Month: September 2023

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Downtown Miami Hotel

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Downtown Miami Hotel

Instant financial and operational benefits by pinpointing smoking locations and reducing guest complaints

Property Type:

Full-service

downtown hotel

Location:
Miami FL

Brands:
528 Rooms

Challenges

  • Security could not pinpoint rooms where smoking occurred.
  • Evidence of smoking was reported to security during turnover, long after the guest left.
  • Complaints from non-smoking guests of smoking odors coming from other rooms.
  • Negative experience for non-smoking guests.
  • Loss of repeat customers and recommendations.
  • Additional cleaning and ionizing required after smoking events.

Solution

  • FreshAir Smoking Sensors immediately detect tobacco and marijuana smoking in each hotel room on a molecular level.
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts provide immediate, indisputable scientific proof of smoking with timestamps and location.
  • FreshAir Monitoring Platform sends discreet Smoking Alerts to hotel security immediately after smoking occurs.
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts provide staff the evidence they need to charge a guest while they are still on property.
  • The FreshAir Smoking Detection System helps prevent chargebacks and archives the evidence needed to fight them if needed.

Results

  • Immediate Smoking Alerts for prompt security response to smoking in rooms.
  • Quick and accurate detection when guests are smoking.
  • Fewer complaints from non-smoking guests.
  • Time saved investigating smoking incidents and cleaning rooms.
  • Positive return on investment generated from cleaning fees and fewer customer complaints.

“What has been beneficial for us is the fact that there are much less complaints by guests of the smell of smoke near their room.”

In-Depth Review

The security team at a prominent downtown Miami hotel frequently smelled tobacco and marijuana smoke in the hallways. The director of security and safety at the active and popular hotel knew guests were smoking in their rooms, but his team could not pinpoint the locations.

When non-smoking guests complained of smelling tobacco and marijuana smoke from other rooms, security staff would investigate but could not definitively identify the room(s) with smoking.

Housekeeping would find evidence of smoking during room turnover and notify hotel security. By then, the guest had left, leaving behind a smoking damaged room that could not be rented and unhappy guests who were unlikely to stay at the hotel again or recommend it to others.

“We’ve saved time and effort on behalf of the Security team needing to respond to calls of incidents of smoking without having a specific room to check. ”

To stop unauthorized smoking, the hotel began working with FreshAir Sensor. The FreshAir Smoking Detection system immediately detects smoking and sends time-stamped, location specific Smoking Alerts to hotel staff. FreshAir Smoking Alerts are scientific proof of smoking at a molecular level.

Deploying the FreshAir Smoking Detection system has made a real difference. “We’ve saved time and effort,” the hotel’s director of security and safety reported. “The Security team can now respond to incidents of smoking with a specific room to check.”

Hotel security responds to FreshAir Smoking Alerts quickly. The FreshAir Smoking Sensors detect smoking “before it overwhelms neighboring rooms,” explained the director of security and safety. “There are much less complaints by guests about the smell of smoke.”

As standalone proof of smoking the FreshAir Smoking Alerts are indisputable, enabling the hotel to collect smoking fees and win chargebacks. The system provides instant, positive operational and financial returns.

“ROI is in the black and that is good news for us. Some guests try to dispute the smoke alert charge, but we hold our ground,” said the hotel’s director of security and safety.

The FreshAir Smoking Detection system is the tool the hotel needs to effectively enforce their no-smoking policy and help their team pinpoint when and where smoking occurs.

Operational efficiency was a major added benefit according to the director of security and safety: “I would recommend using the product. Since the installation of FreshAir, the hotel’s efforts in monitoring and responding to smoking incidents have diminished considerably. That time is used on other efforts now.”

