SPARTANBURG, SC— With more than 675 properties nationwide, Extended Stay Hotels has been a consistent user of PTAC systems in its guest-rooms since the mid-1990s. And even though a new, more stylish and contemporary prototype has recently been rolled out for its core Extended Stay America brand, ESH has remained loyal to PTAC rather than switch to a comparable central air system. The mix of cost, energy efficiency, guest comfort, and maintenance considerations that ESH’s head of facilities finds hard to beat. “We’ve found that PTAC provides the most cost-effective individual room control you can have to regulate an environment for the guest,” said Ziggy Clayton, executive vp, facilities management and purchasing. “Cost tends to be much lower than a central system, certainly when it comes to upfront costs.” Central air units may run a little more efficiently, but not significantly enough to outweigh the initial cost advantage. “You’d never get the payback that you see on the cost upfront,” Clayton said, while acknowledging that ESH, which owns all its hotels, is able to command especially competitive pricing, given the quantities it purchases. In terms of guest comfort, ESH has found that PTAC provides the same comfort levels as a central air system. The nature of extended stay lodging, where guests can be in the hotel for weeks or even months, compared to the much shorter average length of stay at traditional hotels, factors into this. “Most of our guests like to regulate their room temperature from the guestroom and a PTAC allows them to do that,” Clayton said. “It’s also possible to regulate the amount of outside air coming into the room.” Each PTAC unit, which is provided by Amana, has a device on its side that can be opened or closed, regulating the flow of outside air coming in. “It isn’t an option guests tend to know about,” he explained. With central units, the amount of air is always pre-set, so guestrooms may or may not be getting outside air exchange. While PTAC is the system of preference in guestrooms, ESH properties use central air in common areas and administrative offices. Meanwhile, PTAC efficiency varies, depending on whether the unit’s a strip heat or heat pump model. Both models are efficient, the strip heat version particularly so. Efficiency overall has increased significantly in the 10 to 12 years ESH has been installing them. The decision on which model to install is geography driven. Heat pumps are installed in the northern part of the country, while strip heat is the choice in the South, where the climate is warmer. “In some areas of the country, we add additional strip heating just the way you would in your home. So if it gets unusually cold, it kicks on,” Clayton noted. Another variable is condensation. “The heat pump throws off a little more water. Consequently in southern, high humidity areas, you don’t want that condensation.” Keeping Them Up ESH has found that its hotels are mostly able to maintain the PTAC units at the property level, which is an additional cost savings. On-site engineers, for example, can do the filter cleanings. Since the filters are recyclable, they can be cleaned and reinstalled. As part of a larger preventive maintenance effort, ESH, which is owned by HVM, LLC, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group, has begun a more aggressive PTAC cleaning program. Clayton and his team distribute a preventative maintenance video for property-level engineers. “Three or four times a year, we’ll clean the evaporator coils front and back. These are the coils closest to the guest inside the room. But we’ll also clean the condensing coils that are on the outside of the unit exposed to the elements,” he said. Each PTAC gets a major cleaning at least once a year. Considering the size of the ESH system, property-based maintenance engineers report to a regional facilities manager, who oversees approximately 75 to 80 hotels. They help train, hire, and provide continuing education to on-site engineers. When repairs are necessary, broken units are shipped to Amana, which, in turn, provides replacement units. “At any one time, we may have a thousand PTACs in transit across the country,” Clayton said. PTACs typically have a life expectancy of eight to 10 years. “The older they get, the less efficient they become, while costing more to maintain,” he noted. As a result, it makes sense to start replacing older units after a certain number of years. Units tend to be heavily used with some guests setting the system on high in the morning and then leaving the room for the day. To save energy and wear-and-tear on the unit, ESH has begun to install smart systems at a number of properties. Once guests leave their rooms, the system scales back, maintaining a certain moderate temperature until the guest returns in the evening. The PTAC model ESH is installing in its newest hotel, an Extended Stay America currently under construction in San Rafael, CA, carries the smart system concept one step further. When guests check out, the front desk will be able to shut the PTACs off in the vacated rooms remotely.
