Month: March 2023

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Legalized Marijuana Wreaks Havoc in No-Smoking Hotels

FreshAir smoking sensors help hotels monitor for marijuana and tobacco

Legalized Marijuana Wreaks Havoc in No-Smoking Hotels

Posted on by freshairsensor

19 Apr 2021

The growing trend of marijuana legalization along with increased smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic have caused more unauthorized smoking in hotels. As hoteliers struggle to enforce policies to keep their properties smoke-free and clean, the true cost of smoking is more significant than guest complaints and room cleaning. Hotel managers need a proactive, specialized detection system to monitor for smoking in rooms and provide real-time alerts of smoking events.

Forty-four states have legalized marijuana. The decriminalization of non-medical cannabis has created an unintended consequence for hoteliers: guests feel empowered to smoke in their rooms. States with legalized marijuana are seen as “420 friendly,” promoting cannabis friendly tourism where guests can smoke marijuana without consequences. For example, Nevada legalized marijuana for medical use in 2000 and recreational use in 2017. With its combination of casino-hotels and 420 friendly tourism, especially in Las Vegas, Nevada is attracting more marijuana smokers.

COVID-19 has exacerbated the smoking problems for hotels. Studies show that the pandemic has increased marijuana and tobacco use, and that self-isolation increases cannabis use. As hotels re-open from the pandemic lockdown, they report rising rates of both marijuana smoking and tobacco smoking in no-smoking rooms. At the same time, non-smoking guests demand clean air and clean rooms to higher standards than ever before.

In addition to guest empowerment due to marijuana legalization, detection and enforcement of smoking are vexing problems for hotel managers. The smell of marijuana smoke moves quickly and widely, and more guests register especially harsh complaints (not just from the rooms next door or across the hall). Hotel staff struggle to pinpoint the smoking to a guest room. They are not able to stop the smoking, prove the smoking, and charge the cleaning fee. During a Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association (NHLA) webinar, hotel executives described this challenge as “something like a hall of mirrors goose chase” for their staff, sniffing from door to door unable to locate the smoking.

Unauthorized smoking in hotel rooms brings a host of problems: smoky smells, negative reviews, lower NPS, expensive cleaning, lost revenue, reduced GOPPAR, guest complaints, and customer defections. Non-smoking guests have exceptionally negative reactions to marijuana smoke and its pungent smell (the smell of burned ammonia). A senior executive at a casino-hotel group in a state where marijuana was legalized said, “Smoking violations have gotten so bad in our hotels that our regular high rollers are starting to leave.”

Hotels across the country are installing FreshAir Wi-Fi devices equipped with patented sensors to detect marijuana smoking and tobacco smoking. Smoking alerts from FreshAir 24×7 monitoring provide timestamped, scientific proof of smoking in a guest room. Hoteliers can charge cleaning fees with confidence and see an immediate return on investment. This specialized detection helps hoteliers keep the promise of clean, no-smoking properties.

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Rental Property Manager

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Rental Property Manager

Nationwide property manager installs FreshAir Smoking Sensors in all apartments

Property Type:
Property Management

Location:
U.S. and Canada

Size:
250 Units

Challenges

  • Trouble identifying specific location of smoking
  • Complaints about smells of cigarette and marijuana smoke
  • Strained relationships with residents, building management, building owners, and other building staff due to smoking in units

Solution

  • Patented FreshAir Smoking Sensors to monitor all units for tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts with specific locations of smoking

Results

  • Stopping smoking before complaints and damage
  • Reducing complaints about smoking
  • Planning to install FreshAir Smoking Sensors in all new rental properties

“We used to send reminders to everyone in the building. Before we couldn’t narrow down which unit it was specifically. You can’t accuse anyone without having concrete evidence. FreshAir gives us an opportunity to nail down who is smoking and feel sure who it is.”

In-Depth Review

A rental property management business with a growing footprint was looking for effective and reliable smoking detection and prevention technology. They needed technology which could function without on-site staff and in different property types and multiple-room apartments.