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2,000 Room Luxury Casino Hotel

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Client Story: 2,000 Room Luxury Casino Hotel

Immediate, positive return on investment and cleaner rooms for large, luxury casino hotelier after installing smoking sensors with 24×7 molecular monitoring

Property Type:
North America

Location:
Massachusetts

Brands:
2,000 Rooms

Challenges

  • Smoking incidents were costly, and the damage caused by negative reviews because of smoking lasted much longer than physical property damage, eroding guest satisfaction and cutting into revenue for years to come.
  • The rooms smelled so bad from previous tobacco and marijuana smoking incidents that new smoking events were hard to prove and even harder to charge guests for violating the no-smoking policy.
  • Smoking incidents negatively impacted the next guests so much that the hotel often moved and compensated these guests to try to salvage their satisfaction.
  • Guests became more confident they could get away with smoking.

Solution

  • FreshAir Sensor devices pinpoint the exact location of smoking with molecular monitoring
  • FreshAir monitoring platform sends discreet, immediate Smoking Alerts to hotel staff when smoking occurs, allowing for a quick, proactive response
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts scientifically prove the presence of burned tobacco or marijuana

Results

  • Generated immediate, positive return on investment (revenue collected far exceeded costs)
  • Increased customer satisfaction and decreased negative reviews related to smoking
  • Reduced housekeeping work and maintained cleaner property
  • Collected cleaning fees and won chargebacks
  • Reduced unauthorized smoking and property damage

“I expected this program to cost us a good amount, and we wouldn’t see a return. I am happy to say that over a year later, our compensation offered per occupied room is way down. Furthermore, we have actually generated revenue from the program that was double the cost of the program in just the first year.”

In-Depth Review

The vice president of Hotel Operations for a 2,000 room luxury casino hotel faced daily problems with guests smoking tobacco and marijuana in the non-smoking property. Around-the-clock unauthorized smoking hindered his team from delivering a consistent, world-class experience for their guests.

The costs of unauthorized smoking in such a large hotel were staggering. According to a recent industry study about the actual costs of smoking in hotel rooms, a single smoking event can cost as much as $1000.

The long-lasting damage from smoking incidents further complicated the hotel’s efforts to collect cleaning fees. “We rarely charged guests due to the issues we were having with claims that they didn’t actually smoke,” said the VP of Hotel Operations. “Most rooms had a smoke smell, so we really couldn’t enforce anything.”

When smoking occurred in their rooms, the housekeeping staff tried to clean before the next guests arrived by spraying deodorizers and running ozone machines, but with limited effect.

Compounding the costs, the prior guests who smoked often were not charged because of no evidence, and the ensuing guests were frequently moved and compensated.

“The next guests would check in and complain of the smoke smells, be moved, and be compensated,” said the VP of Hotel Operations. “Guests who smoked in our rooms knew there were no consequences, so they continued to smoke. It was a never-ending cycle of room changes, compensation, and apologies.”

The Hotel Operations team knew they had to stop and deter smoking to improve overall customer satisfaction. The casino hotelier turned to the FreshAir Sensor Smoking Detection System with 24×7 monitoring to break the perpetual, negative cycles caused by unauthorized smoking.

With the FreshAir Smoking Detection System, Wi-Fi-enabled devices molecularly monitor each hotel room for tobacco and marijuana smoking. The hotel staff receives immediate Smoking Alerts each time unauthorized smoking occurs.

FreshAir Smoking Alerts are sent to a mobile phone, email, and/or front desk computer. The Smoking Alerts are discreet and location-specific, empowering the hotel’s team to respond quickly and proactively.

The casino hotel has enjoyed remarkably positive results. “Housekeeping is no longer cleaning rooms a second or third time,” said the VP of Hotel Operations. “The entire property actually smells better and has a much better feel.”

The property receives daily and weekly smoking reports from FreshAir Sensor. Accessible through their FreshAir Client Portal and customizable to each team member’s notification preferences, the reports are accurate resources for hotel staff to access archived Smoking Alerts, charge cleaning fees, and prevent and win chargebacks.

“We actually have customers that have been successfully charged over five times,” said the VP of Hotel Operations.

Since installing FreshAir Smoking Sensors with molecular monitoring, arguably the most positive and immediate impact for the property is the significant cleaning fee revenue – far exceeding the cost.

