Traditionally, engineers are expected to focus on a hotel’s upkeep, project completion, service maintenance and controlling cost. Not anymore. These days, they are also expected to keep their team morale high, in light of labour challenges.
Hotel engineers today have to go the extra mile to develop and implement strategies that will deliver products and services that meet, and often exceed guest expectations. All this, while keeping an eye on maximising their property’s financial performance.
Hotelier India speaks to engineers to understand how their role has evolved over the years, especially in the past 18 months. And how they are navigating changed expectations from internal and external customers.
Since the pandemic struck, what key areas of concern arose in your department?
Arogyaiah Udagandla, Chief Engineer, Hyatt Centric Candoli, Goa
Arogyaiah Udagandla, Chief Engineer, Hyatt Centric Candolim, Goa (AU): The rising cost of diesel and erratic supply is a huge hiccup for our hotel, triggering power failures. Hence, we are undergoing an R&D programme to sort this interim challenge, while we shift to renewable green power.
Kedar Komarpant, Chief Engineer, DoubleTree by Hilton Goa-Panaji (KK): As the market was witnessing restricted occupancy levels during the pandemic, we found it challenging to controlling HLP cost due to occupancy level without compromising on guest experience. We considered the pandemic’s impact and quickly devised an energy saving plan, which was implemented in a properly phased wise manner.
With budgets coming under significant strain, how have you managed to continue on-ground operations without impact guest or employee experience?
Chander Sharma, Chief Engineer, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla (CS): Guest safety and employee security is our prime focus, hence we did not cut down on our expenses as far as maintenance and operations are concerned. Instead, we focused on setting our priorities, maximising cost effective measures and made plan of action accordingly.
AU: This is an omnipresent challenge – as engineers, we continuously think about identifying the loopholes and emphasise on ways and means to control it without compromising on customer services. Situations like COVID-19 taught us to stick to the fundamentals. Our vision is to avoid overheads and protect the property, guests and staff and enable our team to produce revenues by avoiding expenses.
We eventually identified significant areas where we faced huge losses and then found ways to plug these. For instance, we measured actual occupancy percentage and divided the property into two sections – utilising and non-utilised areas.
In the first, we did not conceded maintenance procedures and facilities, while there is none, or controlled utilisation, at the second area in terms of HVAC, water supplies and lighting. We also established limited operations, which helped us reserve our manpower. Hence, our demand was significantly condensed, and this helped us to control HLP budgets, in terms of electricity units, diesel and manpower cost.
How did you develop an engineering budget and operating strategy that is aligned with your property’s business strategy?
AU: We incorporated Hyatt Centric’s ‘Three R’ theory, which is ‘Repair, Rebuild and Reuse’. This helped us cut cost as well as curb the budget for repairs, maintenance and manpower, which are correlated to occupancy demands. Hence, we eventually predicted operational areas, which helped us to budget on actual occupancy.
Susheel Kumar, Director of Engineering, Shangri-La Eros New Delhi (SK): The hotel developed an engineering budget and an operations strategy that is well aligned with the overall business plan. This is reviewed from time to time with all the concerned stakeholders.
KK: Most of our strategy and planning is based on our learning from the previous year. Even for this year we planned our expenses and budgets based on last year trends. We thoroughly analyse the usage of our heat, electricity and power to factor in operating expense and align them with the business.
CS: From the engineering operations’ point of view, two major expenses include energy cost and repair and maintenance cost. If we talk about building typologies, then hotels are energy intensive in nature. Hence, energy costs are significant part of hotel operations depending on the size and classification of the hotel.
Our primary strategy focused on controlling the big ticket expenses i.e. HVAC as it is the highest consumption area. We tackle it via technological enhancements, operational techniques and best practices picked from the industry. At Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, we have adopted IHG Green Engage. This online environmental sustainability tool gives hotels the ability to track the energy usage and assess waste management.
How do you continuously coach and support the hotel team to effectively manage controllable expenses?
SK: The engineering department’s operation plays an important role in the financial goals of the hotel. At Shangri-La Eros New Delhi, the HLP consumption is monitored regularly and we are focused on optimum utilisation of space and equipment to reduce energy consumption. Periodic maintenance of HVAC equipment (chiller, cooling tower, primary secondary condenser pumps) is undertaken to ensure efficiency, which leads to energy saving.
