PAFMAC, a new cooling system that allows guests to control the temperature of their rooms, has been implemented in its first U.S. hotel. While the system has already been installed in over 100 hotels in Japan, Kitano Hotel, a 650-room hotel in Murray Hill, is the first to use the product in North America.  

PAFMAC, designed by Japan-based company Nippon PMAC, is a ”hybrid system combined fan coil and heat pump,” explained the general manager of the international department, Satoshi Mizukawa. While a standard two-pipe system only allows hot water to be used for heating, and cold to be used for cooling, PAFMAC makes it possible for hot water to be used for cooling, and vice versa, when necessary. The product provides an easy way for a two-pipe system to act like a four pipe system without the labor and expense of new infrastructure.

“We were really surprised at how well the system works and how easy it was to install,” Zack Zahran, Kitano’s general manager said in a press release. “The comfort of our guests is always paramount and the ability for each room to control its own heating and cooling is a significant upgrade on the quality of service we provide.”

This was Nippon PMAC’s first time developing a product for the United States. The company spent 18 months working on the design and modifying it to meet U.S. standards. There are no plans for installation in additional U.S. hotels at this time.