JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa First in Hawaii to Offer Allergy-Friendly Guest
Rooms, Meeting Rooms and Spa
KO OLINA, Oahu, Hawaii – July 12, 2007 – The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort &
Spa at Ko Olina is the first property in Hawaii and one of the first in the nation to
adopt the PURE™ system which creates an allergy-friendly environment. All of the
hotel’s 13 guest rooms and Presidential Suite on its 17th (top) floor have been converted
to the system, and indoor meeting facilities and the Ihilani Spa will be converted by the
end of the year.
The allergy-friendly environment can help ease respiratory problems, asthma
and allergies that affect more than 70 million Americans.
“By providing PURE™ allergy-friendly hotel rooms and conference spaces, we
offer our guests the benefit of being in healthy, more productive environments," said
Steve Glen, general manager of JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa. “It has always
surprised me how many travelers suffer from allergies and make special requests such
as having down pillows removed. We are now exceeding their expectations by offering
the ultimate allergy-friendly room environment.”
The PURE™ system reduces or minimizes biohazards and other irritants from all
room surfaces and filters them from the air.
“Bedding, carpeting, walls, furniture, air conditioning systems, and practically
everything in the room is specially treated to remove contaminants and significantly
hinder their return,” said Glen.
One of the first to experience an allergy-friendly room at the JW Marriott Ihilani
Resort & Spa was Kelly Owen of Seal Beach, California, who stayed in the Presidential
Suite. “The suite was fabulous. I can really feel the difference, especially the smell of the
room. I sleep better and feel better,” he said.
The innovative and rigorous conversion process designed by Pure Solutions
ensures air conditioners are deep cleaned and sanitized then equipped with the
company’s patented Tea Tree Oil Cartridge, an all natural antiseptic and disinfectant.
Soft surfaces are cleansed and sanitized to minimize contaminants that trigger allergies
and a bacteriostatic barrier called Pure Shield is applied on virtually all surfaces to
minimize the growth of bacteria.
To maintain ideal conditions in the room, a state-of-the-art air purification
system is installed, creating air quality that averages four times cleaner than the
threshold for asthma patients. In addition, special, micro-fiber hypoallergenic
pillowcases and mattress covers are used in the room to eliminate dust and dander and
dust-mite related allergens usually associated with common bedding.
The special purification technique is a one-of-a-kind high-tech cleansing and
maintenance process developed by Pure Solutions, North America.
“It’s a credit to the JW Marriott Ihilani that they are extending this convenience
to their guests,” said Brian Brault, Pure’s chief executive officer. “They are on the
leading edge of the wellness trend and today’s customers are looking for that.”
A Cornell University study found that one third of travelers had allergy
problems and 83% said they would prefer to stay in ‘pure rooms’ if they had the chance.
More interestingly, 81% of people who did not have allergies said they, too, would
prefer an allergy-free room.
The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa will begin converting its 5,530-square-foot
ballroom, eight meeting rooms and a luxurious executive boardroom by the end of the
year to the PURE™ system. (The hotel’s meeting facilities also include the 18,000-
square-foot Pavilion at Ihilani, which opens to gardens on three sides.)
The air in the indoor conference rooms will be purified at greater intensity and
will be filtrated eight times more frequently than standard air handling systems.
Featuring a 99.9% non-allergenic treatment of air and surfaces, and frequently recycled
air to lower levels of sleep-inducing carbon dioxide, these measures will increase
productivity since poor air quality can affect attentiveness, responsiveness and
performance.
According to Brault, the conversion of the 35,000-square-foot Ihilani Spa will
make it the first and only spa facility in the United States to be entirely allergy-friendly.
The full-service destination spa is famous for a variety of treatments, such as the Deluxe
Thalasso Therapy with seawater, signature Hawaiian and Polynesian body treatments,
and extensive fitness and relaxation programs.
“Allergy-friendly rooms are part of our overall focus on health and wellness at
the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa,” said Glen. “You can dine morning, noon and
night on special menus featuring fresh organically grown local produce, enjoy a range
of advanced body therapies at the spa, bathe in our saltwater pool and luxuriate in our
beautiful ocean lagoons. We want our guests leaving here feeling truly rejuvenated by
the experience.”
For more information or reservations, please call toll-free (800) 626-4446 or visit
www.ihilani.com.
# # #
The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina offers 387 guest rooms and 36 suites. The
award winning resort fronts the first of four lagoons on Oahu’s sunny western shore. Part of the 640-
acre Ko Olina Resort & Marina and offering the island's most complete resort experience, the hotel
features luxuriously appointed rooms; relaxed Hawaiian elegance; gracious, warm personalized service;
secluded beaches; professional tennis courts; 18 holes of challenging championship play at Ko Olina Golf
Club; and a variety of restaurants showcasing unique and distinctive international cuisine. The worldclass
Ihilani Spa, voted one of the “Top Spas in the World” by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel
& Leisure magazines, is internationally renowned for its full complement of invigorating body treatments
and massages, using products harvested from the honua (earth) and the moana (ocean) here in the islands.
The resort recently ranked as one of the “Top 100 Golf Resorts” by Conde Nast Traveler, as well as
Editor’s Pick in TravelAge West’s 2006 WAVE Awards. Heralded as the "Best Luxury Hotel" and
"Best Place to Get a Massage" in the islands by readers of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the JW Marriott
Ihilani Resort & Spa is home to NFL's crème de la crème during the annual all-star Pro Bowl game in
Hawaii.
For More Information, Contact:
Bernie Caalim, Senior Vice President, or Noreen Kam, Account Supervisor
McNeil Wilson Communications, Inc.
Phone: (808) 531-0244
Fax: (808) 521-7163
Email: bcaalim@mcneilwilson.com or noreen@mcneilwilson.com
