Ensuring water safety from A to Z 

Hoteliers play a role that cannot be underestimated in monitoring the quality of drinking water in their hotels. Holland Water is the partner for smarter, more sophisticated and targeted water management. Sales manager hospitality Mark de Vaal: "We can secure water safety from A to Z, taking a lot of work off hoteliers' hands."

Anyone who thinks of Holland Water thinks of techniques to solve legionella problems and ensure safe drinking water. This is still the case, but the company has undergone significant developments in the past year. "The team has grown considerably and we are now a provider of total water safety," explains De Vaal. "It started with only curative techniques, here came preventive techniques and now we have all management services and techniques under one roof. This makes Holland Water a unique one-stop shop for certified legionella management. The technology remains an essential component, of course, but above all we want to help the hotelier with their complete water safety."

Holland Water's hospitality team: Mark de Vaal, Lucas Geluk and Just Jongkees.

In summer 2023, Holland Water acquired a company that is BRL6010-certified to write legionella management plans. "This gives us an additional opportunity to ensure total water safety. We have been telling hotels this story for some time and we do this for a dozen Van der Valk branches, among others." According to De Vaal, what an overall picture looks like varies greatly from one hotel to another. "First of all, there is the analysis. Every hotel can come to us for a quick scan. Here, we look at the existing situation, whether there are problems in the water installation, and whether the company complies with laws and regulations. Then we offer advice on how the hotel could best comply with these regulations, in a sustainable and cost-efficient way."

Each hotel differs which steps are necessary to achieve the desired situation. From legionella management advice, water plant engineering, sampling and analysis, cleaning and disinfection, to preventive and curative techniques. "Wherever possible, we deploy a high-quality management technique. If the water plant is clean, then a gatekeeper system can be deployed, based on UV-C or ultrafiltration. In the unlikely event of legionella problems, the patented water treatment system HW Bifipro is the best solution. This works on the basis of copper and silver ionisation, which fights legionella and other pathogens." All these systems have the added advantage that the water temperature can be lowered considerably, resulting in significant energy savings.

In addition to appropriate management techniques, Holland Water supports in broad water management and compliance with laws and regulations. "In this, too, we can therefore guide hotels. Hotel Okura, for example, already had a system in place. Now we are also helping them with a legionella management plan." Ronald Crombosch, Chief Engineer of Okura: "The online water monitoring in combination with the HW Bifipro ensures that clear reports regarding water treatment are available and, if action is required, we are informed in good time. Not only are we very satisfied with the system, but also with the professional way Holland Water works."

According to De Vaal, digitisation is indispensable to improve water safety and save energy. "This takes work off staff's hands and prevents mistakes. Smart meters and sensors offer insight, which can then be acted upon. We offer complete overview in one smart digital environment. This contains an overview of the tasks the hotel has to perform, but also what is expected from Holland Water. This is the basis of modern water management."

According to De Vaal, water management is a dynamic process: "You have to constantly calibrate. Every building is different; a hotel in a former office building is different from new buildings. That's why we like to visit. We then look at the current situation, give advice and work together on a business case for more sustainable and cost-efficient water management. We can set this up in a smart and digital way. From large to very small, we can do something for all hotels, in the way that suits them. With our one-stop shop, we can perfectly meet the urgent demand for streamlined solutions for sustainable drinking water management."