They wanted technology with a service model which could grow with them. “We are a growing company – we try to figure out how we can improve our processes,” said the rental operations manager.

“We had established guidelines for no-smoking before FreshAir. But when we found FreshAir, we thought it was a good fit to help us with smoking issues.”

One of the biggest issues was locating unauthorized smoking in a large building. Before using FreshAir, the rental operations managers would send general notices to everyone in the building with reminders that smoking is not allowed.

“We used to send reminders to everyone in the building,” said the rental operations manager. “Before we couldn’t narrow down which unit it was specifically. You can’t accuse anyone without having concrete evidence. FreshAir gives us an opportunity to nail down who is smoking and feel sure who it is.”

Because they were not able to pinpoint the location of the smoking, the rental managers could not intervene to prevent complaints and damage.

Not able to stop smoking immediately, they ran the risk of taking units out of order for extended time during turnovers to clean, make repairs, and try to eliminate smoking smells.

The unauthorized smoking strained relationships with residents, building management, building owners, and other building staff. FreshAir Smoking Sensors provided an effective smoking detection solution, creating less work and a cleaner, safer environment for everyone on property.

Before using FreshAir, the rental managers would try to search for physical evidence. “By having FreshAir in our units, we have been able to nail down who is smoking and get them to stop or get them out. Having evidence to know who is breaking the rules and preventing them from renting with us again has been a huge benefit.”

The rental managers report that FreshAir Smoking Alerts help enforce their no-smoking policy and promise. Timestamped FreshAir Smoking Alerts serve as scientific proof of smoking in the monitored spaces.

The rental company now uses FreshAir Smoking Detection and operations best practices to enhance its smoking prevention procedures. They have installed FreshAir devices in all property types and unit sizes.

“We decided to put FreshAir sensors in every apartment in Chicago and are moving forward with every property,” said the rental operations manager.

“We see smoking issues all over. As much as you see rules posted, people aren’t going to follow them.” They are keen “to maintain a fresh and welcoming environment.”

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Bessemer and Wakefield Housing Commissions

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Bessemer and Wakefield Housing Commissions

Proven technology helps solve the age-old problem of smoking in public housing apartments

Property Type:
HUD Public Housing Apartments

Location:
Gogebic County, Michigan

Size:
120 Apartment Units

Challenges

  • Maintenance costs caused by smoking odors and damages
  • Tenant dissatisfaction and regular complaints caused by neighbors smoking
  • High apartment turnover rate due to secondhand smoke
  • Difficulty gathering adequate proof of smoking
  • Inability to successfully transition tenants out of their apartments for smoking violations

Solution

  • Monitor apartments for tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke with FreshAir’s patented sensors
  • Receive immediate notification with logged scientific proof of smoking

Results

  • Deterred smoking within properties monitored by FreshAir devices
  • Reduced smoking-related property damages
  • Simplified the process to handle smoking violations
  • Received fewer tenant complaints caused by nearby tenants smoking

“Our two largest issues when tenants smoke are the odor and the cleaning of apartments once they’re empty. This costs us the most money. Either somebody moves out because a neighbor is smoking, or it’s the rehab of the apartment which is thousands of dollars. With [FreshAir] though, I know exactly when and where the smoking is occurring, with evidence. We can avoid these costs.”

Sheri Graham, Executive Director
Bessemer and Wakefield Housing, MI

In-Depth Review

The Bessemer and Wakefield Housing Commissions provide Housing and Urban Development (HUD) public housing apartments in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Both commissions went smoke-free in 2010 and shortly thereafter realized the complications that come with enforcing a smoke-free policy. Many tenants ignored the policy, and the commissions’ management found it difficult to gather sufficient evidence when tenants were suspected of smoking in their apartments.

Before Bessemer and Wakefield Commissions monitored units with FreshAir devices, many tenants would call to complain about neighbors smoking at all times of the day and night. Whenever these complaints came in, an employee would have to go to the property and check on the apartment. When confronted, tenants would firmly deny they had smoked, often using aerosol fresheners or running their showers to create steam to try and cover up the cigarette or marijuana smell. Even in cases when it was clear that the tenants smoked inside, management found it difficult to obtain evidence that would stand up against the tenants’ objections.

