Hynes Convention Center - Boston, MA
Out with the Old, in with the New: Hynes Convention Center in Boston Installs High-Speed Hand Dryers
A busy event and conference center keeps the crowds moving quickly through the restrooms with New Industry Standard hand dryers.
With the average Hynes-hosted show attendance over 5,000, John Donahue, Building Superintendent, is glad to have reliable, fast-working hand dryers for his patrons. “They’ve been a very dependable and reliable unit, considering how much use they get,” Donahue says. “In the more than two years since they were installed, none of the units have failed.”
The John B. Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston’s Historic Back Bay is one of the busiest midsize event and Conference venues in the country. License to house up to 25,000 people at any given time it boasts 193,000 square feet of exhibit space in five separate Halls over 75,000 square feet of meeting space in 38 rooms as well as a 25,000 square foot Ballroom. The Hynes hosts a variety of shows, conferences, exhibits, and other community and business events, and offers a variety of audiovisual cleaning security and food and beverage services for patrons.
John Donahue, building superintendent, is completing some much-needed upgrades for the Hynes Convention Center. Because of the large number of patrons that visit the Hynes throughout the year, he said we’ve seen a good deal of wear and tear on some parts of the establishment particularly the fixtures in the bathrooms.
The MCCA wanted to make the building as environmentally friendly as possible which meant that many automated low-flow units and hand dryers were installed in the Hynes restrooms starting in the late 1980s. After a while, however, Donahue noticed that the hand dryers were no longer functioning properly. “ The heating element would go in the air volume would diminish over time so all you get was low-volume cold air.”
After receiving a recommendation from the deputy director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Donahue examined Excel Dryer’s XLERATOR hand dryer and was impressed how quickly and effectively it dries hands. The XLERATOR is designed with a high-velocity air stream that blows off excess water droplet and rapidly evaporates the remaining layer of moisture. XLERATOR Drys hands in 10 to 15 seconds three times faster than traditional hand dryers and uses 80 percent less energy. XLERATOR Delivers a 95 percent cost savings when compared to paper towels and eliminate their maintenance while improving hygiene in the restroom. The units are also GreenSpec® approved and qualify for LEED credits awarded by the US Green Building Council.
Donahue discovered that the XLERATOR units would be relatively easy to retrofit into the restrooms as order dryers failed. “ We began gradually phasing out the previous dryers as they broke down over time,” Donahue explained. “ The XLERATOR was easier to install than the older models which were recessed into the walls leaving holes that had to be covered up.”
Donahue selected Chrome cover XLERATOR dryers to match the decor and is also considering the newer textured graphite covers for planned retrofitting of their New state-of-the-art Boston Convention and Exhibition Center facility.
Ninety-five percent of the Hynes restrooms were equipped with the older dryers in many retained paper towel dispensers as well. “ Being rid of the towel dispensers is a definite plus,” said Donahue. “ There is no paper waste on the floor unless material to clog toilets. We are not spending nearly as much labor cleaning the bathrooms and in the more than two years since they were installed none of the XLERATOR units have failed.”
