Pure Rooms target allergic hotel guests

The room at the Premier Hotel in Times Square looked like any other. But before I stepped inside, the hotel had gone to extraordinary lengths to purify it.

In a seven-step process to cut down on bacteria, pollen, dust, dust mites and other possible irritants, everything in the room, from the curtains to the carpeting to the air-conditioning units, was cleaned and treated with an antimicrobial agent that attacks bacteria.

A cartridge containing tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic and disinfectant, was installed in the heating and cooling unit. The room underwent a four-hour ozone shock treatment to kill any remaining living organisms and zap associated odors. A mist was applied to surfaces to make it difficult for bacteria to grow. Mattresses and pillowcases were covered with dust mite protectors.

I had entered what Pure Solutions NA, a company hired by the Premier, calls its Pure Room.

This much cleanliness might seem a bit neurotic. But it's not enough anymore for hotels seeking health-conscious patrons to serve organic cuisine and offer all-natural bath products. As more hotels try to set themselves apart, a new amenity is emerging: the hypoallergenic hotel room.

The concept is not aimed just at the allergic, but also at guests who are concerned with the ick factor.

"The whole thing is geared toward 'What about the guy before me?' " said Tom Kammerer, a managing director at Thayer Lodging, a private hotel real estate investment firm in Annapolis, Md.

Thayer Lodging, like the Premier, is working with Pure Solutions, based in Cheektowaga, N.Y. Thayer is converting about 10 percent of the rooms at each of its 13 hotels into Pure Rooms by the end of this year.

"That's why we have encasements over our pillows and mattresses. The natural human body sheds 150,000 cells a day. ... We're trying to cut down on breathing in other people's stuff."

From the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel to the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, hotels are doing everything from replacing feather duvets to installing air purifiers in guest rooms.

Some are ripping out carpets and drapes, which harbor dust and trap odors, and replacing them with smooth surfaces. Others are making less visible changes, outfitting pillows and mattresses with liners that help contain dust mites and swabbing phones, doorknobs and other surfaces with antimicrobial agents.

Hilton and Millennium Hotels, each of which is testing the concept in a few hotels, said they might consider expanding it to more properties depending on demand. NYLO Hotels, scheduled to open its first hotel in Plano, Texas, in November, plans to offer at least one floor of allergy-friendly rooms at each of its locations.

Looking for an edge

Hotels say it is not uncommon to get special requests from guests with allergies.

But mostly, hotels see the creation of super-clean rooms as a way to gain an edge now that plush beds and flat-screen TVs have almost become standard.

Thayer Lodging, unlike the Premier, is charging a 5 percent to 10 percent premium for Pure Rooms -- at hotels including Marriotts, Hilton Doubletrees and Wyndhams.

"If all you've got is good service, and 'Gee, my room was clean' -- well, you kind of expect that today," Kammerer said. "We're looking for things in our hotels that are extraordinary and give you a wow factor."

I found the Pure Room at the Premier hard to distinguish from a regular room until the room division director picked up the couch to reveal a large metal air filtration unit underneath. The room did have a distinctly fresh feeling, but it was difficult to tell whether that was from the air quality or just because the room was cooler than the hallway.