The inability to change the behavior of tenants that smoked in their units or transition tenants out of their apartments when necessary led to costly damages and maintenance for the commissions. Management would spend thousands of dollars to clean apartments heavily damaged by smoking. The commissions also reported that some tenants moved out because of neighbors that continued to smoke despite multiple complaints and management’s warnings.

Sheri Graham, Executive Director for the two commissions, reached out to FreshAir in 2018 for a solution to the commissions’ eight years of frustrating enforcement of the smoke-free policy. The commissions installed FreshAir devices in a portion of their Bessemer Housing units and were quickly pleased by the deterrence and scientific documentation of smoking that FreshAir provides. Within just three months of initially working with FreshAir, the commissions installed more FreshAir devices across both the Bessemer and Wakefield properties.

“While every housing commission is set up differently, I definitely recommend FreshAir. You really need to give FreshAir a call and tell them the way your commission is structured. FreshAir has been very helpful in getting us set up with their service.”

Sheri Graham, Executive Director
Bessemer and Wakefield Housing, MI

Now when tenants are caught smoking in units monitored by FreshAir, management has the scientific proof to confirm when the smoking occurred and in which unit. Tenants cannot successfully deny smoking, which simplifies management’s response to a smoking incident. The commissions’ staff receives fewer complaints of smoking, no longer struggles to gather adequate evidence, and can use FreshAir’s documentation to initiate hassle-free, out-of-court tenant transitions for smoking-related lease violations.
Timestamped chart with scientific proof of smoking

Bessemer and Wakefield Commissions also report reduced smoking in the properties monitored by FreshAir. Tenants know they will be caught if they choose to smoke in their apartments, so they are now more likely to move outside to designated smoking areas. The number of complaints from non-smoking neighbors about tobacco and marijuana smoke has decreased, which has consequently reduced tenant-to-tenant conflicts that used to result from tenants when their neighbors smoked. The FreshAir devices have also lowered smoking-related damages in the properties, because fewer tenants smoke in their units. When tenants do continue to smoke, the commissions have adequate evidence to effectively transition the tenants out of their apartments. The reduction in property damages saves Bessemer and Wakefield Housing Commissions thousands of dollars when turning over apartments.

Executive Director Graham urges other public housing commissions to monitor their units with FreshAir and has procured funding to install FreshAir devices in more of the commissions’ units, with a goal of having full implementation soon. Even with the budgeting challenges that arise because the commissions are fully federally funded, FreshAir’s positive results have made, and continue to make, the investment a logical one.

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Nutfield Heights – First Realty Management

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Nutfield Heights - First Realty Management

HUD senior center apartments install FreshAir Smoking Sensors to prevent and prove tobacco and marijuana smoking

Property Type:
HUD Senior Housing
Apartments

Location:
Derry, NH

Size:
80 units

Challenges

  • Lack of evidence to follow through on property’s no-smoking policy
  • Complaints from residents about smoking in nearby apartments

Solution

  • FreshAir Smoking Detection devices in all apartments
  • Monitoring in apartments for tobacco and marijuana smoking with FreshAir Smoking Sensors
  • Notification with timestamped, scientific proof of smoking in a specific apartment

Results

  • Reduced smoking in apartments
  • Fewer complaints from residents about unwanted, nearby smoking and false accusations of smoking in their smoke-free apartments
  • Documented record of smoking incidents with FreshAir Smoking Alerts (both printed and online archive)
  • Deterred future smoking

“​Once alerted, we print off the report and meet with the resident. If it’s the first time, we give them a lease violation letter and let them know if it happens again, we would move forward with an eviction.”

In-Depth Review

Property Manager Christine Schmid with First Realty Management’s Nutfield Heights Senior Center had trouble enforcing the no-smoking policy. Without physical evidence of tobacco or marijuana smoking, her team could not prevent or prove unauthorized smoking.

