A warm welcome to the Pomme D’Or Hotel

A powerful Airbloc air curtain, installed over the main entrance doors of the luxurious Pomme D’Or Hotel in Jersey as part of a £5m refurbishment programme, is proving very effective in blocking the prevailing winds that blow off the English Channel.

The result is a warmer, calmer welcome for guests and a pleasanter climate in the hotel’s extensive lobby.

The air curtain works by delivering a down-draught of heated or ambient air across the width of the doorway. The velocity of the air is such that it creates a barrier that separates internal and external environments when the doors are open, even when being pounded by winds of up to 15mph. Dust and flying insects are also effectively excluded.

The Pomme D’Or Hotel, built in 1850 and now part of the Seymour Group of hotels, is a significant building in Jersey’s history. On the day the island was liberated from German occupation, May 9th 1945, British soldiers lowered the German flag and raised the Union Jack on the balcony of the hotel. The 60th anniversary of Liberation Day saw HM The Queen deliver a landmark speech to islanders from the same balcony, overlooking Liberation Square and the harbour.

Physical restrictions on space and interior design considerations meant that the Airbloc air curtain had to be positioned to be as unobtrusive as possible. To answer these dual requirements, the building services department of engineering consultants DJ Hartigan & Associates of St Saviour, Jersey specified an Airbloc AC 2-metre wide chassis unit which has a 20mm wide aperture through which the air is delivered.

Usually, a chassis unit is surface mounted. However, for this application the unit was recessed in the ceiling space above the door and concealed behind a narrow grille. A conventional recessed unit would have required a 400mm x 2m grille.

The air curtain was installed by AC Electrics of St Saviour, Jersey.

David Renouf, Maintenance Manager for the Seymour Group of Hotels, comments: ‘The Airbloc air curtain works extremely well in preventing the prevailing winds that come in off the Channel. Although the island’s climate is generally mild, the winds can be chilly and strong. The air curtain ensures the lobby area remains unaffected by windy conditions.’

www.airbloc.co.uk