Reducing Costs and Improving Energy Performance at Scale: CHP at a Major Airport Hotel

Airport hotels represent a distinct segment of the hospitality industry where energy demand is consistent and insulated from seasonality. They serve business travelers, transient guests, and airline crews whose travel patterns keep occupancy and energy demand stable year-round.

This 275+ room hotel operates around the clock, with guests arriving and departing, and property systems never fully power down. To support 24/7 operations, the property has significant heating loads, including domestic hot water for guest rooms and laundry, and space heating across guest and common areas, as well as electrical loads that power HVAC, lighting, and food service equipment.

This property operated with aging infrastructure that had been under continuous load for years. For an energy-intensive hotel that can't tolerate downtime, even minor disruptions can impact guest experience and service quality. At the same time, replacing or upgrading these systems typically requires significant upfront capital, creating a barrier to modernization.

Compounding this, energy costs don't ease up during slow periods. For this customer, January brings some of the year's highest utility bills, just as hotel revenue hits its annual low point due to post-holiday lag in winter travel.

Catalyst Power helped the hotel implement a fully financed onsite energy solution, at no upfront cost to the customer. The system uses a compact design that fits within its existing footprint, making it easier to deploy without interrupting operations or impacting guests.

The project includes a CHP module, two domestic hot water boilers, and six instantaneous indirect water heaters. These systems help the property generate onsite electricity and redirect waste heat for heating applications.