Schmid needed proof to stop unwanted smoking and deter future smoking. First Realty Management installed FreshAir Smoking Detection devices in all of its apartments at Nutfield Heights.

FreshAir devices include patented smoking sensors and 24×7 molecular monitoring for tobacco and marijuana smoking. FreshAir Sensor provides the only technology available to specifically monitor for, immediately detect, and scientifically prove the presence of combusted tobacco and marijuana.

“​Initially, the residents weren’t happy about us putting the devices in their apartments. However, most residents now like the devices because they prove that they are not smoking. It’s really only the residents that violate their lease that don’t like the devices in their units.”

FreshAir Smoking Sensors bind only with specific molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. The sensors are not fooled by candles, cooking, incense, dust, pollen, steam, or other sources.

When managers at Nutfield Heights receive FreshAir Smoking Alerts, they have timestamped proof of smoking in a specific monitored space in an apartment. “FreshAir gives us the evidence needed to follow through with our no-smoking procedure when someone is smoking in their apartment,” said Schmid.

Schmid’s team leverages the FreshAir Smoking Alert Reports to communicate smoking violations and reiterate no-smoking procedures. “Once alerted, we print off the report and meet with the resident,” said Schmid. “If it’s the first time, we give them a lease violation letter and let them know if it happens again, we would move forward with eviction.”

Because each FreshAir Smoking Alert serves as scientific proof that smoking occurred, Schmid can confidently deal with unauthorized smoking according to their no-smoking procedure.

FreshAir Smoking Detection System with molecular monitoring has deterred residents from smoking in their units. “Most of our residents (who are non-smokers) really appreciate the FreshAir devices because they pinpoint the exact location of smoking,” added Schmid. “Residents who smoke can no longer smoke inside their apartments without getting caught.”

Successful enforcement of their no-smoking policy with FreshAir Smoking Sensors means that Nutfield Heights sees fewer smoking violations and unauthorized smoking incidents.

Property management companies like First Realty Management need proof of smoking in order to follow through with no-smoking policies.

As the only technology available which scientifically proves the presence of combusted tobacco or marijuana, FreshAir Smoking Detection offers an effective solution for property managers like Christine Schmid.

At Nutfield Heights Senior Center, FreshAir Smoking Sensors reduce unauthorized smoking and help maintain a cleaner, healthier, and safer property for their residents and staff.

“FreshAir Sensor gives us the evidence needed to follow through with our no-smoking procedure when someone is smoking in their apartment.”

Logged smoking alerts with downloadable reports are stored on the client’s portal

In one case, after receiving an alert that a guest was smoking in her room, hotel security immediately went to the room, confronted the guest and verified the smoking. Before she had even unpacked her bag, the hotel charged the cleaning fee and asked her to leave. The room was cleaned and booked for another guest less than an hour after the first (evicted) guest checked in. That night, the hotel more than tripled its revenue for that one room by booking it twice and claiming the $500 cleaning fee. If the original guest had continued to smoke throughout the night, that room could have been closed for cleaning for days and nearby guests could have been displeased and disturbed.

After six months of using FreshAir Sensor, the hotel has substantially decreased smoking complaints from guests. Even with this reduction, the hotel is still catching 50-60 smokers per month, adding over $20,000 per month in additional revenue.

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Vaping Detection as a Method to Curb Teen Vaping and Nicotine Use

Monitoring vaping hotspots in schools may be the key to reducing student vaping rates

Vaping Detection as a Method to Curb Teen Vaping and Nicotine Use

Posted on by freshairsensor

09 Mar 2021

Disclaimer: Please note that FreshAir solutions are not designed for in-home or consumer use. If interested in bringing vaping detection to your schools, please refer your school officials to the FreshAir website.

