The Next Big Thing in Hotel Technology

If you asked a panel of experts at the end of 2019 to predict what the next “big thing” in hospitality tech would be in 2020, you would probably hear things like:

Robotics! Artificial Intelligence! Smart Rooms! And so on. But…. 2020 had other plans.

Now to be clear, these technologies are certainly very important and will continue to make their way into the mainstream, but the unprecedented events of 2020 have brought a much more immediate concern to the forefront - health and cleanliness.

Major industry players such as Marriott, Hilton and AirBnB have rolled out sweeping cleanliness initiatives aimed at guest health and safety.

Ray Bennet, Chief Global Officer at Marriott International, had this to say:

“Safety for our guests and associates has always been a top priority for Marriott and today that discussion of safety is in the context of COVID-19,” We want our guests to know that we are doing everything we can to welcome them back to a safe and clean hotel environment when they start traveling again.”

In addition, Marriott is exploring another technology that we at Nonstop believe will become a standard in hotels throughout the coming years, which is UltraViolet technology, or, more specifically - UV-C Technology.

Hilton is another hotel group that is turning to UV-C technology to keep guests safe and healthy. The Kennedy Hotel, located in Beverly Hills, is one example of a Hilton property using UV-C robots to disinfect luggage and other similar items. Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton President and CEO, speaks on the cleanliness procedures:

“Our first priority has always been the safety of our guests and Team Members. The practices and protocols we’ve developed over the last several months allows our guests to rest easy with us and focus on enjoying the unforgettable experiences we have to offer – while protecting our Team Members who are on the front lines of hospitality.”

What is UV-C Technology and how does it work?

UV-C is a form of light that is invisible to the human eye and is capable of inactivating microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Numerous studies have been conducted on the benefits of UV-C light, and we can conclude that when bacteria, viruses and protozoa are exposed to the germicidal wavelengths of UV-C light, they are rendered incapable of reproducing and infecting. The smaller wavelength of UV-C compared to other forms of UV light are incapable of penetrating human skin unless exposed for a very long time, but because microorganisms are so small, it is able to penetrate and destroy them.

Hospitals have been utilizing UV-C technology inside of operating rooms for years, and while it doesn’t replace manual cleaning, it can serve as a critical germicidal compliment in a time when health and safety are quickly becoming the number 1 priority. Some hotels, such as the Westin Houston Medical Center, have already deployed two robots that roam the halls and guest rooms emitting UV-C light to disinfect surfaces.

Outside of Robots, there are other more straight forward ways to deploy this technology. Diversey, a leading provider of cleaning and hygiene products, has a solution called MoonBeam that utilizes three individual UV-C lights with adjustable arms that allow staff to target specific areas for cleaning.

UV-C technology has a long history of contributing to cleanliness in the medical industry and more recently it’s being offered in the consumer space as a way to clean mobile phones (which turns out to be one of the most germ ridden surfaces we encounter on a daily basis). PhoneSoap is a good example. They created a nifty gadget that disinfects your phone while charging it at the same time with an integrated wireless charger.

The team at Nonstop is obsessed with creating bedside technology with the most relevant features for guests; always with specific hotel-friendly considerations that make the tech effective and simple to manage for hotels. Can the clock / charging station on the hotel nightstand also clean your smartphones, watches and other mobile devices?

We think so, and that’s why, in March 2021, we’re launching UV Station. Learn more here.

Conclusion

It’s hard to know exactly what the future will look like in a post-covid world, but I think we can be sure that cleanliness will be at the forefront of nearly every hotelier's mind. As more hotel chains continue to roll out new health and safety programs, we will get a better idea of what kind of things will become the new “normal.” Here at Nonstop, we strongly believe that UV technology, along with other automated and manual cleaning technologies, will become standard practice at hotels across the world.