Gold Coast Hotel’s HVAC Nightmare — and How We Fixed It - Commercial Refrigeration: Sales, Maintenance & Repairs Brisbane QLD

Case Study: Hidden Costs of a “Cheap” HVAC Service — Gold Coast Hotel

🏨 Client: Major Hotel, Gold Coast

🛠 Service: Preventative Maintenance Takeover & System Restoration

🔁 Frequency: Quarterly PMA (Preventative Maintenance Agreement)

📅 Duration: Commenced Q2, 2025

The Problem

When we took over the HVAC maintenance program for one of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious hotels, the situation was far worse than the management realised.

The bag filters in the rooftop air handling units were so thick with dust and grime, you couldn’t see the pleats.
The return air grilles inside the venue were caked with lint and airborne grease, to the point where dust would visibly fall onto guests below.
The client had noticed a sharp increase in electricity consumption — but hadn’t been able to determine the cause.

This was despite the fact that the previous contractor was supposedly servicing the system every three months.

a return air grill covered in dust — Dust was falling on customers

Our Diagnosis

On initial inspection, our technicians were astonished the air-conditioning was functioning at all. Poor airflow, blocked return, and clogged filtration meant the systems were:

Working far harder than necessary,
Using excessive energy, and
Creating an unhygienic environment for staff and guests.

HVAC bag filter covered in thick dirt — Clean Air? This was the state of the HVAC Bag Filters

What We Did

Replaced all clogged bag filters with clean, high-quality commercial-grade filters.
Thoroughly cleaned return air grilles throughout public and back-of-house areas.
Carried out a full system performance audit.
Implemented baseline reporting for power draw and coil pressure differentials to measure improvement.

The Outcome

✅ Energy Efficiency Restored: Power usage dropped measurably once airflow was restored.
✅ Comfort Levels Improved: Cooling distribution normalized across all key guest zones.
✅ Guest Experience Protected: No more falling dust, stale smells, or temperature inconsistencies.
✅ Accountability Established: Our PMA now includes photographic evidence of all works completed and system health tracking.

Disintegrated and filthy HVAC filter from a commercial venue, showing the result of years of neglected maintenance by a low-cost competitor. — This is what ‘cheap’ really costs. We took over this venue after years of ‘budget’ servicing—this HVAC filter hadn’t been changed in ages and had completely disintegrated.

The Lesson

“They were cheaper” is not a good deal when it comes at the cost of:

Your brand,

Guest comfort,

Operational costs, and

Health and hygiene standards.

In commercial HVAC, cheap service is often no service at all.

Black mould visible on the ceiling of a commercial cool room due to lack of proper refrigeration servicing and hygiene maintenance. — Black mould growing in a cool room ceiling—another case of ‘cost-cutting’ gone wrong. Poor servicing by the previous provider led to dangerous hygiene risks in a food storage area. If you run a venue that relies on refrigeration, don’t leave compliance to chance.

Thinking of Changing Providers?

If your venue has rising power bills, poor airflow, or inconsistent temperature control, it may be time for a no-obligation performance audit.

📍 Servicing Brisbane & Gold Coast
📞 1300 227 600
📧 workshop@acrorefrigeration.com.au

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Gold Coast Hotel’s HVAC Nightmare — and How We Fixed It