Project Overview
Dickson Consulting supported a passive fire protection inspection project for a large hotel near London Heathrow. The project included fire door inspection work, riser cupboard door assessment and a compartmentation survey to circulation areas, back-of-house spaces and areas above suspended ceilings.
The building was a large purpose-built hotel arranged across multiple floors, with bedrooms, circulation corridors, reception areas, restaurant and bar areas, meeting rooms, staff areas, lifts, escape staircases and roof-level plant rooms. This type of hotel environment creates a complex fire safety profile due to sleeping risk, large numbers of occupants, escape routes, service risers and high building usage.
Scope of Works
The inspection work focused on identifying defects that could affect fire separation, smoke control, escape route protection and future remedial planning.
- Fire door inspection support within a large hotel environment
- Inspection of riser cupboard doors and associated fire resisting construction
- Compartmentation survey to circulation areas and back-of-house compartments
- Inspection of fire stopping above suspended ceilings
- Review of service penetrations through compartment walls and protected routes
- Identification of damaged, missing or inconsistent fire stopping
- Review of smoke seals, frame lining, thresholds and riser door condition
- Practical recommendations to assist with remedial planning
Building Type
The hotel included two main accommodation wings, a central atrium, reception, restaurant, cafes, bars, meeting rooms, staff areas, bedrooms, lifts and escape staircases. The presence of numerous bedrooms, service risers and protected escape routes made fire compartmentation and fire door performance particularly important.
Hotels and sleeping accommodation require careful attention to passive fire protection because fire doors, risers, service penetrations and compartment lines all contribute to protecting escape routes and limiting the spread of fire and smoke.
Key Findings
The survey identified a number of typical passive fire protection issues often found in large operational hotel buildings. These included inconsistent fire stopping, unlabelled fire stopping, damaged fire batts, gaps around services, unknown mastic products, poor detailing above suspended ceilings and penetrations through compartment walls.
The riser cupboard door inspection also identified issues relating to lining around the door openings, frame detailing and smoke seal condition. A large number of riser cupboard doors were inspected as part of the wider review, helping the client understand the condition of these important fire resisting elements.
Examples of Issues Identified
- Service penetrations through compartment walls and protected routes
- Gaps and holes around fire stopping systems
- Damaged or worn ablative fire batt installations
- Inconsistent labelling of fire stopping works
- Unknown or mixed fire stopping materials
- Defects above suspended ceilings
- Riser door frame lining concerns
- Smoke seal damage and replacement requirements
Recommendations and Remedial Planning
Following the inspection, recommendations were made to assist with remedial planning. These included appointing a competent fire stopping contractor, upgrading insufficient fire stopping above suspended ceilings, reviewing riser door installation details and replacing unsuitable or damaged smoke seals with compatible products.
The purpose of this type of report is to give building owners, hotel operators, facilities managers and responsible persons a clear understanding of defects, risk priority and remedial requirements. Accurate inspection reporting helps clients plan budgets, appoint suitable contractors and maintain safer buildings.
Why This Matters for Hotels
Hotels present specific fire safety challenges because they contain sleeping accommodation, high occupancy levels, public areas, back-of-house spaces and complex service routes. Fire doors and compartmentation are essential parts of the building fire strategy.
When fire stopping, riser doors, smoke seals or compartment lines are compromised, there is a potential risk that fire and smoke could spread more quickly than intended. A detailed fire door inspection and compartmentation survey helps identify these issues before remedial works are planned.
UK-Wide Hotel Fire Safety Consultancy
Dickson Consulting is based in South East England and provides fire door inspections, compartmentation surveys, fire risk assessments and passive fire protection consultancy across the UK, including London, Heathrow, Scotland, Wales and nationwide commercial property portfolios.
We support hotel groups, managing agents, facilities managers, landlords, universities, housing providers and owners of large residential and commercial buildings.
Related Services
- Fire Door Inspections
- Fire Compartmentation Surveys
- Fire Risk Assessments
- Contact Dickson Consulting
Need a Similar Survey?
If you manage a hotel, student accommodation building, residential block or commercial property portfolio, Dickson Consulting can provide independent inspection reports to support fire safety compliance, remedial planning and ongoing building safety management.
Contact us to discuss a fire door inspection or compartmentation survey.