Hotel Management penny pinching with aircon motion sensors

[Gold Member]

Like the airlines, Hotel Management have figured out another way to save a buck - configure the aircon to automatically turn off when the guest is asleep. It’s been around for ages. And while this might be OK in temperate climates, in warmer climates or summer periods this is a nightmare.

I don’t need to remind you how it goes - After falling asleep in a comfortably cool room that you carefully set on the aircon display before tucking in, within 10-30 minutes the aircon detects no movement and is configured to switch off - to save money of course. Over the next hour or so, the room heats up to an unbearable temperature which wakes you from your sleep. Your movement in bed or trudging back to the aircon display to find out that the aircon is no longer switched on triggers the infrared movement sensor to reactivate the aircon. The room takes another hour or two to cool down again to your defined setting. Rinse and repeat several times throughout the night and you have a recipe for an unhappy and cranky guest that didn’t get much sleep for one or many consecutive nights.

It‘s pure penny pinching to save a buck at the expense of the customer’s comfort. Never mind the fact you spent a shedload on that room/suite - your comfort and ability to sleep is of no concern to hotel Management if they can save a buck. And to make it worse, when you ask them to fix it, they lie and tell you it’s been done after maintenance comes visit, or that it can’t be done, or they move you to a different room without the same aircon and motion sensor problem.

I’m over it. This has to be one of my biggest frustrations with hotels nowadays. So in recent times I have taken a stand against hotels that employ this penny pinching policy with their aircon. I have successfully managed to get full/partial refunds for several stays at different hotels around the world over the past year or two by explaining how I endured restless nights due to this cheap penny pinching policy that Management has very deliberately employed. It has taken patience and a constructive approach with the right hotel staff to help them understand the issue, let alone seek recourse. Some properties were unwilling to compensate me appropriately, if at all. In these circumstances, upon returning home I escalate to hotel chain management (eg. Diamond/Platinum desk) who duly acknowledge the problem, apologise and try to make things right by compensating me with an appropriate amount of points.

Considering the extortionate prices the hotels are charging these days, we deserve much better than this. I encourage everyone to stand up to this type of hotel Management behaviour by calling it out and seeking a resolution that you feel is appropriate for your circumstances. If we make them pay, eventually it will start costing the hotels too much (both financially and reputationally) and the feedback might actually resonate. They may even end up reversing their aircon penny pinching policy. (Does that leave you with a reverse cycle aircon?? ).

In the meantime, can anyone suggest a cheap and quiet mechanism that will trigger movement in the room every so often to avoid this issue? I assume most if not all sensors use infrared detection, so it would need sufficient intermittent movement of a hot/cold source to differentiate from the ambient room temperature.

 

[Pele]

That is crazy. Can i ask you, and everyone else, to name such hotels so I can avoid them?

Thank you.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I have never seen or heard of this before - who would book such a hotel? Surely this is disclosed by hotels? Wwould only happen once - vote with your feet

 

[Pushka]

Like the airlines, Hotel Management have figured out another way to save a buck - configure the aircon to automatically turn off when the guest is asleep. It’s been around for ages. And while this might be OK in temperate climates, in warmer climates or summer periods this is a nightmare.

I don’t need to remind you how it goes - After falling asleep in a comfortably cool room that you carefully set on the aircon display before tucking in, within 10-30 minutes the aircon detects no movement and is configured to switch off - to save money of course. Over the next hour or so, the room heats up to an unbearable temperature which wakes you from your sleep. Your movement in bed or trudging back to the aircon display to find out that the aircon is no longer switched on triggers the infrared movement sensor to reactivate the aircon. The room takes another hour or two to cool down again to your defined setting. Rinse and repeat several times throughout the night and you have a recipe for an unhappy and cranky guest that didn’t get much sleep for one or many consecutive nights.

It‘s pure penny pinching to save a buck at the expense of the customer’s comfort. Never mind the fact you spent a shedload on that room/suite - your comfort and ability to sleep is of no concern to hotel Management if they can save a buck. And to make it worse, when you ask them to fix it, they lie and tell you it’s been done after maintenance comes visit, or that it can’t be done, or they move you to a different room without the same aircon and motion sensor problem.

I’m over it. This has to be one of my biggest frustrations with hotels nowadays. So in recent times I have taken a stand against hotels that employ this penny pinching policy with their aircon. I have successfully managed to get full/partial refunds for several stays at different hotels around the world over the past year or two by explaining how I endured restless nights due to this cheap penny pinching policy that Management has very deliberately employed. It has taken patience and a constructive approach with the right hotel staff to help them understand the issue, let alone seek recourse. Some properties were unwilling to compensate me appropriately, if at all. In these circumstances, upon returning home I escalate to hotel chain management (eg. Diamond/Platinum desk) who duly acknowledge the problem, apologise and try to make things right by compensating me with an appropriate amount of points.

Considering the extortionate prices the hotels are charging these days, we deserve much better than this. I encourage everyone to stand up to this type of hotel Management behaviour by calling it out and seeking a resolution that you feel is appropriate for your circumstances. If we make them pay, eventually it will start costing the hotels too much (both financially and reputationally) and the feedback might actually resonate. They may even end up reversing their aircon penny pinching policy. (Does that leave you with a reverse cycle aircon?? ).

In the meantime, can anyone suggest a cheap and quiet mechanism that will trigger movement in the room every so often to avoid this issue? I assume most if not all sensors use infrared detection, so it would need sufficient intermittent movement of a hot/cold source to differentiate from the ambient room temperature.

