BEACON FALLS, Conn. — When looking at tourism business statistics in the United States, California, Florida and New York usually are at the top for attracting the most visitors in any given year.
Places like Chicago and Washington, D.C., also rank high, as do destinations in warm weather states such as Arizona and Texas, especially in the wintertime.
One state that recently broke its tourism record and posted a 31% increase in travelers in the past decade is Colorado.
Mesmerized by its all-seasons beauty, 93.3 million people visited the state in 2023 and spent $28.3 billion, with the metro Denver area generating most of those tourists. Another popular destination 75 miles to the south is the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak region, home to one of the most beautiful resorts in the country.
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Broadmoor as the nation’s 10th-best resort property. Earlier this year, Forbes Travel Guide renewed its five-star rating for the 64th consecutive year, the longest active streak for any hotel worldwide.
Living up to the highly demanding reputation requires the best from the best. That’s why when it was time to upgrade their laundry equipment two years ago with better and more sustainable solutions, management turned to LAVATEC.
“Expectations for a five-star, five-diamond resort are like no other,” explains John Fish, The Broadmoor’s chief facilities maintenance mechanic who has worked at the property’s on-premises laundry (OPL) for 41 years.
“Our linens must be of impeccable quality and cleanliness, and no stained or torn linen is acceptable. Guest demands are met to give a superior stay experience.
“Demands on our laundry department can at times be a challenge. We have employees who are flexible and equipment that is part of a resilient system to accomplish the needs of the hotel and our guests. Adding the new LAVATEC tunnel washer and other equipment has enhanced the quality and production of our laundry.”
EQUIPMENT CONTRIBUTES TO FUTURE FLEXIBILITY, RESIDUAL BENEFITS
Laundry manager Anthony Cruz and Fish did their homework researching new equipment to replace their aging machines in the laundry department. The now two-year-old LT60 tunnel washing system, with 10 compartments and a 132-pound capacity per chamber, is connected to four new TT-746 natural gas dryers with a 292-pound capacity each via a LAVATEC conveyor system.
A fifth dryer operates independently with three separate conventional washers.
When decision time arrived at The Clean Show in Atlanta, they said the math pointed them in LAVATEC’s direction to replace a trio of 21-year-old washers and four larger drying units.
“Purchasing this tunnel system helped us streamline our washroom,” Fish points out. “We added another 500 pounds of capacity per hour and still have more than adequate machine production power to increase our future capacity by another 500 to 700 pounds.”
“I did have some initial concerns, but the LAVATEC tunnel and its related systems now in place will be running well for a minimum of 25-30 years. We wanted a system that was robust in quality and production, and it must be maintained with a reasonable amount of maintenance cost.”
He adds, “The equipment also needed to be easily operated and maintainable by our engineering technicians. And the physical size of the system had to fit into a much older building,” pointing out that some parts of the facility date back to when the hotel was originally built over 100 years ago.
“LAVATEC fit the bill on all of these conditions,” he continues. “With their equipment, our wash times, water usage and drying times are down. The quality of the product coming out of the laundering processes is spectacular.
“As we understand more ways to make the system faster and efficient, and realize the potential of increasing poundage, we have the flexibility to do whatever when future needs arise.”
Fish explains how the new equipment is also having a positive impact on the laundry department’s sustainability efforts.
“Our production day this past summer changed significantly,” he shares. “Instead of running 10-12 hours a day for seven days, we reduced it to 8-10 hours.
“Our water usage has decreased about 50%, with hot water being generated faster in 40% less time. Our gas usage is also down about 30%. Overall, our labor hours have been lowered by about 20% in the summer, and linen life and quality are up.”
The quality and reliability of the new TT-746 H gas dryers are providing Fish and Cruz with some other benefits. These machines are designed with a multi-phase temperature control system and infrared technology which determines when the linen is sufficiently dried. Not only does it save time and energy, but also extends the linen lifecycle by preventing over drying.
“With the high thread counts across all categories of our products, we have quite a bit of lint that has us performing more maintenance on the dryers,” reveals Fish, who worked with Jim Slatcher, LAVATEC’s regional sales manager.
“The efficient filters in the LAVATEC dryers demand it, but any minor breakdowns can be performed during operation with little or no downtime and preventive maintenance is done on a scheduled basis.”
When there is a situation and he needs to make a call for help, Fish says he can count on them to deliver.
“LAVATEC’s service has been very good,” he says. “They visited and helped with training our maintenance crew and operators. When I do call them, they are responsive and prompt with answers to get us operating again any day of the week.
“Their service team also has the capability to access our system and find the exact cause of any problem. We are very pleased with their response.”
After entertaining guests for the TRSA Conference in September, and with a new year on the horizon, Fish is looking ahead to more new challenges.
“The Broadmoor hosts thousands of conferences like TRSA,” he says. “Some groups have hosted their events here for decades, and there will also be new ones joining our tradition.”
Click HERE to read Part 1 about The Broadmoor and its laundry.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
