Imagine going into a hotel room and liking it a lot – not just for the décor and view but also for the air. That’s room air, not the breeze blowing outside.
By the end of 2010, all the Hyatt Hotels in the US will have some rooms that have under gone a treatment to make them hypo-allergenic. As of mid-October, 65 of the chain’s hotels have some guest rooms that have undergone a hypo-allergenic treatment.
It’s great news for people with asthma or who are allergic to dust and fragrances. It’s also good news for travelers who simply appreciate breathing in pure air.
The treatment includes a special attachment on the room’s heating-air conditioning system and a separate purifying filter in the room.
It also has undergone a special cleaning of all surfaces which are then sprayed with an anti-bacterial “screen” so that bacteria cannot adhere to them.
The room is zapped to kill any other organisms still lurking. A special protective casing is put on the pillows and mattresses.
A card left on the room’s desk says it is Pure Room certified and explains what that means.
Hypo-allergenic treatment is performed by PureRoom, a Buffalo, NY based company that has partnered with Hyatt. Rooms are checked and re-certified every six months.
I recently stopped at the Chicago Regency Hyatt to check out a PureRoom.
News such as this is really welcome to someone who is allergic but has to travel for work.
I start sneezing when any dust is around though I don’t have asthma. My nose clogs and my eyes water when sitting in a theater next to someone wearing perfume or in a hotel room where someone used a hairspray or cream that was not odor free.
I was told that even if someone did use something with a fragrance the purifier in a PureRoom would have gotten rid of its scent.
The air quality was excellent.
As someone who is often checking into a place eager to relax but finds the room has stale air, I love that a hotel chain understands about people with allergy problems to help them breathe easier.
The Hyatt charges an extra $20 to $30 for these rooms but this traveler thinks the benefits are worth the price.