Photo: “Noisy Wall Mounted AC Unit and drapery cut to fit” From Review: of IHG Army Hotels on Fort Carson Colorado Inn “It's the people that make the...” Read all 24 reviews This is the second IHG Army hotel that I’ve been too (the first being Fort McCoy that I gave a five star rating to) and while there’s been some obvious renovation, this property has the look of an old military dormitory in somewhat dilapidated condition. The rooms are small with a small bathroom and even smaller shower stall, and a... Thank you for staying with us and providing us with your valuable feedback. We always try our best to ensure we meet our guest’s needs & expectations and on this occasion we apologize for your disappointment with the room condition. Please accept our sincere apology for the shortcomings you experienced during your stay. As our success is measured... © 2016 TripAdvisor LLC All rights reserved. TripAdvisor Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Publisher's Point of View

Supplier Spotlight ArchiveAdvertising/Media Kit NATIONAL REPORT—Many hotels rely on a Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner (or PTAC) system to reliably provide both heating and cooling for individual rooms as well as other areas of the hotel; installing ac unit costsuch as the lobby, meeting rooms and gyms. replace ac unit fan motorPTAC units are popular heating and cooling solutions for any single living space such as those provided by hotels, motels, dormitories, hospitals and apartments. red dot ac parts cross referenceThere is no need to install expensive and intrusive ductwork to use PTAC units. The units are self-contained and can easily be installed through a wall.Older PTAC units are relatively inefficient compared to the increased energy efficiency ratings of newer PTAC models.

The Energy Efficiency Ratio (or EER rating) is an indication of how well the unit takes input energy (electricity) and converts it to output energy (either hot or cold air). Comparing EER ratings is a useful way to distinguish the efficiency of different PTAC units. Consider a PTAC unit that is 10 years old. A good EER rating when this model was new would have been 5.0. As the PTAC unit ages, the EER rating lowers as well. It would be normal for a unit this old to run at an EER around 3.0. Now consider a new PTAC unit with an EER rating of up to 10.0 (or higher) and you will see the significant energy savings that can be realized by upgrading older PTAC units. In some cases, the cost of upgrading the PTAC unit can be fully recovered by the actual energy savings that the new model provides.Newer PTAC units are not only energy efficient; they also offer increased comfort due to innovations such as multiple speed fans and blowers that result in a quieter operation of the unit. Some newer PTAC units also include higher quality internal components and have more insulation to reduce noise.

Newer Models Offer Greater Efficiency Some hotel owners and property managers prefer to replace an existing PTAC unit with the same model from the original manufacturer. Replacing an existing PTAC unit with the exact same model is an effective way to ensure the unit will fit the existing space perfectly. But it is not always possible to do this. Perhaps the original manufacturer no longer produces the model or the old unit is a non-standard size. Replacing the existing model with the exact same model (which is likely a number of years old) prevents owners from taking advantage of alternate models with increased energy efficiency offered by newer models that are available in the market today.There are manufacturers of new PTAC units that design new retro-fit models to fit perfectly in place of older models from brands that are no longer available. Brands such as KeepRite, Seasonall, Climette, Singer EA, Reminton RS, McQuay EK Series and Zoneline are just some of the examples of older models that are no longer available.

Finding the right supplier is almost as important as finding the right hotel PTAC systems. There are suppliers of top quality PTAC units with over 20 years of experience working with clients to find solutions for their new construction, replacement and retrofitting needs, however standard or unique they may be.This article was contributed by NRG Equipment Inc.Up to 400 SqFt 12k BTU Electric Heat Strip Up to 400 SqFt 9,000 BTU Klimaire PTAC Cooling Only with 3.5 kW Electric Heater, 11 EER 12,000 BTU Klimaire PTAC Cooling Only with 3.5 kW Electric Heater, 10.5 EER Up to 550 SqFt We're noise sensitive and have a difficult time with air conditioning units that are noisy especially as they cycle on and off. But we need the a/c. Any suggestions on independent or national hotels that have a quiet system? Stay in hotels built after 1960. If they have widow units, you don't want to stay there. Is this a trick question? I doubt that you will get an intelligent answer about this from a chat board, unless an HVAC expert decides to post.

Hotel chains don't redo their entire systems based on exacting standards; the system comes with the building, and systems vary a great deal. When you make your reservation, call the hotel and make sure they have a central system, not the self-contained room units that are noisier, and could be in a hotel built anytime from 1950-2000. What I wanted to caution you about, since you are noise-sensitive, is that there is a large hospital complex east of Michigan Avenue and south of Chicago Avenue. The ambulance noise can be very disruptive, compounded by the canyon effect of so many tall buildings. If I were you, I would look for a hotel several blocks from this area. Edited: 9:35 am, July 24, 2012 pgo, the OP is from Oak Park and asking about national chains. I don't think that they're asking about staying in Chicago since they live just across the western city limits. You're right that city noise can be louder than A/C but I don't think that Chicago proper is relevant to their question.

One destination mentioned in this post You need to ask the properties what kind of HVAC system the rooms have. The best is a 4 pipe system, you would usually find something like that in a Four Seasons, your best bet would be getting a room with an individual heat pump that will make some noise but is quiet overall. The systems you need to avoid are PTAC (through wall units) and vertical fan coils--they are cheaper to install but noisier than heat pumps. It can be a toss up for which hotels have which. In general (and it varies) cheaper hotels are most likely to have through wall units. Moderate hotels will have vertical fan coils, expensive-ish hotels will have vertical fan coils, and upscale luxury hotels will have 4-pipe systems. I know for a fact the Trump Hotel in Chicago has vertical fan coils, while TheWit Hotel has heat pumps. For the most part HVAC systems are not consistent by brand and can very greatly based on the location and building type. To add one thing to my rambling post, the location of the equipment also plays a large role in the noise of the room.

Heat pumps are usually in the ceiling right above door in the guestroom entry generally adjacent to the bathroom, vertical fan coils and ptac units must be placed near the window and usually closer to the bed. So if you look at guestroom photos and see a bunch of vents/grilles on a bumped out wall next to the bend, you can assume those are noisier vertical fan coils. If the vents are located in a soffit nearer the guestroom door that is a heat pump. I usually stay at Marriott properties and with the exception of a few smaller older style Fairfield Inns, can not recall any noise for the a/c. but really it depends on your noise sensitivity... Nobody can sleep with a rattling old window unit. But if the general sound of a home a/c turning on and off then I would not know what to tell you. -:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one./pages/forums_posting_guidelines.htmlWe remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.