“Our collected smoking charges last year FreshAir Smoking Alerts were hundreds of thousands of dollars. Before going live with the sensor technology, I had concerns,” said the VP of Hotel Operations. “I didn’t think that guest behavior would change and doubted the return on investment.”

“I have shared my results with others in our market, and they laughed. I broke it down month by month, sent the results in emails and showed them folders of charge after charge after charge. It’s hard to argue P&L numbers, and no one is faking or embellishing our own bottom line. Once they see that and talk to the team, they understand the positive impacts.”

With the FreshAir Smoking Detection System, this casino hotelier reversed the perpetual, negative cycle of unauthorized smoking, missed cleaning fees, extra housekeeping work, poor guest satisfaction, and room changes and extra compensation for unhappy guests in smoked rooms.

The casino hotel is realizing the financial and operational benefits of the FreshAir Smoking Detection System:

  • generating immediate, positive financial return on investment;
  • improving customer satisfaction;
  • maintaining cleaner rooms;
  • charging cleaning fees (at the discretion of hotel management); and
  • reducing unauthorized smoking and damage.
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Bally’s Atlantic City Resort

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Client Story: Bally’s Atlantic City Resort

"FreshAir pays for itself” in a large casino hotel by enabling management to charge cleaning fees and reduce complaints and costs

Property Type:
Casino Hotel

Location:
Atlantic City, NJ

Brands:
1205 Rooms

Challenges

  • When guests complained about unauthorized smoking after check-in, the hotel would have to switch them to different rooms and take the affected room(s) out of service for costly and labor intensive cleaning.
  • The casino hotel required physical proof of smoking to charge the cleaning fee.
  • Hotel staff were not finding proof of smoking until after guests checked out, losing the opportunity to charge the cleaning fee(s).

Solution

  • FreshAir Smoking Detection System immediately detects tobacco and marijuana smoking and sends Smoking Alerts to hotel management with pinpoint accuracy, allowing for a quick response.
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts are stand-alone scientific proof of smoking, and no additional or physical evidence is necessary.
  • FreshAir Smoking Alerts are time-stamped and location specific, allowing the hotel to charge the cleaning fees while the guests are still on property.

Results

  • Bally’s generates significant cleaning fee revenue from FreshAir Smoking Alerts.
  • Bally’s now has the evidence needed to effectively charge their cleaning fees and win potential chargebacks.
  • Bally’s rapid response to unauthorized smoking enables timely cleaning fee charges while the guests are still on property and before more damage is done from continued smoking.
  • With reduced guest complaints and extra cleaning costs and labor, Bally’s is also saving money and adding to the overall return on investment.

“This has been a revenue generator for our hotel, the smoking violations have added thousands to our monthly bottom line. ”

In-Depth Review

Trinity Updegrove, director of hotel operations at Bally’s Atlantic City Resort, continuously fielded complaints from guests about tobacco and marijuana smells in his smoke-free rooms.

“Guests were complaining about the rooms smelling like smoke after check-in,” said Updegrove. “In some cases we’d have to move the guest to another room, and we’d have to service the original room again, costing extra money for labor.”

Bally’s attempted to charge the offending guests for cleaning fees but struggled to collect the physical proof needed to successfully charge. Evidence was found almost always after a guest checked out and their credit card had been released. Guests who violated the smoking policy were simply not getting caught.

Complaints about smoking appeared frequently in the hotel’s online reviews. The negative reviews undermined the hotel’s promise of cleanliness and demonstrated how a hotel’s reputation could sustain costly and long-lasting damage from unauthorized smoking.

According to a recent industry study about smoking in hotel rooms, negative online reviews can hit a hotel’s bottomline for years to come, and the actual costs of smoking can add up quickly. The study found cleaning and property damage can cost four to five times more than the average industry cleaning fee, and reputational harm was the largest hidden cost of smoking.

Updegrove and his team at Bally’s knew they had to do something to solve the smoking problem. They turned to FreshAir Sensor to tackle the property’s unauthorized smoking challenges.

Using patented Polysens™ technology, the FreshAir Smoking Detection System immediately detects burned tobacco and marijuana with molecular monitoring in individual rooms and suites. When smoking occurs, the system sends smoking alerts to hotel management.

