Originally Posted by
hillrider
I just had a sweltering night at an Aloft hotel -- and it's amazingly freezing outside, but the windows don't open -- due to their system settings. As soon as I woke up (drenched) and stirred in the bed I heard the fan turn on and start pumping cool air in the room. This system is not a retrofit, and it looks very much a centralized one; while the hotel will get a nasty letter, the damage is already done: sleep was fitful and I don't feel refreshed.
Are there any gizmos that we can buy and plug into a wall to simulate a person moving (e.g. by emitting heat in spurts, microwaves, etc. etc.?). This seems to be the only permanent, hassle-free, no tools required solution to this scourge.
I had one unit that kept shutting off, but the thermostat was in the window unit (not on the wall). I pulled the cover off and found the temperature sensor / lead, then grabbed the coffee pot out of the bathroom. I hooked up the coffee pot next to the HVAC unit and placed the temperature sensor in the water. I still had to wake up a few times during the night, but it got me more sleep than no air at all.
Since then I've started traveling with a desk fan wherever I go. I just keep it in my checked baggage.