology can focus the laser spot with much greater precision. This allows more microscopic pits and therefore more data on the disc, giving greater capacity.

It’s from here on in that the two formats differ.
HD DVD physical format is close to the existing DVD format but with a blue/violet laser and new data processing techniques the capacity is increased.

Blu-Ray use an aperture lens on its laser which produces a cone like beam which will allow for even smaller microscopic pits and more data to be squeezed onto a disc.

When it comes to capacity there is a vast difference with HD DVD. Their  -R disc (Rom) will hold 60GB on a double-sided dual layer disc and an RW disc holding 45GB.

Blu-Ray can have multiple layers in all formats. Its is said that TDK have already produced a 4 layer 100GB disc.
Therein lies the fundamental difference between the two camps with Sony and the Blu-Ray system believing it’s all about capacity.

In terms of Video quality there is little difference as both support MPEG 4 and MPEG 2 and Microsoft’s VC1

The issue that has driven the bigger players like Microsoft into the HD DVD camp is the software. It allows you to use the interactive content on the disc and the mandatory manage copy feature. It’s this feature that some in Hollywood are keen to have closed after losing out to the pirate DVD market that cost them millions.

Microsoft and Disney joined forces to have the IHT software written so that it dovetails with the new Windows Vista program that will replace the current XP series.

Blu-Ray have their own alternative software called BD-J which is similar, but comes with a catch, manufacturers producing Blu-Ray product will need to pay Java licensing fees. It does seem also at this time that Blu-Ray will make the software optional, something bound to cause confusion amongst consumers.

The HD DVD camp believes also that the Blu-Ray conical cone innovation could be prone to manufacturing difficulties, thus leaving the HD DVD product a far more reliable technology.

Unspoken at this point, is the pricing which may raise many issues. No doubt the Chinese manufacturing influence needs to factored in as we all remember the influx of cheap Chinese DVD players certainly made the product reach saturation point very quickly.

HD DVD have already on board the Chinese manufacturers and companies like Toshiba have suggested a $499 starting price which is roughly half that of its Blu-Ray counterpart.

Finally I guess the last word comes from Bill Gates who believes that this will be the last physical format ever as once everything is streamlined direct to hard disc via the much trumped digital distribution where there will be no further need for either of the formats.
Once digital distribution goes mainstream then everything you watch or listen to will be streamed to hard disc.   

Greg Taylor

Greg Taylor is the Managing Director of Lamelec Australia.Greg has been the Chief Engineer for the Four Seasons, Daikyo and Radisson group of hotels for 14 years previous to taking over Lamelec.

Did you know the Number 1 customer complaint is a wobbly table?

Never again will you have to adjust your tables. 
Never again will you hear your customers complain.
Never again will you have to adjust the tables every morning. 

Announcing all new Tableshox - Your Wobbly Table Solution.

Click here for more infomation. http://www.lamelec.com.au/Wobbly_Table_solution.pdf

by Ethan K. Roberts

In todays world, most people have invested in one form of an air conditioner or another. We have either window air conditioners in our homes or central air conditioners. They keep us cool in the extreme summer heat without fail; however, have you ever set back and looked at the costs of running an air conditioner?

When compared to the common household fan the amount of electricity required to run an air conditioner is phenomenal.

When using an air conditioner there are many different factors that can directly affect the cost of running it. These factors include the geographical location of your home, where you live and the amount of work the air conditioner has to do greatly influence the cost.

If you live in an area that has mild summers and extremely cold winters, obviously your air conditioner will not have to work as hard. However, if you live in an area, that has warm winters and boiling summers the air conditioner will have to work double time to maintain comfort.

The difference in weather conditions from year to year will affect the costs as well. This is basically geared towards the difference in costs per year. One summer might be cooler than the next, which will lead to a greater bill.

The efficiency rating of your air conditioner plays an important role in the amount of electricity used. Most all appliances in todays world are rated, when you purchase an air conditioner it will have a tag telling you the amount of electricity that appliance uses. Look for air conditioners that use minimal electricity, which will save you money each year. If you have a model that is 10 years or older, it is definitely time to consider a new one.

Another important factor is the size of the air conditioner versus the house-cooling load. All air conditioners come in different sizes, and each will state the amount of space it is designed to cool. For example, an apartment could do with just one or two window air conditioners, while a three-bedroom house could not. Closely consider the amount of space you need to cool when considering an air conditioner. While larger air conditioners will cost more money, it will typically save you money in the long run on usage.
The setting on your thermostat greatly effects the cost. A higher setting will result in the air conditioner running less, while lowering the setting will cause it to run more often. One electric company suggests keeping the thermostat above 25c degrees. This can save you 10 to 20% on cooling costs.

Finally, the local cost of electricity influences the general cost of running your air conditioner. This is something you have no control over, however, you can control your own cost by saving energy.

Here is a general look at the difference of running an air conditioner vs. running a Ceiling or oscillating fan, at medium speed.

Running a central air conditioner that is three ton (and of average efficiency) for 8 hours per day for 15 days per month, with the average rate per kWh (kilowatt per hour) being 0.17, the average cost per month for the air conditioner alone will be $97.92. Amazing isnt it? This does not even include washer, dryer, lights, refrigerator, or stove, only the air conditioner.

On the other hand, running a ceiling fan or oscillating fan at medium speed, for 8 hours per day, for a full 30 days, at an average rate per kWh of 0.035 is only $1.43. With this comparison you could run 68 ½ fans for a full month before you would reach the cost of the central air conditioning unit.

There are many other things you can do to lower you electric bill. Things such as, inspect, clean, or replace your air conditioner filters monthly. When you are not in your home, raise the temperature on your thermostat, keeping in mind pets when you do.

Lower the temperature of your water heater to 50 degrees celsius, wash only full loads in your dishwasher or clothes washer, and use the energy saving cycle on the dryer.

Other steps you can take include, replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamps, this could save up to 75% on lighting costs. You should also caulk all windows, doors, and pipes to prevent air leaks in or out, use weather stripping around windows, doors and pipes as well. Have your ducts tested for air leaks; leaking ducts can reduce the efficiency of your air conditioner by up to 20%.

Ethan K. Roberts writes on a variety of topics not limited to air conditioners. Also available are more articles on room air conditioners and air conditioner rental.