At the end of last year, we ordered a supply of new PTAC units for a number of our hotels. PTACs ─ short for Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners, which are self-contained heating and air conditioning systems typically found under windows in hotel rooms ─ allow guests to adjust the temperature to their liking. Quiet, well-running PTACs, therefore, help to provide a comfortable stay, a critical aspect of guest service.

Keeping PTACs up and running is also a good example of the ways experienced hotel managers use preventative maintenance to their advantage. Working in tandem with the engineering team, housekeepers at each property regularly slip the unit out from under the window to clean the coils, which get dusty, impeding the units’ effectiveness.

Periodically, the units are given a deeper cleaning. Such steps help ensure the units have a longer life, which saves operating costs. Spares units, meanwhile, must are kept on site in case an individual unit goes down. The malfunctioning unit quickly can be swapped out, sparing the guest the inconvenience of having to move to another room and ensuring the room continues to generate revenue.

Preventative maintenance is one of the ways managers think ahead with the needs of the guest always upper most in their minds.