Allergy Wise is an initiative we are taking to raise the profile of ‘health and hygiene’ in hotel rooms across the UK……

Do you sufferer from asthma or eczema and because of that allergy decided to avoid hotels and guest houses so as not to intensify your symptoms?

Many allergy sufferers in the UK feel this way and avoid staying away from home for fear of agitating not only their asthma and eczema, but also conjunctivitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, and rhinitis allergies.

To quote allergy specialist Dr Harry Brown MD FRCP (Ed) “Patients had an attack of asthma or rhinitis when staying somewhere where dust mites had not been removed.”

Hotels will offer you a non smoking room why not an allergy free sleeping environment?

Worth a read is an interesting study recently carried out by the Daily Telegraph titled - What lies beneath? How clean is your hotel bed? Paul Miles and his team of experts go undercover to find out.

By taking this simple step and advertising themselves as “Allergy Wise”, accommodation providers would open up their business up to an untapped market. And Allergy sufferers could enjoy as healthy a night's sleep when staying away, as they do at home.

Normal vacuuming of the mattress by hotel cleaning staff is not sufficient to remove the mites and proteins and of course it will not kill off the bacteria and fungi that exist in the mattress. Non-allergenic pillows are not the answer either.

A quote from Dr Brown again, “Research shows that non allergenic pillows harbour more mites after some months than feather pillows.“

Allergenic cleaning of mattresses, duvets and pillows is a common practice in mainland Europe, USA and Australia. Isn't it time our hotels caught up?

Allergy Wise for guests:

• A recognisable marque of hygiene and cleanliness.

• Mattresses, pillows and duvets are regularly cleansed (annually) and will be free of dust mites and their allergens.

• Regular treatment (monthly) with non-toxic and organic anti-mite spray.

• Guaranteed a pleasant night's sleep. Should sleep as well as at home.

Allergy Wise for accommodation providers:

• Recognition that the primary function of accommodation is to provide a comfortable and peaceful night's sleep for guests.

• Basic hygiene and customer well-being are growing in priority over ‘added value' services and facilities.

• A good night's sleep is essential to the working traveller. They will increasingly select accommodation that can give that assurance.

• As customer awareness for asthma and allergy treatment and health grows, so too will their expectations of accommodation.

• The Allergy Wise marque presents accommodation providers with a unique marketing tool that will help differentiate them from others.