In an interview, Udo Lindenberg, a well-known German singer, composer, and artist, mentioned that he can only fully unleash his creativity at the Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg. Given our own experiences with the significant impact of good air quality on mental well-being, we asked ourselves: What sets the Hotel Atlantic apart from other hotels?

In the numerous hotels and vacation apartments we have stayed in over the past decades, we never noticed a similar effect. So, what makes the Hotel Atlantic so special?

To find out, we booked a night at the hotel and brought along our 25,000 Euro nitrogen dioxide measuring device, as well as our CO2 meter.

Upon arrival, we immediately noticed the poor air quality in Hamburg. The NO2 level was at an average of 45 micrograms per cubic meter that day, significantly above the WHO recommended value of 10 micrograms. This was also noticeable in the lobby.

In the room itself, the first thing that caught our attention was the high ceiling of about 3 meters. However, this alone did not explain why the air quality should be better here. We ventilated the room by opening the exceptionally large balcony doors. The CO2 level immediately dropped to a very low value, but the street air increased the NO2 level in the room.

After closing the balcony doors and turning on the air conditioning, we were surprised: Both CO2 and NO2 levels dropped to the lowest value we had ever measured in a room. How was this possible? Every other hotel also had air conditioning, but it never reduced the CO2 levels in the room. The difference was in one detail: The air conditioning at the Hotel Atlantic did not draw in room air, but used filtered outside air. The CO2-laden room air could escape through the opposite side of the room, resulting in an outdoor-level CO2 concentration and an almost zero NO2 level.

In other hotels, the air conditioning had merely circulated the CO2-laden indoor air, without reducing NO2 or CO2. Since we assumed that air conditioners provided fresh outside air, we rarely ventilated, unknowingly harming ourselves.

This type of ventilation might be the reason why an artist like Udo Lindenberg prefers the hotel as a permanent residence. Although he may not know the reason himself, it is likely mainly due to the air conditioning and the supply of filtered fresh air.

As sad as it may sound, we believe that such ventilation could have saved the lives of many singers. High CO2 concentrations, often occurring at events and in hotels with recirculating air conditioners, can lead to depression, burnout, chronic fatigue, consciousness disorders, and chronic pain.

With this knowledge, we would like to reach out to all celebrities suffering from such problems. Due to their popularity and frequent tours, they are often under the fatal misconception that air conditioners always provide fresh and healthy air, which is rarely the case, as most air conditioners merely circulate room air."