Hotels provide overnight accommodation and hospitality services across a wide range of formats, from boutique city-centre properties and business hotels to large resort complexes with multiple guest wings, function spaces and back-of-house facilities. They combine sleeping accommodation with restaurants, bars, leisure facilities, conference rooms, kitchens, laundries and plant rooms, often operating continuously throughout the day and night.
Because hotels accommodate guests who are frequently asleep, unfamiliar with the building layout and unable to self-evacuate quickly, effective fire detection is critical to life safety. Fire incidents can also cause significant reputational damage, guest displacement and revenue loss, making early and reliable detection essential to protecting both occupants and business continuity.
Risks
Hotels come with a variety of fire risks, some of which include:
- Guest Room Electrical Equipment
- Televisions, hairdryers, kettles, chargers and other in-room appliances can develop faults or be left unattended, creating potential ignition sources.
- Kitchens and Food Service Areas
- Commercial kitchens, bars and restaurant facilities introduce cooking equipment and open flame risks that require careful consideration alongside guest areas.
- Laundry Facilities
- Industrial washing and drying equipment can generate significant heat, and lint build-up can increase the risk of ignition if not properly maintained.
- Plant and Back-of-House Areas
- Boiler rooms, electrical switchrooms and mechanical plant spaces often contain concentrated ignition sources and may not be continuously occupied.
- Concealed Spaces
- Ceiling voids, service risers and roof spaces can allow a fire to develop unnoticed before becoming apparent to guests or staff.
Challenges
There are also a number of challenges to overcome when designing suitable and reliable fire detection systems for hotels. Some of these may include:
- Sleeping Occupants
- Because many guests are asleep or unfamiliar with escape routes, early warning is particularly important to allow sufficient time for safe evacuation.
- 24-Hour Operation
- Hotels typically operate continuously, limiting opportunities for extensive system testing, maintenance or disruptive installation works.
- Guest Experience and Aesthetics
- Detection equipment in guest-facing areas must be discreet and unobtrusive, avoiding any negative impact on the appearance of rooms, corridors and public spaces.
- Multiple Floors and Complex Layouts
- Large hotels can span numerous floors and wings, requiring detection systems that provide consistent coverage across varied and sometimes extensive layouts.
- Concealed Voids and Service Areas
- Ceiling voids, risers and other concealed spaces can be difficult to monitor using traditional point detection methods.
VESDA-E Aspirating Smoke Detection
VESDA-E aspirating smoke detection systems provide very early warning fire detection by continuously drawing air samples through a network of sampling pipes. The sampled air is analysed by highly sensitive laser detection technology capable of identifying smoke particles long before traditional point detectors activate.
The VESDA-E range delivers enhanced sensitivity, improved detection stability and advanced networking capabilities compared to previous generations of aspirating smoke detection systems. These features make VESDA-E particularly suitable for hotel environments, where early intervention, guest safety and minimal disruption to operations are all critical considerations.
By detecting fire in its earliest stages, VESDA-E systems help reduce the risk of escalation, support safe evacuation, and provide valuable time for investigation and response before a fire becomes visible or triggers conventional alarms.
VESDA-E VEP Aspirating Smoke Detector
The VESDA-E VEP is a high-performance aspirating smoke detector designed for very early warning fire detection applications. Available in one-pipe and four-pipe variants, the VEP offers flexible coverage options suitable for a wide range of hotel layouts, from individual guest room corridors to larger multi-zone areas.
Utilising Flair™ detection technology, the VEP provides exceptional sensitivity and reliable performance across a broad range of environmental conditions. The detector continuously monitors airflow, contamination levels and smoke concentrations to ensure accurate and dependable operation, helping to minimise unwanted alarms in busy guest-facing environments.
The VEP can support extensive pipe networks, making it suitable for corridors, plant rooms, ceiling voids, back-of-house areas and other critical spaces throughout a hotel. Advanced filtering and intelligent signal processing help maintain excellent detection performance while reducing the likelihood of nuisance activations.
Its networking capabilities allow integration with wider fire detection systems and building management infrastructure, supporting comprehensive monitoring and reporting across large or multi-building hotel sites.
Approvals
Design Considerations
Control Panel Placement
The VESDA-E VEP detector should be installed in an accessible location that allows convenient viewing of status indicators, alarm information and maintenance data. Typical locations include plant rooms, electrical rooms, fire control rooms or dedicated back-of-house service areas away from guest-facing spaces.
When designing hotel systems, the detector location should minimise pipe run complexity while maintaining easy access for routine inspection, testing and servicing without disrupting guests. For larger properties, four-pipe VEP models can provide efficient coverage of multiple zones, such as several guest corridors, from a single detector location.
