Preventive Maintenance Model for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Based on Life Cycle Costing and Stakeholder Response Analysis: An Empirical Study at Hotel X

Abstract

Hotels operate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems extensively, making HVAC a major contributor to electricity consumption, operating costs, and guest comfort. However, maintenance practices often remain reactive, while fragmented maintenance records limit the verification of completed activities and the traceability of guest complaints to specific equipment. This study aimed to develop an evidence-informed preventive maintenance model for hotel HVAC systems by integrating life cycle costing (LCC), stakeholder response analysis, and operational record assessment. An applied single-site case study was conducted at an anonymized hotel in Indonesia using three sources of evidence. First, an existing chiller-plant LCC analysis compared three scenarios over a 15-year period using a 6% discount rate: existing operations (S0), a building management system (BMS) scenario (S1), and an integrated building management and energy management system (BMS–EMS) scenario (S2). Second, three separate partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analyses examined stakeholder responses among management personnel (n = 20), technicians (n = 33), and hotel guests (n = 120). Third, a documentary review assessed standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintenance schedules, operational logs, and utility records. The LCC analysis indicated that S1 had the lowest modeled life cycle cost (IDR 8,692,097,063), followed by S2 and S0. The PLS-SEM results supported hypotheses H1, H2, H4, and H5 (p < 0.05), whereas H3 was not statistically supported (β = 0.285; p = 0.068). The documentary review identified limitations in maintenance record traceability, with only 386 of 620 retained records (62.26%) satisfying the four-field completeness criterion. These findings were synthesized into a preventive maintenance model comprising five interconnected functions: economic decision-making, strategic maintenance governance, technical preventive maintenance execution, service delivery and guest response, and maintenance information management and continuous improvement. Each function incorporated defined responsibilities, documentation requirements, and coordination procedures. The study concluded that integrating economic analysis, stakeholder perspectives, and operational documentation provided a structured and traceable framework for planning preventive HVAC maintenance and supporting future site-specific operational evaluation.