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Are Those Allergy-Free Rooms Really Allergy-Free?

Where: 1340 Millersport Highway [map], Amherst, NY, United States, 14221

July 18, 2006 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

That's what a group of scientists in Buffalo are out to uncover.

University at Buffalo researchers are conducting one of the first scientific air-quality tests of "allergy-friendly" hotel rooms. The project is expected to provide data applicable to other environments where indoor air quality is critical, such as in health-care facilities and aboard airplanes.

So who's the guinea pig in their experiment? The Buffalo Niagara Marriott in Amherst. The hotel currently offers allergen-free rooms for 10 bucks more than the other (highly polluted?) rooms.

The scientists have already gathered their data from the rooms, testing some of the products that aim to make the room allergy-free (In full scientific disclosure, the companies whose products are in the room, put up some of the money for the testing.) These products include deep-cleaning carpet treatments, air-conditioner fungi killers, and other chemical and natural bacteria killers.

While the full results won't be back until sometime in the fall, early findings say that these allergy-free rooms might have some success.

Now if only they remember to leave peanuts out of the mini-bar.

Image via AE Baxter/Flickr

Related Stories:
· UB Scientists Put "Allergy-Friendly" Hotel Rooms to the Test [University of Buffalo]
· Buffalo Niagara Marriot Reviews [TripAdvisor]