• The Al Salam in Cologne uses three Miele air purifiers on two floors

• Fewer viruses and improved room climate throughout entire restaurant

Cologne's Al Salam restaurant has been serving a blend of traditional and modern culinary specialities from the Near and Middle East for more than 30 years. Where guests enjoy specialities from the grill and numerous mezze (hors d'oeuvres), three air purifiers from the domestic appliance and hygiene specialist Miele guarantee a safe and enhanced room climate.

Every evening, up to 110 guests dine at the Al Salam on two floors, surrounded by traditional interior architecture and in authentic surroundings. The dishes served are from countries in the Levantine region of the eastern Mediterranean – Palestine, Jordan, Syria and the Lebanon. The Al Salam was first opened in the Cologne city centre in 1986 and is now managed in the second generation by the brothers Ahmad and Mohammad Nazzal. Mohammad Nazzal recounts: 'As far as I am aware, our parents opened Germany's first Arabian restaurant. Today, we can look back with pride on over 30 years of existence'.

To ensure that guests can enjoy their visits without a care both during the pandemic and afterwards, both managing directors decided to introduce three Miele AirControl air purifiers at the end of 2021. Despite the fact that two units would have been sufficient for 80 m², a third air purifier was installed at the recommendation of Miele, bringing the total capacity to 200 m² – as safety reserves, so to speak. The reason behind this decision had to do with the high ceilings in the old building.

With three model versions for room sizes of up to 45, 80 and 200 m² respectively, the Miele range offers right-sized solutions for all premises. Depending on the application, the units can also be combined. With an air throughput capacity of up to 3,000 m³ per hour (depending on the model), the entire volume of air in a room is displaced and filtered six times per hour.

Removes not only viruses but also odours

On the Miele AirControl, a coarse pre-filter and a Class ISO ePM1 fine filter retain 50% of the larger particles. Downstream, a HEPA high-performance H 14 particulate filter captures even the tiniest of particles with the result that more than 99.995% of all air-borne particles, viruses, bacteria and fungal spores are rendered inactive. After each operating cycle, pathogens are thermally deactivated in the relevant ranges (Miele ThermoControl): This involves heating the air passing through the HEPA filter to around 70°C, which also prevents any build-up of moisture. This innovative approach is rounded off by an active charcoal filter and an air discharge filter – which also absorb odours. 'Since the air purifiers have been in use, it is noticeable how much cleaner the air is', says Ahmad Nazzal from the 'Al Salam'.
A practical side-effect for the manager: 'We need to do far less dusting than before the machines were installed'.

Uncomplicated and fast ordering process

Only ten days passed between the first pre-sales discussions and delivery, commissioning and instructions on use being provided. 'Faster than lightning', Mohammad Nazzal recollects.

The Al Salam's decision in favour of Miele AirControl was based not least on the fact that both brothers were already highly satisfied with their own Miele domestic appliances: 'We spent a lot of time doing in-depth research to arrive at the most suitable products to meet our needs. At the end of the day, we opted for Miele as it perfectly fitted into our quality concept'.

Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. Their product portfolio also includes dishwashers, air purifiers, washing machines and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications. Founded in 1899, the company has eight production plants in Germany, one each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Romania and Poland as well as two production plants belonging to its Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco. Sales in the 2021 business year amounted to around € 4.84 bn. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries/regions. Throughout the world, the family-run enterprise, now in its fourth generation, employs a workforce of around 21,900, of which approx. 11,400 employees work in Germany. The company has its headquarters in Gütersloh in Westphalia.