FreshAir Smoking Alerts are time-stamped, scientific proof of smoking, discreetly sent to hotel staff, enabling Bally’s to take timely action.

“Guest violations are now charged while the guest is still on property, so we can contact or lock a guest out with declined credit holds,” said the director of hotel operations. “Guests are notified as soon as they smoke, not at the end of their stay which could give them multiple smoking opportunities.”

The ability to effectively charge cleaning fees while guests are still on property turns smoking incidents from an operational expense into a viable and valuable revenue stream for the casino hotel.

“The revenue generated pays for the device and monitoring, deep cleaning labor, and general cleaning of the room (curtains and other fabrics). Another benefit is the amount of service recovery we are saving on complaints,” said the director of hotel operations.

Since working with FreshAir Sensor, the reduced guest complaints and costs of switching rooms and compensating guests enable Bally’s to save money and achieve an even better return on investment from the specialized FreshAir sensor technology.

The benefits of installing the FreshAir Smoking Detection System at Bally’s improve all aspects of their room operations.

The revenue generated from immediate smoking detection and cost savings from fewer complaints generate positive return on investment. For Trinity Updegrove, the reasons for recommending FreshAir are simple: “FreshAir pays for itself, and the guests have a better room.”

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Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Casino Hotel

Gulf Coast casino hotel quickly increases profit per room and improves guest satisfaction by installing FreshAir Sensor Smoking Detection

Property Type:
Casino Hotel

Location:
Detroit, Michigan

Size:
400 Rooms

Challenges

  • Frequent guest complaints caused by smoking odors
  • Inability to quickly identify where and when smoking violations occurred
  • Difficulty collecting fees from guests who violated the smoking policy
  • Time and money spent cleaning and repairing smoking-damaged rooms

Solution

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

Results

  • Collected all smoking fees and won 100% of chargebacks
  • Generated positive return on investment from collecting smoking fees and reduced cleaning costs, property damages, and rooms out of inventory
  • Improved hotel Market Metric scores and guest satisfaction
  • Simplified a no-hassle process to handle smoking violations
  • Maintained cleaner, safer, healthier rooms for guests

“The use of FreshAir Sensor’s technology has allowed us to create a cleaner and more pleasant atmosphere for our guests, while adding revenue for our hotel operation. We now feel closer to being able to ‘certify’ or guarantee a non-smoking experience for our hotel guests… Our Market Metric scores have gone up, because our complaints have gone down.”

Director of Hotel Facilities

In-Depth Review

A 400-room casino hotel had a problem with guests smoking in its rooms. The hotel frequently received complaints about the smells of cigarette and marijuana smoke. A security officer would walk the area or floor in question, trying to determine the source of the smoke. From the hallways, the security officer would have a hard time definitively identifying the smokers’ rooms. Even when security personnel were able to determine where a guest was smoking, the hotel rarely had conclusive proof.
When security did locate guests smoking in their rooms, the hotel was rarely successful in charging them the cleaning fee. Many times, when confronted with a cleaning fee, guests would contest it with their credit card companies, resulting in chargebacks to the hotel. The lack of data and evidence was costly and frustrating.

The hotel found FreshAir Sensor, the only technology available to monitor for and immediately detect tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke. The FreshAir devices work over Wi-Fi and were quick and easy to install.

Initially the hotel ran a 30-room pilot program. The devices were immediately catching smokers, so the hotel went to a full implementation in all 400 rooms.

As part of the hotel’s effort to reduce smoking in guest rooms, the hotel also increased its cleaning fee to $500.

Now when someone smokes in a guest room, the hotel receives an alert. Security responds immediately, and FreshAir Sensor sends a time-stamped chart of the smoking event. The chart provides the hotel with scientific proof that smoking took place. When cleaning fees are charged, the hotel is always able to collect them, because credit card companies accept FreshAir Sensor’s charts as evidence of smoking.