Moreover, boilers are operated through PNG and optimised solar water heating system is used for hot water production. Maximum free air cooling system (fresh air) is used to minimise energy consumption, while all normal lights have been replaced with LED lights and maintain standard lux lighting intensity in rooms and public areas.
Chiller condenser and evaporator are leveraged as well as cooling tower in addition to primary secondary and condenser pumps curve (head vs flow rate). The chilled water line is properly insulated and VFD has been installed for cooling towers to control the fan speed as per ambient temperature and chiller approach. We also have motorised valves to vary pump speed depending upon differential pressure.
Our team conducts periodical preventive maintenance of fan coil units, air handling units and treated fresh air units. Every FCU and AHU is equipped with a motorised valve, control pump speed and chiller loading unloading depending on differential pressure. Smart thermostats are installed in guest rooms. While the room is not occupied, it reduces the FCU fan speed.
CS: All IHG properties follow the Green Engage system, an online environmental sustainability system that gives the hotels the means to measure and manage their impact on the environment. Hotels can choose from over 200 ‘Green Solutions’ that are designed to help them reduce their energy, water and waste, and improve their impact on the environment.
This system has four levels of certification that our hotels can achieve and I am glad to express that Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla has achieved Level 4 certification already. At our hotel, we constantly focus on creating a culture of waste management by spreading awareness using online and offline training modules. We work on creating best practices and real time examples. For example, we have installed Bio generation plant at our property so that the leftover food can be converted into biogas and further can be used as fuel at our cafeteria.
AU: Recently, we won the award for ‘Water management by Econaur for Sustainability Awards 2021’. Our team is bifurcated into a three-stage sustainability management system within the engineering department. The first team is into accountability on innovative ideas, which they bring into the system. The second team will have accountability over new project scope, where they will explore prospects around the property. The third team does the enactment and observation process.
Consequently, we have weekly meetings on these topics, after which, we decide what to put forward to our senior management for approval and study in terms of financial and other circumstances. Post that, we execute the projects. We implemented an energy management project towards HLP budget controls wherein standard power factor was maintained at -1 and LED fixtures were added. We introduced VFDs into our HVAC system and dehumidifiers in our public area to control high humidity levels.
Adiabatic cooling system was implemented with VRV system, while heat-pumps, thermal heat exchanger Nano fluid were induced in the system. An I-Touch manager was installed in our VRV system to control HVAC wastages. Heat pumps reject cool air was transferred into VRV’s ODUs, which helps the system to function efficiently with energy savings. Moreover, we installed an EMS system to monitor daily kWh readings at different locations. Timer circuits were set up around the property.
That was not all; we also undertook a water management project, wherein a separate network of pipes was laid for a rainwater harvesting system. RO, which has a reject of 60% is not let off, but utilised for the flushing system.
The water filtration systems has back wash and rinse line connected to harvesting pit to recharge ground water levels. Guestroom flush tank levels are reduced from 9L to 7L. Existing water supply to BOH areas was reduced to 70%, and at the same time the Sewage Treatment plant (140KLD) has zero water discharge.
What kind of long-term preventative maintenance and 10 year asset protection plans are you currently executing for your property?
AU: We have our own inbuilt online system to safeguard preventive maintenance facilities, which supports upkeep of property assets. We call it a (Planned Preventive Maintenance) schedule that helps us to run the hotel throughout days and eventually helps us maintain the same for few years.
KK: The property is constructed with laterite stone which signifies the Goan architecture. Waterproofing
of laterite wall is a mandatory task to accomplish and maintain the charm of the resort.
SK: The hotel’s preventive maintenance is handled by OEMs to upkeep the assets. We also invest in asset up-gradation and maintain important parameters as per manufacturer guidelines through preventive maintenance procedures.
CS: Preventive maintenance(PM) is the regular and routine maintenance of equipment and assets in order to keep them running and prevent any unplanned downtime from unexpected equipment failure. This also helps reduce cost burdens. Our well rounded strategy consists of timebased, failure-finding, risk-based and predictive Maintenance. We diligently maintain records of past inspections and the servicing of equipment to ensure efficiency.
