Water testing
Legionella Testing for Hotels in Cancún and the Riviera Maya
Sampling of hot water, showers, pools and cooling towers, with Legionella pneumophila culture in EMA-accredited laboratories.
- EMA:
- Mexico’s laboratory accreditation body
- NOM:
- Mexico’s official standards
- COFEPRIS:
- Mexico’s federal health regulator
- Distintivo H:
- Mexico’s food hygiene recognition for food and beverage establishments
- Tested in EMA-accredited laboratories
- Hotels from Cancún to Tulum
- On-site sampling
- Results in 10–14 days
Why test for Legionella in a hotel?
Legionella pneumophila is the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease, a pneumonia contracted by breathing in droplets of contaminated water. It is not contracted by drinking the water: the risk is in the aerosols from showers, hot tubs and cooling towers.
It multiplies in lukewarm water, between 20 and 45 °C (68 and 113 °F), and is protected inside the biofilm of pipes and tanks. A hotel has every condition for it: long hot water loops, rooms that go days without use, pools and cooling equipment. The chlorine in domestic water is not enough to remove it from biofilm, which is why it is tested separately, with a specific culture.
To control Legionella in the water system, see our Legionella prevention guide for hotels (in Spanish) and our cooling tower chemical treatment.
Do you manage a hotel?
Hot water is one of six water areas in your hotel
Pools, ice, mechanical room, drinking water and wastewater discharges: we cover them in one monthly program, with the compliance file ready for COFEPRIS, the Distintivo H and brand audits.
Sampling points
The points we test in the hotels we serve, chosen together with the maintenance manager
Hot water
Outlets in guest rooms, kitchens and restaurants; Legionella grows most in lukewarm return water.
Showerhead swab
A biofilm sample from the showerheads of rooms with low occupancy.
Pools and hot tubs
Main pool, rooftop pool and hot tubs, where warm water and aerosols raise the risk.
Cooling towers
Recirculating water from the tower, which produces aerosols that can travel through the air.
Fan coil units
Condensate drain pans of the guest room air conditioning units.
Sinks and cisterns
Rarely used outlets in guest rooms, and stored water for general use.
How we work
From sampling to corrective action
1. Sampling at the hotel
An engineer collects the samples at the points agreed with the maintenance manager and takes them to the laboratory.
2. Laboratory culture
A specific culture for Legionella pneumophila. Results take 10–14 days because of the incubation time.
3. Report by sampling point
Results by email, with the original report delivered at the next visit, showing the point and date of each sample.
4. Corrective action
If a point tests positive, we specify the disinfection and the temperature or biocide adjustment, and repeat the test.
Sampling programs
The frequencies our hotel clients have contracted
Every 4 months
Pool water, hot water, showerhead swab and cistern, as part of the hotel’s monthly testing program.
This is the schedule of the hotels we serve in Ciudad del Carmen.
Every 2 months
Legionella together with bacteriological tests of domestic water, food and the pool, under a monthly program.
This is the schedule of a beach hotel in Cancún with restaurants and a pool.
One-time
Testing one point or one guest room to verify a disinfection, a complaint or a brand audit.
For example, a swab from the showerhead of a specific room.
Legionella testing is combined with bacteriological testing of water, ice (NOM-201) and pools (NOM-245) in our monthly water treatment program.
Hotel chain audits
Mexico has no NOM specific to Legionella, but several international chains require their hotels to have a water management plan with periodic sampling, like the one described in the US standard ASHRAE 188. We provide the sampling, the results by point and the record of corrective actions that the plan needs. Confirm with your brand which points and what frequency it requires.
Legionella: frequently asked questions
Common questions from maintenance managers
Is there a NOM (official Mexican standard) for Legionella?
No. There is no official Mexican standard specific to Legionella. NOM-127-SSA1-2021 (water for human use and consumption) and NOM-245-SSA1-2010 (pools) do not include it as a parameter. Even so, the hotel is responsible for its guests’ health, and several international chains require their hotels to have a water management plan with Legionella sampling, like the one described in the US standard ASHRAE 188.
How long does Legionella testing take?
10–14 days. Legionella grows slowly in the culture medium, and the result cannot be rushed without losing reliability. Schedule it in advance, especially before an audit.
Where are samples collected in a hotel?
Where water stagnates or stays lukewarm: hot water in guest rooms and kitchens, showerhead swabs in rooms with low occupancy, pools and hot tubs, cooling towers, fan coil drain pans and cisterns. We define the points with the maintenance manager based on the facility.
How often should it be tested?
There is no mandatory frequency in Mexico. The hotels we serve have programs every 4 months and every 2 months, plus one-time tests to verify a disinfection.
What happens if a result is positive?
We review the point and the system that feeds it: hot water temperature, unused outlets, biofilm and disinfectant level. We specify the appropriate disinfection (thermal or chemical) and the treatment adjustment, and repeat the test to confirm the point is clean.
Can it be part of the hotel’s monthly program?
Yes. Legionella testing can go into a monthly program together with bacteriological tests of water, ice and pools, at a fixed monthly price.
When was your hotel’s last Legionella test?
On-site sampling in Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, with results by point in 10–14 days