Hotels put a premium on the construction, maintenance, and operation of their respective developments, as they play a vital role in their ability to ensure customer satisfaction and, by extension, fortify their brand name. In light of this, the hospitality sector aims to develop and establish best practices, but is the MEP community helping the sector meet the respective standards?

G Ramamurthy Thevar, Group Director of Engineering, Abjar Hotels International, said that for his part, this is not the case. When asked what his expectations were for the MEP community, he said, “Honest, ethical technical services delivered.” Unfortunately, he added, these expectations were not being met.

Without delving too deeply into the numerous difficulties they have faced in their projects, Thevar provided a possible antidote to help industry standards. “Most contractors just want to make money,” he said. “Some hide facts, too, and the ignorant clients are taken for a ride; it can be avoided if they are transparent and build ethical enterprises.”

He also touched on the HVAC industry, gleaning from his experience. He emphasised that equipment should, in a nutshell, address total environmental issues. He added that though the products are fine, there is greater room for improvement with regard to after-sales service and a need for better transparency. In light of this, Thevar pointed to the importance of being discerning and following a system of proper evaluation and comparison of products. This, he said, is what he personally does to ensure high-quality performance of HVAC products in order to maintain the distinguished standards of the hotel.