The Heat Is On

Man, it’s hot in here. Doesn’t it stink when your building’s air conditioning goes on the blink?  Even if it is only 80 degrees outside, an hour or two without AC in the middle of summer results in some pretty steamed employees.

Maybe that’s why Europeans typically take holiday for the entire month of August?

The important thing is how quickly the building’s maintenance department swings into action when an AC outage occurs. As long as they’re working on it, and I have my trusty oscillating fan, I’ll be OK.

But unfortunately, the office is not the only place that has AC issues. A few weeks ago, a flight I was on was delayed six hours because of a faulty air conditioning unit on the regional jet we were flying. Then, when that was fixed, the crew didn’t have enough hours left to fly, so a new crew had to be brought in. The maintenance department neglected to check if my internal AC unit was boiling over.

We’ve become a society of comfort, and AC is near the top of my comfort list. Several years ago, my home AC unit went out while I was in Boston for a conference in August. My wife and kids ended up sleeping at a neighbor’s house while I was enjoying the cool surroundings more than 600 miles away. It’s funny how my wife cooled off to me for a few days after that one—although there was nothing I could do about it.

Then there’s the hotel room AC unit. Is it me, or is the temperature in a guestroom always too hot or too cold? I can never find the sweet spot. During a recent stay, the PTAC unit in my room seemed to be stuck on the coldest setting. Being a cold-blooded guest, I was in my element. Until about 2 a.m. I broke out the extra blankets, only to get too hot. I put the ironing board across the PTAC to redirect the cold air upward. Finally, I realized the windows at the hotel open so I cracked open the window in my room and went to sleep. Until the birds woke me up at 4:30. I still haven’t cooled down about those dang blue jays and their incessant caterwauling.

The bottom line is that a building is only as good as the comfort of its tenants. In the case of hotels, operators have to pounce on any trouble that relates to guests’ comfort. Housekeepers and front desk personnel must assist the maintenance department in identifying trouble spots. It’s that kind of cross-communication that makes an asset operate smoothly.

If they don’t communicate, the hotel is in hot water. If they do, everything’s cool.