Author Archives: Robert Elliott
Green Cleaning For Safety
Facility Executive - Andrea Gomez Vesga and Gordon Buntrock There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the processes and priorities associated with facilities solutions. With disinfection and virus mitigation in high demand, you may be finding it difficult to balance timely needs with existing sustainability objectives and long-term environmental commitments. [...]
3 Roofing Trouble Spots and How to Prevent Them
Facilities Net - Erin Falvey Roofing systems on institutional and commercial facilities are typically an afterthought for building occupants – until the roof leaks, that is. Roof leaks are a nuisance at best for occupants, but they can often result in property damage and costly repairs. In fact, water intrusion accounts for more than 70 percent [...]
How an Iowa Mill Became a Luxury Hotel
Buildings - Janelle Penny Adaptive reuse is one of the greenest building strategies available. Presenting an alternative to demolition and new construction, adaptive reuse—the practice of taking an old building or site, preserving what’s best about it and using it for a purpose other than what it was originally designed for—repurposes structures that might otherwise be [...]
Human-Centric Lighting – Many Benefits in the Post-Pandemic World
Facilities Management Magazine Light is rarely the focal point of a space. Aside from a rainbow after a rainstorm or a sunset over the ocean, we often don’t even see light, we just see with it. That may be one reason lighting considerations occur as an afterthought for many facilities. Despite the significant energy efficiency improvement LED [...]
Integrating Technology into Existing Senior Living Facilities
FACILITIES NET By Alexis Denton and Alexis Burck Sustainability features and new technology — like advanced monitors and better lighting technology — should be considered when renovating or upgrading existing facilities. Existing senior living communities, more than two-thirds of which were built before 2000, are competing with new buildings better suited to what the market wants. [...]
A Look At Propane For HVAC Systems
FACILITY EXECUTIVE by By Bryan Cordill Saving energy, money, natural resources, and reducing their impact on climate change are at the top of the list for many facility management leaders. This focus is driven, in part, by the fact that commercial buildings consume a significant portion of the world’s total energy supply. In fact, the [...]
What Happens to Building Knowledge When Facility Managers Leave?
BUILDINGS Smarter Facility Management 10/02/20 COVID-19 has been tough on facilities teams. The global pandemic has called for extra sanitation measures, increased ventilation and keeping building occupants apart as much as possible. That’s on top of the usual constant stream of tasks that facilities managers deal with. To complicate matters even further, many companies have [...]
Senior care and comfort extends into maintenance
McKnights Longterm Care News by Josh Malbogat, Senior Living Director at TheWorxHub by Dude Solutions We are in the midst of a senior living housing boom and maintenance has a big role in the success and growth of these communities. One of the most critical aspects as these residences flourish is the care and safety of [...]
5 Important Tasks for Reopening Buildings During COVID-19
BUILDINGS Magazine By JANELLE PENNY Buildings that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic are now facing a long to-do list. Shuttering facilities for weeks creates all sorts of consequences—some predictable, like the need to screen visitors for COVID-19 symptoms, and some you may not have anticipated, like potential issues with your water. Make sure these five things are in [...]
Exclusion: Your Best Option for a Pest-Free Winter
FACILITY MANAGEMENT.COM Alex Blahnik, ACE, is a field training manager at Wil-Kil Pest Control As 2020 continues to sizzle, a retreat to a cool weather resort sounds like a great idea. But before you burn a vacation day to leave the heat behind, be sure to prepare for the fall invasion. We’re not talking about another [...]
Code Considerations for Inspecting, Testing, and Maintaining Fire Alarm Systems
Facility Maintenance Decisions By Rock Meng FIRE SAFETY/PROTECTION Fire alarm systems play an important role in the ability of institutional and commercial facilities to provide early warning to and safely evacuate occupants during a fire emergency. The fire alarm system must operate and function properly, but it is difficult to tell if a system is fully [...]
AHLA: Guests want safer hotels
HOTEL MANAGEMENT by Jena Tesse Fox | Aug 26, 2020 9:47am According to a new national survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a number of improvements to health and sanitation protocols at U.S. hotels would have considerable impact on guests’ comfort levels while staying there. A new survey from the American Hotel & [...]
Hotel Maintenance Management: Why You Need It
UPKEEP Learning Center - Hotel maintenance is the upkeep of the various systems and components used in the hospitality industry. These systems include general building operations such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing,..Various organizations are dedicated to advancing professions in hotel maintenance, including AHLEI and NAHLE. Certified Chief Engineer training: training is offered by the National Association of Hotel & [...]
DOE Releases Draft Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap and Requests Stakeholder Input
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Energy Storage Grand Challenge Draft Roadmap and a Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on the Draft Roadmap. Announced in January 2020 by U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC) is a comprehensive program to accelerate the [...]
SAFE STAY – AHLA’s ENHANCED INDUSTRY-WIDE HOTEL CLEANING GUIDELINES in response to COVID-19.
Chip Rogers AHLA President & CEO The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) recently launched Safe Stay – a commitment to enhanced cleaning measures and safety guidelines that help us meet and exceed the concerns created during the pandemic…Read More
Hotel Program for New Yorkers Working in Hospitals & Other Care Settings
www1.nyc.gov The City of New York’s COVID-19 Hotel Program provides free hotel stays to eligible New Yorkers who cannot isolate where they live and wish to reduce the risk of transmission at home. This will help New York City stop the spread of COVID-19…Read More
Australia’s Victoria state to require testing for returning travelers as cases grow
https://www.abc.net.au/news/ - Australia’s Victoria state will mandate coronavirus testing for returning travelers amid an uptick in cases, some of unknown origin. Staff working at hotels where people returning from travel complete mandatory isolation periods are among those who have recently tested positive for the virus. This weekend, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the outbreak among hotel workers could [...]
Considerations for Hotel Owners and Managers: How to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Unoccupied Floors – Low occupancy decreases water flow, which can decrease disinfectant levels and increase the risk of Legionella growth. The problems that lead to Legionnaires’ disease are preventable through water management programs. A water management program is a multi-step, continuous process designed to Identify areas in a building where Legionella could grow and spread, reduce [...]
Tips to help hospitality overcome the difficulties that coronavirus brings
Hospitality Net By Bogdan Romashko, Chief Marketing Officer Use this time for hotel maintenance and renovation - Coronavirus outbreak doesn’t mean hoteliers are closing doors and are just waiting for this period to end. It’s a perfect time to catch up and improve. Whether it is a spontaneous renovation or completing your Property Improvement Plan, there’s no [...]
COVID-19: Addressing the Risks of Nontraditional Hotel Use
MARSH The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe disruptions of the global economy and many industries, including hospitality. The pandemic has forced hotel owners and operators to take drastic response measures, including furloughing and terminating employees. In many cases, hotel properties have been closed while governments and health officials focus on social distancing to slow [...]