On Christmas Day 2023, during a severe freeze event, 14 sprinkler heads burst throughout a fully occupied Midtown hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. The combined property consisted of 462 rooms across 25 floors, including 360 rooms and 102 suites. With no emergency response plan in place and onsite personnel unable to isolate the sprinkler system, water flowed through the building for approximately 12 hours, causing significant damage throughout guest rooms, the ballroom level, lobby, kitchens, restaurants, and other operational areas.
After another restoration contractor declined the project due to its scale, Commercial Disaster Recovery (CDR) responded the same day. With the hotel at full capacity, our team mobilized personnel, desiccant dehumidifiers, temporary power distribution, and mitigation resources within 18 hours of the Christmas Day emergency call, stabilizing the property and preventing further damage.
Upon arrival, our project managers quickly located and isolated the main shut-off valve while coordinating extraction, moisture mapping, damage documentation, and mitigation planning activities. Eight (8) desiccant dehumidifiers, two (2) megawatts of temporary power, and a large-scale power distribution system were mobilized to stabilize affected areas and support the drying process.
CDR’s primary objective throughout the recovery effort was to keep the hotel operational while restoration activities were underway. Although six floors of guest suites, the ballroom level, main lobby, two kitchens, and restaurant areas were heavily impacted, only the most severely damaged rooms required guest cancellations. Temporary containment walls were constructed to separate guests from active recovery zones while keeping food and beverage operations open throughout the recovery process. Further coordination with an industrial hygienist was conducted to develop specialized cleaning protocols for the commercial kitchen areas, ensuring the hotel could safely sustain its essential food service operations throughout the project.
Beyond mitigation and restoration efforts, CDR played a critical role in the insurance review process by coordinating documentation, damage reporting, and recovery support that ultimately helped the client secure full claim coverage.
Services Provided
- Emergency response and site stabilization
- Water extraction and structural drying
- Desiccant dehumidification and environmental drying
- Moisture mapping and damage documentation
- Temporary power distribution and equipment support
- Demolition and contaminated material removal
- Containment construction and operational separation
- Project management and restoration coordination
- Insurance documentation and claim support
Key Challenges
- Sprinkler system remained active for approximately 12 hours before shutdown
- Fully occupied hotel required continuous operations during restoration activities
- Significant water damage across six guest room floors and major operational areas
- Accelerated mobilization required during a holiday emergency event
- Maintaining guest safety and operational continuity throughout recovery efforts