“It was NOT easy to collect smoking penalties before we got the FreshAir Sensor smoking detection system. We collect deposits from guests at check-in, but half the time we lost the chargeback. We have zero problems with the credit card companies since we installed FreshAir in our rooms.”

Director of Hotel Facilities

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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Urban Casino Hotel

Posted on by freshairsensor

Client Story: Casino Hotel

In-room smoking detection system reduces smoking and provides additional revenue stream

Property Type:
Casino Hotel

Location:
Detroit, Michigan

Size:
400 Rooms

Challenges

  • Frequent guest complaints caused by smoking odors
  • Inability to quickly identify where and when smoking violations occurred
  • Difficulty collecting fees from guests who violated the smoking policy
  • Time and money spent cleaning and repairing smoking-damaged rooms

Solution

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

Results

  • Collected all smoking fees and won 100% of chargebacks
  • Generated positive return on investment from collecting smoking fees and reduced cleaning costs, property damages, and rooms out of inventory
  • Improved hotel Market Metric scores and guest satisfaction
  • Simplified a no-hassle process to handle smoking violations
  • Maintained cleaner, safer, healthier rooms for guests

“The use of FreshAir Sensor’s technology has allowed us to create a cleaner and more pleasant atmosphere for our guests, while adding revenue for our hotel operation. We now feel closer to being able to ‘certify’ or guarantee a non-smoking experience for our hotel guests… Our Market Metric scores have gone up, because our complaints have gone down.”

Director of Hotel Facilities

In-Depth Review

A 400-room casino hotel had a problem with guests smoking in its rooms. The hotel frequently received complaints about the smells of cigarette and marijuana smoke. A security officer would walk the area or floor in question, trying to determine the source of the smoke. From the hallways, the security officer would have a hard time definitively identifying the smokers’ rooms. Even when security personnel were able to determine where a guest was smoking, the hotel rarely had conclusive proof.
When security did locate guests smoking in their rooms, the hotel was rarely successful in charging them the cleaning fee. Many times, when confronted with a cleaning fee, guests would contest it with their credit card companies, resulting in chargebacks to the hotel. The lack of data and evidence was costly and frustrating.

The hotel found FreshAir Sensor, the only technology available to monitor for and immediately detect tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke. The FreshAir devices work over Wi-Fi and were quick and easy to install.

Initially the hotel ran a 30-room pilot program. The devices were immediately catching smokers, so the hotel went to a full implementation in all 400 rooms.

As part of the hotel’s effort to reduce smoking in guest rooms, the hotel also increased its cleaning fee to $500.

Now when someone smokes in a guest room, the hotel receives an alert. Security responds immediately, and FreshAir Sensor sends a time-stamped chart of the smoking event. The chart provides the hotel with scientific proof that smoking took place. When cleaning fees are charged, the hotel is always able to collect them, because credit card companies accept FreshAir Sensor’s charts as evidence of smoking.

“It was NOT easy to collect smoking penalties before we got the FreshAir Sensor smoking detection system. We collect deposits from guests at check-in, but half the time we lost the chargeback. We have zero problems with the credit card companies since we installed FreshAir in our rooms.”

Director of Hotel Facilities

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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Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association Names FreshAir Sensor Supplier of the Year

Award highlights instant, positive operational and financial results of FreshAir Smoking Sensors in casino hotels

Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association Names FreshAir Sensor Supplier of the Year

Posted on by freshairsensor

The Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association (NHLA) named FreshAir Sensor Supplier of the Year at its 2023 Stars of the Industry Hospitality Awards Gala at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas.

The award recognizes FreshAir’s exceptional service to the hospitality industry, the community and Nevada.

The Supplier of the Year Award highlights the effectiveness of FreshAir’s patented, revolutionary sensor technology to tackle the problem of unauthorized tobacco and marijuana smoking in hotel rooms and suites.

FreshAir Smoking Alerts provide immediate, indisputable proof of tobacco and marijuana smoking.

The FreshAir Smoking Detection Systems generates instant, positive financial and operational returns for hotel clients with the only sensors that can detect smoking on a molecular level.

