Accor Hospitality Group

In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, the Hotel ibis Laval le Relais d’Armor, part of the global Accor Hospitality Group, wrestled with the challenges all hospitality businesses were facing: how to clean for guests without putting staff at risk from the overuse of potentially harmful chemicals?

“At the time, we were employing a traditional cleaning protocol using chemistry,” explains Thierry Benoist, the director of the hotel located in Changes, France. “We were using over 500 litres of chemicals per month to clean our hotel — it was far too much. When my local distributor, ECO LIFE, encouraged us to test Stabilized Aqueous Ozone (SAO®) from Tersano for a few months, I was delighted to give it a try.”

SAO is a simple, safe, sustainable way to clean and deodorize without using harmful chemicals. Created on-demand through a patented technology, SAO starts as tap water, is converted into a cleaner, and then reverts safely to tap water after use. SAO is produced in on-demand from a wall-mounted dispenser, as well as in a hand-held device called the iClean® mini.

OVERVIEW

When used as directed, the Tersano SAO system:

• Offers hotel operators a safe way to clean and reduce the odors in their properties;
• Is produced on-demand eliminating the need to continually purchase harmful chemicals and sanitizers;
• Is safe for use around staff, guests and the broader local community

Not having to worry about cleaning chemicals in the hands of my staff is a real joy. It is safer for them and my customers.

Thierry Benoist
Director
Hotel ibis Laval le Relais d’Armor

Opportunity   

The Hotel ibis Laval employs a staff of 11 responsible for maintaining the property. The staff cleans over 2300 m2 to prepare for over 75 visitors each day. Opened in 2010, the hotel offers 69 traditional guest rooms, a restaurant, a bar, business meeting facilities, and even a barbeque on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “In hospitality, cleanliness is everything. It’s one of the first things guests notice,” shares Benoist. “With SAO, we’ve eliminated over 70% of the chemicals we were using — while maintaining our standards of cleanliness.”

Action

“I’m thankful that my staff is particularly attentive to innovation. On the one hand, they like new things for their own good — but they are also very aware of the environment. SAO was an obvious choice for us.” By replacing traditional cleaning chemicals with SAO, businesses no longer dispose of toxic chemicals into the drains and ultimately our rivers, streams, and waterways.

The staff at ibis is pleased with the transition to non-toxic cleaning and deodorizing — which went smoothly thanks to a focus on education and training. Says Benoist, “It seems unlikely we would ever return to chemicals.”

The benefits of SAO are many, but if I had to sum it up I would say it’s environmentally-friendly, safer for my staff, and very easy to use.

-Thierry Benoist