Hotels

Although no hotel operator likes to talk about it, you are not alone. The legionella bacterium feels right at home in most hotels. Bacteria can multiply rapidly in complex supply networks with narrow pipes and tight bends. Variable water use, arising from changing room occupancy, leads to standing water in pipes: the ideal place for the growth of biofilm and legionella bacteria. As your guests turn on the shower, legionella spreads in the air. As a hotel owner or manager, you are at risk of a Legionella outbreak. Aside from the unpleasant consequences for your guests and the high costs of purging and monitoring your system, you face enormous negative publicity. You may even need to temporarily close the doors of your hotel. Adjustments to your piping system may be far-reaching and costly. Unfortunately, dozens of people are infected every year as a result of staying in a hotel.

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Legionella

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The Legionella bacteria was identified in 1976 as the cause of the “original” outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease. American veterans became ill after their stay at a hotel in Philadelphia. The cause was traced to Legionella contamination in the air conditioning system. Since then hotels, motels and guest houses have been required to have a Legionella control plan in most countries. Generally a requirement of such plans is for flushing of the pipes when rooms are not used for more than a week. Flushing, generally at elevated temperature, monitoring of defects, and regular water sampling are typically required Legionella control measures. However, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), part of the European Union, show that between 1990 and 2011 at least 753 European tourist destinations suffered from Legionella contaminations causing several guests the Legionnaires` disease.

Hotels

The Legionella bacteria was identified in 1976 as ...