A quarter or more of all kids and teens vape or smoke, and the majority of youth who use nicotine do so using e-cigarette technology.1 Although the research on the health risks of vaping is still ongoing, longstanding knowledge about the risk of nicotine use generally indicates that the rapidly rising vaping rates among kids and teens presents a public health crisis. Risks to brain development, lung capacity, and more are serious. What’s more, research has shown that vaping among youth is a significant risk factor for beginning to smoke traditional cigarettes, which carries further health risks.2

Students tend to hide vape use from parents, teachers, and other adults, so detection is a central part of prevention. One of the most significant issues in prevention efforts focused on kids and teens is finding ways to introduce detection – and thus supervision – in spaces where adult supervision is not typically possible. School bathrooms and locker rooms, for example, have low to no supervision and are currently hotspots for vaping in schools. Promising new vaping detection technology being developed may hold the key to reducing student vaping rates in schools and thus to helping teens to quit before they become addicted to nicotine.

FreshAir vaping detection technology, funded by NIH grants, is similar to biological receptors; it detects only molecules specific to vaping. The sensors have high sensitivity (i.e., can detect low levels of the substance) and high selectivity (i.e., specified to vaping substances alone). The sensors will specifically detect vaping and provide scientific proof of when it took place. These sensors were developed in the FreshAir lab and are currently being commercialized for use in middle schools and high schools. The sensors will allow for monitoring of students in environments where adults will not always be present. Stay tuned for where the research and develoment take FreshAir in 2021.

1 CDC, Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/ss/ss6812a1.htm; NCBI, e-Cigarette Use Among Youth in the United States, 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6865299/.

2 NCBI, e-Cigarette Use Among Youth in the United States, 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6865299/; Truth Initiative, Why Vaping is an Important Issue, https://truthinitiative.org/our-top-issues/vaping-issue.

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Reducing Negative Impacts of Unauthorized Smoking on Hotels and Guests

FreshAir smoking sensors save on cleaning, reduce lost revenue, and improve guest satisfaction

Reducing Negative Impacts of Unauthorized Smoking on Hotels and Guests

Posted on by freshairsensor

Reducing Negative Impacts of Unauthorized Smoking on Hotels and Guests

FreshAir smoking sensors save on cleaning, reduce lost revenue, and improve guest satisfaction

Unauthorized smoking in hotel rooms can cost thousands of dollars in cleaning, room damage, and lost revenue. The primary driver of hotel guest satisfaction is cleanliness of the hotel and its rooms, and smell is a major component of guests’ perception of cleanliness. FreshAir’s smoking sensor technology can help detect and prevent smoking, helping hotels to provide a smoke-free environment, save money on cleaning, enhance safety, mitigate fire risk, and, most importantly, improve their guests’ satisfaction.

Now more than ever, hotel guests are adamant about the importance of rooms being clean. As cigarette smoking has become less common in public over the past few decades, tolerance for being exposed to smoke has declined dramatically. A noticeable percentage of review complaints for any individual hotel are related to smell or cleanliness, frequently smoking-related. Those who choose to express their dissatisfaction by giving bad reviews can significantly hurt a hotel’s overall performance.

Aside from the issue of customer satisfaction and its effect on hotel performance, unauthorized smoking results in extra costs associated with expensive cleaning processes, lost room revenue, and possible credit card chargebacks. A thorough room cleaning requires removal and cleaning of all of the soft goods and a time-consuming scrub down process. Frequently, the room also needs to be left offline for one to three days to air out, resulting in lost room availability.

FreshAir Sensor technology solves these issues by monitoring for and specifically detecting tobacco and marijuana smoke. FreshAir Sensor’s patented technology is used in Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The devices communicate with a cloud-based monitoring platform which tracks the sensor data in real time and provides around-the-clock monitoring and alerts. The immediacy is important, since rooms in which only one cigarette has been smoked can be treated quickly and rented out the next night, while more smoking translates into more expensive and time-consuming cleanup.

Hotels can choose what to do with the alert: some require staff to immediately visit the room and require the occupant to sign an acknowledgment that they have smoked and agree to pay a cleaning fee; others don’t inform guests, but instead charge a fee each time sensors indicate smoking in the room.

By tracking FreshAir smoking sensors in real-time, hotels can immediately address smoking, prevent smoke damage, and minimize negative effects on other guests. FreshAir technology means they can stop smoking before substantial damage is done.

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