Hotel Tech-in is our regular feature that takes a closer look at emerging technology in the hospitality industry.
The Roxbury at Stratton Falls, a boutique hotel in New York’s Catskills region, has a design aesthetic that might best be described as “funky.”
The property spans a historic mansion, which includes seven guest rooms, and five cottages split into eight guest suites. Co-owners Joseph Massa and Gregory Henderson revamped the historic structures and designed guest rooms to appear “fairy-tale-esque.” One room has a Cinderella gown suspended from the ceiling. Another is decorated like Dracula’s castle.
But one thing threatened to rupture their vision: clunky, noisy HVAC units.
“We talked originally about PTAC units,” said Kevin Treffeisen, owner of the Oneonta, New York-based A. Treffeisen & Sons, which worked to design and install the eventual system. But PTACs “just aren’t going to work,” he said. (PTAC, or packaged terminal air conditioner, units are the large, blocky cooling systems often found at the base of a hotel room’s window.)
Eventually, he learned about something for the hotel that might work better: HVAC systems designed to look like art.
Making HVAC art
LG’s Art Cool Gallery is a slim, square HVAC system that can be mounted to a wall, then customized to look like any other piece of wall art.
“Once Joe and Greg saw that unit, we were like, ‘This is what's gonna happen,’” Treffeisen said. “It just blends into the walls.”
Treffeisen worked with Massa and Henderson to customize the look of each unit. They chose different designs for each room.
Some units feature the same wallpaper as the rest of the room, helping the system blend into the wall. Others are designed to look like hanging art — one, in an astronomy-themed room, features a diagram of constellations.
Treffeisen said the units are so well-hidden that oftentimes guests don’t know where their heating or cooling is coming from.
“Sometimes [hotel staff] have to show them, ‘Here’s your heating and cooling units over here,’” he said. “They don't even notice it's there.”
While LG did not share a full list of hotels where the technology is active, the company did note that its Art Cool systems are in all guest rooms of the historic Chicago Motor Club building, which was renovated to become the Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown.
Beyond aesthetics
When it comes to HVAC systems, however, there’s more to consider than just looks.
According to GE Appliances, more hotel owners than ever consider noise reduction a key factor when selecting their units, as sounds like “clicking, popping and buzzing” can negatively affect the guest experience.
At The Roxbury, co-owners Hendersen and Massa wanted no noise at all, as much of their clientele comes from New York City to the Catskills for peace and quiet. The Art Cool system is quieter than your average PTAC unit, thanks to quiet secondary units that sit outdoors, not within guest rooms.
When the indoor units turn on, tiny fins emerge from their sides, helping to circulate air with minimal noise.
At Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown, the hotel was less concerned with the look of PTAC units — which are a brand standard for Hampton — and more worried about how to install efficient heating and cooling in a historic building.
Its status as a landmark building meant the renovators could not penetrate the outside walls, rendering PTAC units impossible. Ultimately, the Chicago hotel opted to turn its Art Cool units’ exteriors into mirrors in each guest room.
Meanwhile, at The Roxbury, the units have become a charming facet of the guest experience.
Treffeisen said when hotel guests have to ask where their heating or A/C is, and staff points it out, they’re “tickled,” Treffeisen added. “The guests all love it.”