Constantly juggling many priorities and vendors, casino hotel executives remark how easy it is to install and set up FreshAir Smoking Detection Devices.

Hotel managers say scientific proof from FreshAir Smoking Sensors enables them to reduce smoking, charge cleaning fees, and avoid chargebacks.

Feedback from casino hotel executives:

“I have dealt with at least a dozen different vendors in my 21 years at this company, and FreshAir Sensor has been one of the best! We have direct contact with an account representative who is able to answer any questions we have, most times the same day. In the casino industry that’s rare.” – Mary Wren, Mohegan Sun

“FreshAir Sensor pays for itself, and the guests have a better room. Guests are notified as soon as they smoke, not at the end of their stay which could give them multiple smoking opportunities.” – Trinity Updegrove, Bally’s

“I expected this program to cost us a good amount, and we wouldn’t see a return. I am happy to say that over a year later, our compensation offered per occupied room is way down. Furthermore, we have actually generated revenue from the program that was double the cost of the program.”
– Hotel Executive, 2,000 room luxury casino hotel

“We haven’t lost any chargebacks as guests have not even tried. Once the evidence is shown to them, they tend to just give up.”
– Mary Wren, Mohegan Sun

“Once we implemented it, we collected more smoking fees in the first few months than we’d successfully collected in the three years prior. This system changed our ability to collect on fees in a positive way. Also, word got around, and smoking in the rooms has gradually decreased.”
– Matthew Ulm, Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel

“The use of FreshAir Sensor’s technology has allowed us to create a cleaner and more pleasant atmosphere for our guests, while adding revenue for our hotel operation. We now feel closer to being able to ‘certify’ or guarantee a non-smoking experience for our hotel guests… Our Market Metric scores have gone up, because our complaints have gone down.”
– Hotel Executive, Urban Casino Hotel

“In our first 6 months, I have paid the lease fee for the next 3 years already! Beyond the revenue from fees, compensation due to rooms smelling like smoke has easily been cut in half. We see benefit on the cleaning side as well. Less burn holes in carpets, less odor elimination chemical being purchased.”
– Mary Wren, Mohegan Sun

The award also recognizes FreshAir’s active engagement with NHLA and its members.

NHLA showcases FreshAir’s expertise in no-smoking policy and procedure enforcement on its Master Key Blog:

    • Scientific Proof of Smoking Removes Ambiguity for Hoteliers: Unlike traditional smoke detectors that indiscriminately indicate any particles, FreshAir’s novel and patented sensors bind only with specific molecules that are present when someone is actively smoking tobacco or marijuana. FreshAir sensors are not fooled by candles, incense, dust, pollen, steam, or other non-smoking sources. When hotel clients receive FreshAir smoking alerts, they have reliable, stand-alone proof of the smoking incident … read more
    • New Technology Reduces Smoking and Increases Revenue: FreshAir Sensor provides a timestamped chart of smoking event, providing scientific proof that smoking took place. When cleaning fees are charged, the hotel is consistently able to collect them, and the credit card processing companies accept FreshAir Sensor’s charts as evidence of smoking … read more

FreshAir produces webinars for NHLA members, such as “Smoking Violations at Your Hotel?” where participants discussed:

  • Actual cost of smoking policy violations;
  • Impact of COVID on guests’ perceptions;
  • Solutions for detecting, proving, and charging for smoking incidents (even without physical evidence); and
  • Multi-year study case study for a casino hotel.

FreshAir executives serve on NHLA’s Clean and Green Committee and Technology Committee helping to organize events, create educational content, and enhance professional development:

  • Clean and Green Committee: Promotes best practices in housekeeping and sustainability, efficiency, communication, education, and environmental practices in today’s hospitality industry. The focus is on best operational practices to reduce costs while increasing guest satisfaction.
  • Technology Committee: Ensures new industry trends, technologies, current issues, and resources are made available to all NHLA members.

For NHLA’s 2023 Industry Awards, FreshAir Sensor sponsored the Safety, Security or Risk Management Star of the Year.

