Ludovic Labidurie

DUBAI, UAE, 29 September 2019: Indoor air quality (IAQ) is between eight and 10 times more polluted than outside air, said Ludovic Labidurie, CEO, Eolisair, emphasising the importance of air treatment on the sidelines of The Hotel Show, held from September 17 to 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Labidurie said that the main objective of the company’s participation was to introduce the Eolis Air Manager to the hospitality sector and highlight its benefits to hotels and its guests. Labidurie said that there is strong potential for the hospitality sector to adopt such equipment in view of the region’s growing awareness for good IAQ and owing to the competitive advantage that can be gained from investing in products that ensure health and comfort of visitors as well as provide an enhanced guest experience.

Elaborating on the product, Labidure said that unlike typical air purifiers designed for the consumer market, the Eolis air purifier is a professional application that complies with stringent regulations of healthcare facilities. The system, Labidure said, offers a host of innovations, including motor turbine monitored by sensors leading to greater control of VOCs and PM 2.5, in addition to five different filters, each of which, he said, is tested individually by independent laboratories and treats various types of air pollutants. The product, he said, has been verified by laboratories such as Enviro’ and Industrial Solutions Middle East, which is the official laboratory approved by the Dubai Municipality, as well as URS testing laboratory, TIPEE laboratory, IFTH and TERA environment.

Labidurie said the company has developed a specific business model to showcase how the air purifier can benefit the hospitality sector. An important application for the product that Labidure discussed is in relation to housekeeping services. “A main issue for hotels is how to treat smell in the room between guest occupancy,” he said. “In that case, we have the deep clean treatment in the machine.” Labidurie said that the machine complements the air conditioning and ventilation maintenance scheme offered by FM companies, especially in the GCC region, where heat and humidity can often provide a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. “If we consider a 60-square-metre room, with 2.5 metres for the ceiling, the small machine can renew and clean the air in this place in about two hours,” he said. “We have the sensor monitoring air quality, adjusting the speed of the fan, and as soon as the air has impurity the machine will detect it and automatically treat the problem.” He said that the company is also targeting FM companies, who have shown interest in the product, in a bid to widen its portfolio of services to its customers.

Labidurie said the company is also working with hotels to offer the machine as an additional option for guests who are especially conscious about indoor air quality. “We are giving this machine for free to the hotel, and they invoice the use of the machines to the guest, but for less than AED 80-90,” he said. “We are forgetting that 25% of the population is suffering from breathing allergies and asthma – this would be a good [option] for them. Also, for families, if you have kids with you, you want for them to have a safe environment and good indoor air quality. In that case, you will have the machine inside the room, you will pay additional fee that is really not that much, and basically for our part, we do revenue sharing with the hotel. For the hotel, it is no investment because we are bringing the machine for free, and they provide a new guest experience, and if guests have this, they can really tell the difference. Essentially, hotels aim to provide good sleep and comfort.”