Hospitality Industry: How Can Indoor Air Purification Be Integrated Into a CSR Strategy?

Whether it’s aboutimproving the customer experienceor the working conditions for their staff, ensuring good indoor air quality is essential for hoteliers. Norbert le Menelec, owner of the Akena Hotel in Rezé (Loire-Atlantique), is convinced of this. He explains how NatéoSanté professional air purifiers NatéoSanté perfectly into his establishment, both in terms of their values and the benefits they provide. An interview.

NatéoSanté air purifiers NatéoSanté installed throughout the Akena Rezé hotel

Choosing NatéoSanté air purifiers NatéoSanté part of an eco-friendly approach

From the very beginning of the design phase for his hotel, Norbert le Menelec, owner of the 80-room Akena Rezé Hotel, wanted to incorporate eco-friendly and sustainable materials and components.

Norbert le Menelec, owner of the Akena Hotel in Rezé (44)

Deeply committed to environmental conservation, he wanted to build a hotel (the hotel group operates 30 properties in France) with the lowest possible carbon footprint. His dual goal: to set the hotel apart through its eco-friendly features and, above all, to provide guests and staff with the healthiest possible environment.

An environmental commitment that is being put into practice in many ways

“I wanted to leave my mark on this location, the franchise’s newest addition, by incorporating eco-friendly options right from the start of construction.”

Norbert Le Menelec

In practice, this translates into a series of concrete actions:

• Use of hemp wool to insulate the hotel’s walls. Recyclable and eco-friendly, it poses no risk of causing allergies or irritation (unlike glass or rock wool).
• Installation of a rooftop water heater to capture solar energy and use it naturally.
• furniture selected to minimize formaldehyde and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Nevertheless, there are still many other sources of pollution in the air—such as bacteria, viruses (including coronaviruses), allergens, VOCs released from materials, odors, and so on. All of these pollutants can cause discomfort for hotel staff and guests.

Eco-friendly air purifiers, in line with the hotel’s commitments

That is precisely why Norbert le Menelec wanted to equip his hotel with devices designedto improve indoor air quality. To meet this need and in line with his values, he naturally turned to the solutions offered by NatéoSanté.

NatéoSanté eco-designed professional air purifiers NatéoSanté developed according to specific specifications to minimize their negative impact on the planet. Whether it involves the selection of raw materials, packaging, French manufacturing, usage, or the recycling of components and filters, every stage of the purifiers’ lifecycle has been designed in accordance witheco-design principles.

“I chose NatéoSanté it’s an ethical company. It manufactures products entirely in France, sourcing materials as locally as possible. These are very bold and principled choices. That’s why I’m truly committed to the NatéoSanté brand.”

Norbert Le Menelec EOLIS Air Manager air purifiers are placed in the hotel’s common areas

Real benefits for indoor air quality for customers and staff

With two EOLIS Air Manager 1200S units, two 600S models, and two Hygeolis units, all areas of the hotel—including the lobby, breakfast room, meeting room, guest rooms, and hallways—are covered by the air purifiers.

For customers, the benefit is immediate: “The air we breathe is much healthier, and we no longer have to put up with certain unpleasant odors, which have disappeared. We’d have problems if we didn’t have the purifier: lingering odors, perhaps various allergies that could develop… The benefit is simply not having to complain about anything.”

Hygeolis, an air purifier specifically designed to eliminate unpleasant odors, is ideal for hotel rooms

As for the staff, the use of air purifiers helpsimprove their daily working conditions. More specifically, the hotel’shousekeeping staff immediately notice the benefits, especially when they have to clean a room that has been occupied by “inconsiderate” guests (smell of tobacco, body odors, etc.).

Staff activate the“active oxygen” mode on the EOLIS Air Manager (which can be easily moved from one room to another thanks to its transport cart) or the Hygeolis to thoroughly purify the air: “After half an hour—or an hour if the odor is particularly strong—the room becomes completely safe and hygienic.”

An "air-purified room" offering that appeals to customers

For guests who are sensitive to air quality (such as those with asthma or allergies), having an air purifier in the room is a real plus, ensuring a good night’s sleep. At the Akena Rezé hotel, this service is offered in two ways: either the guest chooses a “purified-air room,” meaning the air purifier is already installed as standard equipment, or they request it themselves at the front desk when making a reservation (available as an additional option).

NatéoSanté air purifiers NatéoSanté for all spaces in the hospitality industry

As more and more people become aware of the importance of indoor air quality—beyond just those with allergies to air pollution—the hotel is expanding its strategy to promote this service: “ We want to emphasize to our guests the option of having an air purifier in their room during their stay.”

Every day, more and more people are becoming aware that air quality— our most vital resource—has an impact on our overall quality of life, just like the water we drink or the food we eat. Deeply committed to these issues, Norbert le Menelec hopes, through his establishment and its many eco-friendly choices, to continue raising his customers’ awareness of indoor air quality: “I’m not a scientist, but I’m convinced that we have a duty to make progress on the issue of air quality. Once we’re aware and informed, we must ensure that others are too, just as we are, to protect ourselves. Here at Akena Rezé, I’ve given us this mission: to tell everyone, ‘We’re going to help you feel better.’” ”

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