About FreshAir’s Patented Smoking Sensors:

  • The Only Sensor that Detects Smoking on a Molecular Level – proprietary technology specifically detects only tobacco and marijuana smoke.
  • Immediate Results Improve Financials and Operations – increased cleaning fee revenue, fewer customer complaints, reduced cleaning costs, and better guest reviews.
  • Proven in the Real World – 24×7 monitoring and reporting in tens of millions of room nights, 11 US patents, and court case validated.
  • Used by Top Hotels and Casinos – thousands of hotels across the country using FreshAir Smoking Sensors for indisputable proof of smoking.
  • Essential to Staying Smoke-Free – FreshAir Smoking Sensors are not “nice to have,” they are “need-to-have” to maintain smoke-free and clean hotels.
  • FreshAir Stands Behind Every Sensor and Hotel Client – American made and dedicated support for each property.
  • Plug and Play Installation – simple and secure WiFi setup with no special software or expensive integration – solving headaches without creating headaches!
Start of Industry Award
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FreshAir Sensor Again Named One of Best Companies to Work For

Creative and exceptional commitment to fulfilling and functional work experience

FreshAir Sensor Again Named One of Best Companies to Work For

Posted on by freshairsensor
Best Companies to Work For Business NH

BusinessNH Magazine again named FreshAir Sensor one of the best companies to work for in the state of New Hampshire.

Moving up in the 2023 ranking to number seven, FreshAir excelled in the Employee Engagement Survey and continued to demonstrate its creative and exceptional commitment to a fulfilling and functional work experience.

In its ranking, BusinessNH “recognized businesses that go out of their way to create engaging workplaces and understand that fulfilled employees are more productive.”

Based on the “10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results” in Louder Than Words by Bob Kelleher, the survey gathers feedback and ratings from employees.

The results for FreshAir Sensor show remarkably consistent and high ratings. In all of the categories listed below, FreshAir scored between 94% and 100%:

  • I know what my organization is trying to achieve strategically
  • I am encouraged to learn and develop new skills
  • Management is trusted
  • Management operates in accordance with the firm’s overall philosophy and values: they practice what they preach
  • Positive relationships exist between employees and management at my company
  • My manager is interested in my well being
  • My manager respects my work life balance
  • I am informed about what is happening at this organization
  • Communication between the office’s management and people at my level is very good
  • I feel comfortable talking to my superiors about any concerns I might have about my work
  • My company has a culture of diversity and inclusion – they treat all employees fairly regardless of age, gender, race, religion, etc.
  • My manager really cares about me as a person
  • The mission and purpose of my organization makes me feel that my job is important
  • I would like to be working for this organization one year from today
  • There are real opportunities here for meaningful career and professional development
  • I have the freedom to make the necessary decisions to do my work properly
  • I can keep a reasonable balance between work and personal life
  • Our management values input from all levels
  • We regularly discuss our progress toward our goals and objectives
  • My firm provides opportunities to socialize and celebrate special events
  • We identify and recruit the best people for every job
  • My manager displays the behavior and traits that are consistent with the company’s values

FreshAir Sensor representatives from Chemistry, Client Experience, Hardware Engineering, Software, Sales, and Sensor Production on a hotel site visit

Comments submitted by FreshAir Sensor employees:

“I LOVE working at FreshAir!”
“This is my dream job – a year in and I’m still thanking God for everyone at FreshAir.”
“Top management doesn’t just talk, they walk the walk as a peer not a dictator and can be found on the production line when needed.”
“First job in nearly 40 years of professional employment that I absolutely love and doesn’t cause me any stress.”
“Employees bring their dogs to work and they bring joy and improve everyone’s wellbeing.”
“Every employee has an equal voice.”
“Ideas and innovations are routinely discussed, and no idea is discounted without consideration.”
“Employees have the ability to take the time to care for their families without fear of repercussions.”
“Flexible work hours that increase productivity because people have been able to take care of life and get their work done.”
“The company hires collaborative, creative and compassionate people.”
“Physical and mental disabilities are seen as opportunities, not something to dismiss.”

