Kitchen extract and ventilation cleaning for hotels

Multi-floor riser ductwork and extract

A hotel kitchen rarely sits under a simple duct. The extract often rises through several floors in a shared riser, past bedrooms and corridors, before it reaches a roof fan. That long run is where grease hides, and where a duct fire could travel furthest. A proper TR19® Grease clean follows the whole system: canopy, plenum, filters, horizontal runs, the full height of the riser, the fan and the discharge.

We start with a survey, from drawings and photos or on site, to find every access panel and every part of the riser. Where sections can’t be reached, we record them on the report and can fit new access panels so nothing is left uncleaned next time.

Risers also pass through fire-resisting floors and walls, and that is where fire dampers are usually fitted. Grease and dust can stop a damper closing, so we check and test them as part of the same programme. On the roof, we clean the fan and discharge, and look for grease weeping onto the roof covering or running down the outside of the building, which is a sign the system has gone too long between cleans.

Signs a hotel extract needs attention

Hotel teams often notice problems before they think of the ductwork. Look out for:

• Grease dripping from the canopy or filters during breakfast or banqueting service
• Cooking smells reaching bedrooms, corridors or the lobby
• A kitchen that runs hot and steamy because the extract is pulling less air
• A roof fan that is noisy, vibrating or tripping out
• Lint around laundry dryer vents, or dryers taking longer to dry
• Dusty grilles and stuffy rooms on upper floors

Any of these is worth a survey. We check the system, take grease readings and tell you what needs doing, then give you a fixed quote. See signs your extract needs cleaning and common extract fan problems.

What a hotel needs from us

• Kitchen extract cleaning for main kitchens, banqueting kitchens and bars that serve food
• Riser ductwork cleaning and roof fan cleaning
• Laundry and tumble-dryer extract cleaning, where lint builds up much as grease does
• TR19® Air cleaning of bedroom, bathroom and corridor supply and extract
• Air handling unit cleaning for conference rooms, restaurants and public areas
• Fire damper and smoke damper testing, with remedials for any that fail
• Kitchen deep cleans and grease trap cleaning

Cooking hours and cleaning frequency

Many hotel kitchens cook from early breakfast to late room service, which puts them in BESA’s heavy band. BESA’s kitchen extract guidance sets these minimum intervals:

A busy main kitchen may need cleaning every 3 months, while a bar kitchen that serves light food for a few hours could sit in the 6 or 12-month band. These are minimums. Grease thickness testing tells us whether the real interval should be shorter. BESA says grease should not exceed a mean of 200 microns between cleans, and 500 microns or more at any point needs immediate spot cleaning.

Room and floor programmes around your guests

Hotels never really close, so we plan the work around occupancy. Kitchen extract cleans usually run overnight between the last service and breakfast prep. Bedroom ventilation and riser access are best done floor by floor, in rooms you take out of sale for a night or during quieter weeks. We agree a programme with your operations and housekeeping teams, keep noise and access to the areas you set, and leave each room tidy.

Banqueting kitchens and conference suites are cleaned on days with no events booked. Bars and restaurants open to the public are done after closing. We sheet floors and furniture along our route, use the service lift where you have one, and keep our team out of guest areas during the day.

Our 24/7 emergency line is there if a fan fails or a duct starts dripping in the middle of a busy weekend.

The responsible person and your insurer

TR19® is not law, but it is the benchmark insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to. The law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The responsible person, often the hotel owner, operator or general manager, must assess and reduce fire risk across the building, and that includes grease in the kitchen extract and dampers that close as they should. BESA says all fire dampers should be tested at least annually; see its fire damper testing guidance.

Many insurers ask for evidence of TR19 cleaning and may refuse or reduce a claim without it. GOV.UK sets out the responsible person’s duties.

EHOs, ratings and your paperwork

Your council’s environmental health team inspects hotel kitchens like any food business, and the result appears on the Food Standards Agency food hygiene ratings site. After every clean we issue a TR19® certificate through the BESCA VHE portal and a photo report with before and after pictures, the grease readings, any areas not reached and the next clean date. We are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease.

Keep certificates for the kitchen, laundry and ventilation together in your maintenance log. When your fire risk assessment is updated, or an insurer asks for evidence after a change of policy, the whole history is in one place. If you want to check any contractor’s membership, BESA’s Vent Hygiene Register contractor search lets you do that. Our TR19 audits for insurers can also help when you need to show the current state of a system you haven’t had cleaned by us before.

Hotel groups and several sites

For hotel groups, we can schedule every property on one maintenance contract, each with its own frequency, certificates and reports. That gives head office one clear record across London and the South East, and gives each general manager a date they can plan around.