BLG

I've stayed at about a dozen Courtyards and SHSs in the last two months and my biggest complaint is the air conditioning -- Whether they are controlled by wall mounted thermostats or buttons on the units, the choice generally boils down to "blowing too hard and/or too cold" or "nothing". And too many of them make so much noise when they come on (if on a thermostat) that they wake me. I really wish they would upgrade the units to more contemporary standards. Is it just me, or is this bothering others as well?

fredlisancnc

Actually, I agree with you...have experienced many non properly functioning heating/air units at Courtyards. Early on I would have "engineering" come by to fix and most times they indeed did adjust the unit properly...now I just make do...

DenverBrian

One of the tradeoffs between select service and full service is A/C. Most full service properties will have central air, which is quieter...but you'll pay for that (among many other things) in the rate.

Almost all select service brands - CY, SHS, Fairfield, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and on and on - have individual PTAC units in each room. Much cheaper to build, but the units all have a compressor unit right there in your room, often very close to the bed. The unit's innards come out and can be swapped when you find the vibration or rumbling too loud, and newer PTAC innards are quieter. But as in all things, you get what you pay for. If you truly want quiet A/C, you're almost always going to have to go for a full service hotel.

lfrank

I agree with the complaints about air coditioning noise. Unless it is uncomfortably hot when I go to bed, I turn the unit off. I have also found a few units that occassionally cycle even though the wall thermostat is off. In a few cases I have removed the unit cover, if necessary, and unplugged the unit.

BLG

I can think of two simple changes that would improve the units a lot. First, allow the unit to be turned to high or low when the thermostat is in use (currently the units with wall-mounted thermostat controls disable the high/low function). And second, use units that allow the louvers to be directed up and down so the air-flow can be pointed up towards the ceiling or down towards the floor so the cold air is not coming straight at you in bed. Those two changes, would help a lot -- the better/newer units are generally quiet enough when they come on and off; it's the older units that tend to be the noisy ones.

hhoope01

I actually prefer the older, louder units. The walls, especially at a lot of SHS, can be very thin and allow a lot of noise in from adjacent rooms. I will normally turn the fans on the A/C units to run full time just to try and drown out any external noises that may occur. The incremental noise of the compressor turning on/off isn't loud enough to bother me when I'm sleeping.

PhillyPhlyer40

Most places I have been lately have disabled the "fan on" function.

CouponSurfer

Having the fan on is also helpful in masking outside noise. Sometimes you can put the HVAC system in to VIP mode to override the standard settings. You can ask engineering or google the HVAC manufacturer to find the sequence. For example for Inncom - http://www.inncom.com/INNCOM_Video/L...tat-OM_APP.pdf

keeton

My complaint with these units at a Courtyard is that they are installed in an offset position on one side of the wall instead of the center. The work desk is invariably placed right in front of the unit, which gives you a constant frigid (or firey) blast of air when trying to work in the evenings.

As mentioned above, I like to run the fan continuously to mask outside noise. Most installations will allow you do this but some cycle the fan with the compressor or heater, which is annoying.

BLG

I've found the same thing -- the newer thermostats disable the fan function so you're stuck with "too cold" or nothing -- especially since the vents can't be adjusted to direct the airflow.

Given the number of units that the hotel chains buy, you would think that someone might be motivated to make a better mousetrap.

I was in a Hampton Inn a few nights ago and the aircon was just as bad, but the breakfast was better.

bonzaiflyer

+1

PhillyPhlyer40

Thanks for the link....yep..know about 'em. (used to work in for a company that owned a large commercial HVAC co) The only problem is many of the newer t-stats are locking out overrides without electronic keys.