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Research Shows Many “Smoke-Free” Hotels Expose Guests to Thirdhand Smoke

San Diego State University researchers cite smoke residue in hotel rooms from tobacco and marijuana smoking by previous guests

Research Shows Many “Smoke-Free” Hotels Expose Guests to Thirdhand Smoke

Posted on by freshairsensor

An original study published by researchers at San Diego State University (SDSU) reveals that many “smoke-free” hotels expose guests to thirdhand smoke.

Thirdhand smoke is the chemical residue that is left behind on clothes, skin, furniture, walls, and other surfaces after someone smokes.

According to one of the study’s researchers, Georg Matt, an SDSU professor of psychology and public health, “Many hotels claim to offer their guests smoke-free rooms, but cannot live up to this promise.”

The researchers analyzed more than 332,000 hotel guest reviews from stays in 477 hotels in the United States. The analysis revealed that 10% of reviews for non-smoking rooms include complaints about smoking.

Of these complaints, 80% were about thirdhand smoke residue left behind in hotel rooms from smoking by previous guests. In the worst offending hotels, up to 25 of 100 guest reviews included complaints about thirdhand smoke from tobacco.

What can hotels do? Matt said: “Hotels must continually educate and remind their guests about smoke-free policies and consequences, and train their staff to monitor and enforce compliance.”

According to a summary of the study, “If hotels protect guests by fully committing to, implementing, and enforcing 100% smoke-free building policies … guests will have more positive experiences that will likely reflect in their reviews and ratings.”

As reported in an industry study about the actual costs of smoking in hotel rooms, “Lost revenue from reputation damage incurred by negative online reviews account for 65% of the entire cost of a single smoking event.”

FreshAir Sensor provides a novel and effective solution to enforce no-smoking policies in hotels.

FreshAir Smoking Sensors are the only technology available to specifically monitor for, immediately detect, and scientifically prove the presence of combusted tobacco and marijuana.

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Industry Study: Actual Costs of Smoking in Hotel Rooms

Hidden costs of smoking as much as four times average cleaning fee

Industry Study: Actual Costs of Smoking in Hotel Rooms

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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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FreshAir Sensor Named One of 25 Best Companies to Work For

Remarkably consistent and high ratings from Employee Engagement Survey

FreshAir Sensor Named One of 25 Best Companies to Work For

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BusinessNH Magazine named FreshAir Sensor one of the best companies to work for in the state of New Hampshire.

Ranked in the top 25, FreshAir excelled in the Employee Engagement Survey and demonstrated a creative and exceptional commitment to a fulfilling and functional work experience.

In its ranking, BusinessNH “recognized businesses that go out of their way to create engaging workplaces and understand that fulfilled employees are more productive.”

Based on the “10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results” in Louder Than Words by Bob Kelleher, the survey gathers feedback and ratings from employees.

The results for FreshAir Sensor show remarkably consistent and high ratings. In all of the categories listed below, FreshAir scored between 94% and 100%:

  • I know what my organization is trying to achieve strategically
  • I am encouraged to learn and develop new skills
  • Management is trusted
  • Management operates in accordance with the firm’s overall philosophy and values: they practice what they preach
  • Positive relationships exist between employees and management at my company
  • My manager is interested in my well being
  • My manager respects my work life balance
  • I am informed about what is happening at this organization
  • Communication between the office’s management and people at my level is very good
  • I feel comfortable talking to my superiors about any concerns I might have about my work
  • My company has a culture of diversity and inclusion – they treat all employees fairly regardless of age, gender, race, religion, etc.
  • My manager really cares about me as a person
  • The mission and purpose of my organization makes me feel that my job is important
  • I would like to be working for this organization one year from today
  • There are real opportunities here for meaningful career and professional development
  • I have the freedom to make the necessary decisions to do my work properly
  • I can keep a reasonable balance between work and personal life
  • Our management values input from all levels
  • We regularly discuss our progress toward our goals and objectives
  • My firm provides opportunities to socialize and celebrate special events
  • We identify and recruit the best people for every job
  • My manager displays the behavior and traits that are consistent with the company’s values
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