A hotel is rarely just one kitchen. There may be a main kitchen, a restaurant, a bar kitchen and banqueting, plus laundry, bathroom extract and air handling for public areas. Kitchen extract ducts often rise through several floors to reach the roof. All of that makes ventilation hygiene in a hotel more complex than in a standalone restaurant, and the responsibility usually sits with one facilities or maintenance manager who has to keep track of it all. This guide covers the main systems and how to plan cleaning without disturbing guests.
Long hours mean heavier grease
Many hotel kitchens cook from early breakfast to late room service. BESA’s minimum cleaning intervals are based on daily hours of use: every 3 months for 12 to 16 hours a day, every 6 months for 6 to 12 hours, and every 12 months for 2 to 6 hours (BESA). A kitchen running all day may well be in the heavy band. Grease thickness readings at each visit show whether the interval is right.
Treat each kitchen as its own system. The main kitchen, a bar kitchen and a banqueting kitchen may share a building but have very different hours and menus, so each one should have its own cleaning interval and certificate.
Multi-floor risers
Kitchen extract ducts in hotels often run vertically through risers past bedrooms and corridors. A fire in a greasy riser could spread through the building, so these sections matter as much as the canopy. They’re also the hardest to reach.
Risers are cleaned through access panels at intervals up the run, sometimes from inside service cupboards or ceiling voids on each floor. If there aren’t enough panels to reach every part, the uncleaned sections must be recorded on the report. New panels can be fitted. See duct access panels explained.
Where ducts pass through fire-resisting walls and floors there may be fire dampers. BESA says these should be tested at least annually (BESA).
Need it done? Duct Doctor cleans and tests kitchen extract and ventilation systems across London and the South East, with a certificate and photo report after every clean. Get a fixed quote.
Laundry extract
Hotels with on-site laundries have another fire risk: lint. Tumble dryers push warm air full of fine fibres into the extract duct, where it can build up. Lint is light and burns easily, so laundry extract needs its own cleaning schedule. Our guide to laundry extract fire risk explains more, and we offer laundry extract cleaning.
General ventilation and AHUs
Supply and extract systems serving bedrooms, corridors, function rooms and spas also collect dust and debris over time. TR19® Air covers these general systems, with risk-based inspection to decide when cleaning is needed (BESA). Air handling units need their filters, coils and drain trays looked after too. See our AHU cleaning guide.
Working around guests
Hotels are busy around the clock, so timing matters. Kitchen cleans are best done overnight, between breakfast and lunch, or when a kitchen is closed. Work on risers may need access to service areas on guest floors, so it helps to plan which rooms or corridors are affected in advance. Noise is kept down and areas are sheeted and left tidy. Duct Doctor works evenings, overnight and weekends across London and the South East, and every clean comes with a TR19® certificate and a photo report. See our hotels page.
Quick answers
Do all hotel kitchens need the same interval?
No. Each kitchen is assessed on its own hours and cooking style. A banqueting kitchen used occasionally may need less than the main kitchen.
Can the riser be left out if it’s hard to reach?
It shouldn’t be. If a section truly can’t be reached it must be recorded, and access panels fitted where possible.
Is laundry extract covered by TR19 Grease?
No. TR19 Grease is for kitchen extract. Laundry extract is cleaned separately to remove lint.
Related services
- Kitchen extract cleaning
- Ductwork cleaning
- Ventilation duct cleaning
- Air handling unit cleaning
- Fire damper testing
More advice
- Laundry and Tumble Dryer Extract Fire Risk
- Duct Access Panels: Why They Matter for TR19
- Overnight Kitchen Extract Cleaning: What to Expect
- TR19 Air Explained: Ventilation Hygiene for Buildings
- All advice
This guide is general information. It isn’t legal or insurance advice: check your own policy wording and lease, and speak to a qualified adviser about your fire risk assessment.