Case Study: Air Purifiers Improve IAQ at Luxury Hotel

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April 1, 2022 –
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WellAir announced that its Plasma Air HVAC air purification products have been selected by the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel in Athens, Greece to help reduce exposure to airborne pathogens and pollutants throughout the hotel.

The Plasma Air ionization solutions are designed to neutralize and reduce airborne pathogens, including viruses and bacteria. The hotel is deploying solutions in all common areas, such as lobbies and restaurants. Guest rooms and suites also benefit from the improved air quality that the Plasma Air solutions provide by reducing airborne pollutants and viral particles. In recent third-party testing, the Plasma Air solution demonstrated a reduction in a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 by 99.99 percent.

“Clean indoor air is becoming a valued commodity in the hotel industry, and with that, an HVAC air purification system is no longer a nice to have, but a competitive must-have for the hospitality industry,” says Steve Grenon, chief technology officer, WellAir. “We know that the leisure and hospitality industry has been hit hard during this pandemic, but we are now seeing hoteliers recovering rapidly as guests’ confidence return, and that trend is set to accelerate with the help of air cleaning technologies.”

The Plasma Air solutions use safe and effective bipolar ionization to improve indoor air quality. Much like sunlight does in the atmosphere, the Plasma Air technology produces a natural bio-climate rich in positive and negative oxygen ions. The negative ions contain an extra electron while the positive ions are missing an electron, resulting in an unstable condition. To restabilize, these bipolar ions seek out atoms and molecules in the air to trade electrons with, effectively neutralizing particulate matter, bacteria and virus cells, odorous gases and aerosols and VOCs.

The Four Seasons Astir Palace is part of the global five-star Four Seasons Group and hosts many of the world’s business leaders and celebrities in its 303 rooms. The hotel has implemented stringent COVID-19 cleaning protocols to keep guests and staff safe and comfortable. This protocol now includes Plasma Air systems to provide an even higher-level cleansing.

“Hotels worldwide need to provide a sanctuary for guests, and that extends to their protection against pathogens that cause illness,” explains Paris Karavidas of the property operations and maintenance department. “The Four Seasons is recognized as one of the world’s best hotel brands, and five-star accommodations require an environment that is clean and safe. The installation of the Plasma Air systems helps keep our guests and staff safe by reducing airborne viruses and other pollutants that could threaten their health.”

“Our technical team examined a range of options to improve indoor air quality and reduce airborne pathogens, and Plasma Air’s ionization technology was selected as the most impactful and cost-effective solution. Our guests have already noticed a significant improvement in the indoor air quality, and our staff feels safer working in this protected environment,” says Karavidas.