The mighty dust mite

By Monica Haynes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Forty million people in the United States suffer from allergies. And a new company is trying to make their hotel stays a little more allergy-friendly, one room at a time.

A Cheektowaga, N.Y., company called Pure Solutions has made improvements to 75 hotel rooms across the country to reduce allergy triggers, including five at the Holiday Inn Select Pittsburgh South in Bethel Park.

Designated as "Pure Rooms," they have undergone a special six-step process of cleaning, sanitizing and nearly eliminating irritants such as mold, fungi, bacteria, dust and pollen that can cause problems for allergy sufferers and the additional 10 million people with asthma. Special air filters, purifiers and charcoal-filtered shower heads have been added to each room.

"We saw an opportunity to fill a need that was not being filled in that market but it is a need that was on their radar screen," said Tom Pickles, director of operations for Pure Allergy Friendly Rooms.

The company has created rooms for selected Hampton Inn, Resident Inn Marriott, Fairfield Inns, Four Points Sheraton and Conrad hotel chains, as well as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Vanessa Campbell, acting general manager of Bethel Park's Holiday Inn Select, said that when the owners bought the hotel several years ago, they intended to accommodate guests who wanted these kinds of rooms. The Pure Rooms rent for $10 more per night than the daily corporate rate of $119.

What makes a Pure Room?

I wanted to check out the new allergy-friendly room at the Holiday Inn Select Pittsburgh South in Bethel Park and made a reservation for a Pure Room. When checking in, I verified that I was getting one of these rooms, but it had no air purifier. I double-checked with the front desk and was assured that I had a Pure Room. But it turns out I spent the night in a handicapped-accessible room, not allergy-friendly. Vanessa Campbell, the hotel's acting general manager, apologized for the error and explained that the hotel staff was still being educated about the rooms. But there's no mistaking a Pure Room once you see it: Each undergoes a six-step process to reduce allergens and includes explanatory pamphlets and a certificate. According to the six-step process: The room's air handling system, ripe for bacteria and mold, is cleaned and sanitized and a natural anti-microbial is installed. Dirt, bacteria and mold are removed from draperies, upholstery and carpets and a solution is misted onto every surface to repel bacteria. Among other steps, ozone generators and an air purifier are added, pillows and mattresses are encased in covers and a special shower head with charcoal filter is installed.

To get more information or find a hotel that offers these features, contact Pure Allergy Friendly Rooms at www.pureroom.com or 877-787-7666.

"Right now we don't get very much call for them," Ms. Campbell said.

However, the hotel has several guests who stay frequently and specifically ask for the Pure Rooms. "They will not stay in any other room," she said.

Hotels are slowly starting to heed the call to create rooms that help guests who have allergies, asthma and respiratory ailments -- a growing health problem, particularly in children, that has baffled doctors.

"Nobody knows why, but a lot of people think it has something to do with our being exposed to more chemicals, living in tighter buildings and maybe even being in more hygienic surroundings all the time," said Dr. Richard L. Green, an allergist in Pittsburgh for 30 years.

"A lot of people have trouble in hotel rooms because sometimes they're encountering feathers or more dust. Sometimes there's smoke exposure; some rooms are dingy, damp and musty."

Many hotels are going beyond designating a block of rooms as nonsmoking to address these problems.

In January, the Westin chain banned smoking in all of its hotels. Not only are the rooms nonsmoking, but so are the bars and restaurants.

Freshstay.com is an online directory of smoke-free hotels. Launched in January, it has assembled a list of 120 smoke-free properties so far.

But making all hotel rooms allergy-friendly could take a lot longer, said Abe Pizam, dean of the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

"Allergy-friendly might be a good marketing tool to attract some that have those problems and need assistance," Mr. Pizam said. "Will it spread like nonsmoking floors and nonsmoking rooms? I doubt it."

According to a 2004 lodging survey conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, only 17 percent of the 6,000 properties queried had air purifiers.

Some hotels have opted for the more traditional method of reducing the amount of airborne allergens in a room. That usually entails replacing draperies with blinds and ripping out carpeting.

Last year, the Hilton O'Hare in Chicago overhauled two rooms this way, as well as added an air purifier that senses odors and monitors carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature, according to Hotel Interactive.

The popularity of these rooms has prompted the hotel to remake 15 more rooms at a cost of $8,000 each.

But Mr. Pickles believe effective improvements can be done much more cheaply. His company can make changes to a room in 24 hours, with each costing $2,025.

Even so, Mr. Pizam believes that such efforts by the hotel industry to begin marketing clean, sterile rooms is just "an experiment."

But it's an experiment with vast potential. According to a study of travelers by Cornell University's Survey Research Institute, nearly one-third had allergy issues or traveled with family members who had allergies or asthma.