ASD Pipe Placement
Correct pipe network design is critical to achieving optimal performance. Sampling pipes should be installed to provide uniform air sampling coverage throughout the protected area, taking into account corridor layouts, room configurations and airflow patterns created by ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Low Level Maintenance
Capillary sampling points can be used where direct access to the main pipe network would be difficult or impractical. They are particularly useful in guest room corridors, suspended ceilings and other areas where a discreet, unobtrusive finish is required to preserve the appearance of guest-facing spaces.
Sampling points should be positioned to provide representative air sampling throughout the protected area, considering corridor layouts, occupancy patterns, ventilation systems and potential fire hazards. Flush and conical sampling points offer different aesthetic and installation options depending on the finish required.
Dedicated test points should be incorporated into the pipe network to simplify routine testing and maintenance procedures. Test points allow engineers to introduce smoke into the system safely and efficiently, and locating them at easily accessible positions helps reduce maintenance time and minimise disruption to guests and hotel operations.
Handpicked Solutions for Office Buildings
Aspirating Smoke Detectors
VESDA VEP detectors use advanced Flair™ technology to give a very early warning of a potential fire while being smart enough to prevent false alarms. For ongoing accuracy and reliability, they are built with absolute calibration, protected internal optics, and an intelligent dust filter.
Power Supplies and Batteries
The Xtralis VPS-220-STX5 is an EN54-4 certified power supply specifically designed for VESDA-E detectors. It delivers a continuous 0.5A 24V DC supply and charges standby batteries up to 14Ah, providing a fully integrated and reliable power source for the entire system.
The Xtralis VPS-250-STX5 is a high-capacity power supply unit, fully certified to EN54-4 and engineered for larger or more demanding VESDA-E systems. It provides a robust, continuous 3A 24V DC output and features an integrated charger for standby batteries up to 24Ah, guaranteeing reliable primary power and extended standby autonomy.
Aspirating Pipe & Fittings
This 25mm red ABS pipe is purpose-built for use in aspirating smoke detection installations.
Use these sockets to connect two lengths of pipe, securing the join with an application of ABS solvent cement.
The 90° tee fitting is used to create a perpendicular branch from a main pipe run.
The 45° elbow fitting is used to create a gradual change in direction, enabling pipework to navigate around obstacles.
Flexible connectors are used in place of standard elbows for awkward angles or tight spaces. Strengthened with an internal steel wire for durability, they can be mounted in any direction without restricting airflow.
This 90° sweeping bend fitting alters the direction of a pipe run while preserving system integrity by minimising air loss.
This pipe clip securely holds air-sampling pipe with a quick-clamp action for simple installation, while optional fixing nuts and side rod connectors provide greater flexibility for more demanding mounting scenarios.
Sampling Point Kits, Sampling Points & Accessories
The Flush Mount Sampling Point is an advanced alternative to standard conical points for Xtralis ASD systems, offering significant improvements in both functionality and appearance.
This flush sampling point connects to a 10mm capillary pipe to provide a discreet finish. For versatile mounting, it can be fastened to a ceiling tile with the included nut or screwed directly into a solid ceiling.
These self-adhesive, red air sampling labels are used to clearly mark and identify sampling points, and are supplied on convenient rolls of 100.
- Honeywell Fire Platinum Partner
- As a Honeywell Fire Platinum Partner, Eurofyre is recognised for its capacity to deliver tailored solutions for specific regions and industries. This includes comprehensive implementation, advanced customer support, and preferential pricing for Honeywell products.
- Complete System Supplier
- Eurofyre is a complete system supplier with a long-standing partnership as a major Xtralis technical wholesaler, established in 2007. This long-standing expertise allows us to provide specialist advice and supply all aspects of fire detection, from aspirating smoke and linear heat systems to conventional and addressable control panels.
- Pipework Design
- Our services also include professional design support for aspirating pipe networks, helping clients achieve maximum system performance and a quality installation.
- Demonstration and Training
- Eurofyre delivers expert training and system demonstrations from our sophisticated facility, covering a wide range of products including VESDA VEP, VLF, amongst other aspirating smoke detection systems.
- After-Sales Support
- At Eurofyre, we are dedicated to delivering superior after-sales support. You can rely on our on-site and telephone assistance to keep your system fully functional and performing flawlessly.
For more information on VESDA aspirating smoke detection or to explore our full range of products, please contact us by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email at [email protected], or via the enquiry form on our contact page.
Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram or sign up to our newsletter (in the footer below) to receive all the latest information from Eurofyre.
