QHotels.

QHotels, home to 27 unique four and five star hotels and AA hotel group of the year for 2014-2015, has announced it is transforming its cleaning efficiency across seven of its UK sites, following the installation of Green World Innovation’s lotus® PRO cleaning system. Speaking about the move to non-chemical cleaning, Christine Maccormack, Executive Housekeeper of QHotels’ Cameron House, explains the motivation behind this green initiative and the benefits noted since the installation.

“With 27 hotels at locations across the UK, the current QHotels portfolio equates to over 3,800 bedrooms - all of which require daily cleaning. As with any well-run business, general running costs and expenses are reviewed regularly to ensure the company is operating both cost-effectively and efficiently. As we began to review the opportunities to cut costs and improve the overall environmental performance of the QHotels portfolio, our senior management team realized we could quickly reduce the expenditure on chemicals used to clean bedrooms, becoming more environmentally friendly in the process.

After extensive reviews of the available solutions on the market, we turned to Green World Innovations and began trialing its innovative lotus® PRO cleaning system. The first installation, which took place at Cameron House Hotel at Loch Lomond, began in May 2013 where it was quickly identified as a viable alternative to chemical use, providing effective and efficient cleaning by transforming water into aqueous ozone, a residue and chemical free cleaner. Initial results from the trial saw impressive cleaning results as well as cost savings, when compared to the previous use of chemicals. By using aqueous ozone, we quickly noted a dramatic decline in spend on chemicals as well as reducing the time spent cleaning.

With such impressive results, the lotus® PRO cleaning system was quickly rolled out across six more hotels in the group, starting at The Midland Hotel in Manchester- the largest hotel in QHotels’ portfolio. This trial was carried out over three months, giving the team sufficient time to adjudge the effectiveness of the lotus® PRO cleaning system on a larger scale property. After this period, the same benefits were noted, resulting in the decision to roll out the system across four additional hotels, including Slaley Hall in Northumberland, Oulton Hall in Leeds, Mottram Hall in Cheshire, Dunston Hall in Norwich and the Belton Woods site in Grantham.

The system is not only used to clean rooms, but sanitises a wide range of surfaces including glass, chrome, wood, and ceramics throughout the hotel helping to vastly improve the levels of cleanliness. In addition, aqueous ozone water reverts back to water after four to 24 hours, so it is extremely safe to dispose of, entering the wastage system with no adverse effects on the environment, which in turn provides a boost for QHotels’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies.

Further benefits have also been noted as a result of removing the use of chemicals across these sites. Today, QHotels employees no longer require Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) training as there are no hazards posed by splashing, fumes, skin, or eye irritation. The teams’ effectiveness using the system has increased the cleanliness of their working environment, resulting in an improved morale among cleaning teams.

Overall, we’ve been very impressed by the various benefits that come from using the lotus® PRO cleaning system. We’re benefiting from significantly reduced expenditure on chemical products, as well as reducing the time our employees spend cleaning. In time, we expect to see the true impact of not having to purchase chemicals for cleaning while our return on investment of the machinery will no doubt quickly follow. The cleaning ability of aqueous ozone is equal, if not better than, that provided by the chemicals we’d been using previously, while possessing none of the potential health risks.”