Dust Mite ‘Roulette’

More than 25% of the population in the U.S. and other developed countries are now allergic to dust mites. This means that 25% of your guests are prone to get a stuffing nose tonight and sleeping poorly. Some of them won’t be returning as a result.

Everyone has heard of dust mites, but few people know the details about them. For instance, dust mites are far and away the #1 allergy trigger.

A recent study published in Clinical and Molecular Allergy found that well over 20% of the population in the U.S. and other developed countries is now allergic to dust mites. And this number is rising.

These microscopic creatures are practically everywhere there is dust. This includes fabric furniture and carpeting. Dust mites especially like to nest in pillows and mattresses where they feed on flaked-off human skin cells. An unprotected pillow or mattress can have tens of thousands of these microscopic creatures present.

People aren’t allergic to the actual dust mites. Instead, it’s the digestive enzymes they produce, which trigger allergic reactions.

Dust Mite Roulette

The 25% of guests who are allergic to dust mites are prone to developing a runny or stuffy nose during the night. If this occurs, they’ll sleep poorly and wake up not feeling refreshed. Some of these guests, either consciously or subconsciously, will choose not to return to a hotel.

This situation makes dust mites a huge hidden drain on a hotel’s occupancy.

To avoid losing guests from this game of ‘Dust Mite Roulette,’ hoteliers need to outfit every pillow and mattress with specially woven encasements to safeguard unsuspecting guests. These casings are woven with pores too small for dust mites to enter.

High-quality casings are warranted to last 10 years or more. This means the cost for this critical initiative works out about 5 cents per room per day (10 cents per day with rooms that have two beds).

The AllerEase^® Hotel Program

The WHAI has developed an innovative approach to help hotels pay for the critical investment of outfitting all guest room pillows, mattresses, and duvets and ending their constant drain on occupancy.

AllerEase^® Hotels commit to making at least 20% of their guest rooms hypoallergenic. AllerEase^® hotels also place HEPA air purifiers in all group meeting spaces. The AllerEase^® Hotel Program features two levels of hypoallergenic rooms.

The baseline level, AllerEase^® Room, features hypoallergenic encasements for guest room bedding and has a daily operating cost of 5 to 10 cents.

The second-level AllerEase ^® Plus HEPA rooms also include a HEPA air purifier. These capture airborne mold spores, pollen, pet dander, and even viruses.

Together, these two products eliminate more than 95% of room allergens and have a combined average daily cost of less than a dollar a day.

To learn more about the AllerEase^® Hotel Program, click here.