York’s only five star hotel – the Grand Hotel & Spa – has opened a 101-bedroom extension with Daikin VRV IV heat recovery air conditioning.

It was also the first UK hotel development where Daikin’s ground-breaking auto cleaning duct was specified for the fan coil units in every guest room. It provides simultaneous cooling and heating, the three-pipe heat recovery system offers greater efficiencies than two-pipe systems.

The auto cleaning duct’s dust storage container can be emptied when necessary by housekeeping staff with a vacuum cleaner, it avoids the cost of manual cleaning of the filters. It also improves air quality by removing particles from the circulating. The Grand Hotel property manager Martin Jenkinson says the auto cleaning ducts bring a rapid payback with the savings on filter cleaning alone.

He says: “It takes three or four days to clean the filters in the rest of the hotel, which has air conditioning systems from another manufacturer. And dust can start to accumulate again very quickly.

“The Daikin system indicates when an auto cleaning duct’s dust container needs emptying. But that’s such an easy task for housekeeping staff, we’ve made it part of the daily room servicing routine. We’ll still be checking the units in all the rooms at least twice a year, but it will need only a quick walk-round.”

Daikin D1+ partner Maximum Climate Control, who had already installed Daikin systems for the new restaurant, was appointed to undertake the full mechanical installation in the extension.

The air conditioning element consists of 12 VRV IV heat recovery condensing units serving the ducted fan coil units. The three-pipe system includes multi-way Daikin branch selector boxes.

Two Daikin ERQ condensing units serve the temperature coils in the third party air handling unit that provides a constant supply of fresh, tempered air to the guest rooms.

Simplified room controllers are provided in each guest room, and are fitted with a bespoke antique brass faceplate to match the décor. Leak detection monitors – in a bespoke purple colour – are fitted in every room. The systems are centrally controlled by a Daikin iTouch Manager with expansion card for connection to the hotel’s building management system.

A 7kW Daikin R32 split unit provides cooling for a communications room. London-based SHG is billed as one of the UK’s fastest-growing privately owned hotel groups. With more properties in the pipeline, its nationwide portfolio of 19 branded and independent hotels ranges from limited service to luxury. It has two other properties in York.