Maybe a small portable fan near the sensor? This sounds dreadful.

 

[justinbrett]

I've seen it in cooler climates - but most hotels in proper tropical climates will run aircon 24/7 as it prevents mould

I'd definitely be avoiding a hotel who did this in a tropical climate as they probably have mould problems as well.

 

[dajop]

I’ve seen this and also had it more gradually increase causing you to wake up about 4am.

These days I tend to be more proactive, and just use a flat sheet to sleep under or strip the doona/duvet from its cover and sleep under that instead, without relying on aircon to keep the room cool enough to sleep under a doona. Usually then it doesn’t matter so much if the aircon goes out. But in the hotter environments even that can be problematic.

Need an app or website for hot sleepers to rate hotels!

 

[Guvner]

Put a balloon in the view of the sensor. The aircon flow will keep it moving.

 

[Gold Member]

That is crazy. Can i ask you, and everyone else, to name such hotels so I can avoid them?

Thank you.

Hmmm, rather than naming individual properties let me just say large chain hotels throughout SE Asia and Europe.

I have never seen or heard of this before - who would book such a hotel? Surely this is disclosed by hotels? Wwould only happen once - vote with your feet

I realise it’s a rhetorical question, but hotels obviously would hardly want to advertise this or promote it as a feature, despite all the ubiquitous greenwashing.

Agree with voting with wallet/feet. However, there are a small number of properties that I’m willing to give a second chance based on their customer service recovery efforts and attitude. After all, this a simple flick of a switch in the back end if Management really wanted to ensure guest comfort.

I've seen it in cooler climates - but most hotels in proper tropical climates will run aircon 24/7 as it prevents mould

You’d think so wouldn’t you? The Duty Managers get it but are powerless to override Management policies.

Need an app or website for hot sleepers to rate hotels!

But this is not just about hot sleepers, it’s about anyone that simply wants to have the aircon left on throughout the night which I think is a very fair and reasonable expectation.

 

[Must...Fly!]

I think is a very fair and reasonable expectation.

Why don't they enforce a policy of not charging your devices while they're at it.

This is a pathetic business practice. No doubt dressed up internally (and externally on enquiry) as an environmental measure.

Name and shame.

 

[Cynicor]

I’ve never seen, stayed nor heard of this in a hotel at all, and mostly stay at large chain hotels.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

So any chance that you dudes who claim to have experienced this might post hotel names / locations?

 

[dajop]

So any chance that you dudes who claim to have experienced this might post hotel names / locations?

My apartment. Trying to keep the electricity bill below $500/month.

But I honestly can't remember which hotels. Mostly for me it's not been the motion sensor turning it off, but the central aircon that reduces airflow and increases temperature during the evening. I think last time I experienced it was in the US.

 

[justinbrett]

HGI in Singapore has sensors that will turn off the lights / electricity if no movement for an extended period. IIRC it didn't turn off the AC but the AC temp went up to 24 degrees or something.

I was watching TV drink in hand (lying on the bed) and I thought there was a blackout. When I called reception they said it was probably a faulty sensor so sent up the engineer, who I think bypassed it.

 

[VPS]

RACV at Ballarat a couple of weeks ago - minimum you could get the room to was 18 and I'm sure it was warmer than that.

This really peeves me too

 

[Daver6]

Recently at the Marriott Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) they had the sensors. However, it still stayed cool at night, so I suspect it was configured to run at night regardless. Was was annoying though is coming back to a hot room during the day. Letting the room warm up and then having to cool it down several times a day can't be more energy efficient than just leaving it running surely?

 

[dajop]

Letting the room warm up and then having to cool it down several times a day can't be more energy efficient than just leaving it running surely?

You'd think in a central ducted environment probably not.

However, on localised/individually controlled basis, depends on how long you're out for. I can see half hourly energy consumption on an app for my apartment which - without aircon - is usually 30C during the day in living area and up to 33C in the main bedroom, and found that if I'm out for more than a couple of hours it uses a lot less energy to turn the aircon off, with blinds all shut and door seal in place, and then cool down again than keeping the aircon going.

 

[Mattg]

I can't say I've come across this practice before (at least, not that I can recall) but I would also be very annoyed. I don't think this is acceptable for a hotel that is charging good money for a room.

 

[Viridis]

So any chance that you dudes who claim to have experienced this might post hotel names / locations?

Westin Hotel. Brisbane

 

[newmarket]

A review in the Hilton forum just recently said this about the HGI Singapore.

I’ve run across it too. Of course, I can’t remember where.

 

[Mwenenzi]

find out that the aircon is no longer switched on triggers the infrared movement sensor to reactivate the aircon. The room takes another hour or two to cool down again to your defined setting.

From an engineering - energy perspective the peak load (energy consumption) to cool/heat a room to the set point can, over time, be more than the average. Or less.
Have read about the balloon to have movement idea before.

HGI in Singapore has sensors that will turn off the lights / electricity if no movement for an extended period. IIRC it didn't turn off the AC but the AC temp went up to 24 degrees or something.

I was watching TV drink in hand (lying on the bed) and I thought there was a blackout. When I called reception they said it was probably a faulty sensor so sent up the engineer, who I think bypassed it.

Some commercial buildings allow the set point to float to a wider band in the night - weekends- holidays as an energy saving measure. ( say from +/-1 towards 4 +/-°C ). A lot of theories on this.