Over the past year, our daily lives have become increasingly focused on the health and safety of ourselves and those around us. With the importance of face coverings and frequent hand washing, it’s essential to clean a clean environment for each and every hotel guest and staff member. When soap and water are not readily available, the CDC encourages the use of hand sanitizer with at least 60 perfect alcohol upon entry of a public space. As a key measure in protecting yourself and others, frequent hand sanitation provides a safer public environment by keeping germs under control.
With Digital Signage Hand Sanitizing Units from RC Stars, the safety of guests and staff is a top priority. The auto-dispensers provide touchless sanitation while displaying customizable information and graphics, bringing convenience and cleanliness to any hotel space. With metal body housing, tempered protection glass, and water-resistant casing, Digital Hand Sanitizing Units from RC Stars provide top-of-the-line construction in a sleek exterior. Available in both freestanding and wall-mounted dispensers, the kiosks are equipped with Remote Management Software, delivering content updates to your web browser when sanitizer levels are running low.
Freestanding vs. Wall-Mounted Units
Ideal for high-traffic locations, the 21.5-inch freestanding model stands seamlessly in any space. The kiosk is maneuverable and can be reconfigured to assist with traffic slow and sanitation, providing lobbies guests with convenient access to hand sanitation.
Perfect for smaller areas, the 21.5-inch wall-mounted unit is an excellent choice for saving space. With a sleek, contemporary design and durable construction, this kiosk is a health-conscious addition to any wall.
The Best Places to Use Your Digital Signage Hand Sanitizing Unit
Lobbies
Digital Signage Hand Sanitizing Units from RC Stars are an excellent addition to any hotel lobby. With customizable text and images, the kiosk provides guests with hotel news and information while encouraging proper hand sanitation. Ideal for high traffic areas, the freestanding unit allows for frequent reconfiguration to assist with traffic flow, guaranteeing a simple and sanitary experience for guests upon entry. Take a further look into the freestanding unit here.
Fitness Centers
With zero-contact hand sanitation, hand sanitizing units are ideal for a health-conscious fitness center. Available in a freestanding unit for open areas or a wall-mounted unit for confined spaces, these kiosks are perfect for providing guests with important information while encouraging frequent hand sanitation. With customizable information and graphics, digital signage units are ideal for displaying your mask policy, instructions for sanitizing equipment, or simply requiring hand sanitation upon entry.
Elevator Hallways
With a variety of frequently touched surfaces, it’s important to ensure proper hand sanitation in elevator hallways. With space-saving construction, the wall-mounted digital signage unit delivers convenient, touchless hand sanitation. Equipped with Remote Management Software, each unit delivers content updates to your web browser when sanitizer levels are low, providing easy management of multiple kiosks.
With the RC Stars Digital Signage Hand Sanitizing Unit, creating a safe and healthy environment for hotel guests is simple and efficient. Whether the unit is installed in a lobby, fitness center, or elevator hallway, guests and staff members will enjoy the convenience of digital signage and hand sanitation in a compact, sleek kiosk.
Today more than ever, it’s essential to adapt. After a tumultuous few months of change, this has come across in a variety of ways. Restaurants offer outdoor seating with socially distanced tables, grocery stores provide special hours for at-risk individuals, and shops have limited customer capacity.
The world has found ways to keep moving forward, but when it comes down to it all, no matter where we eat, shop, work, or stay, it’s crucial the space be clean. There is a level of trust we want to feel when we venture out in public. We want to trust that business owners are taking proper precautions, that the waiting rooms we sit in are appropriately cleansed, and that the stores we visit are frequently disinfected for health and safety precautions.
For anyone working in a re-opening or open public industry, this challenge is real. But how can your business, school, hotel, church, public transportation system, or care facility effectively sterilize its space? Using multiple Clorox wipes over an ample space or building is inefficient. Hiring a company to sanitize your business can be expensive, especially when the service is recurring. Fortunately, there are viable methods to clean large, high-traffic areas.
Products like Hanover’s Disinfectant Handheld Fogger Kit make disinfecting easy, efficient, and cost-effective. All you have to do is fill up the fogger, turn it on, and spray away on high-touch, contact surfaces. Room disinfection systems are designed to achieve the best results for your customers and increase satisfaction. This fogging machine is designed to be hassle free.
The Aseptic Plus+ kills a whole slew of nasty intruders such as legionella, mold, mildew and other allergens, odors, viruses, and bacteria. Clear out germs and make room for your customers, students, or guests.
The kit not only includes a fogger and manual, but also a 5-gallon drum of disinfectant solution. Often, the hardest part of buying a fogger is determining the ideal solution. Hanover’s kit lets you cut right to the chase by providing all the equipment you need.
Are the chemicals being used dangerous?
Toxicity is a common concern when it comes to sanitizing fluid. The solution supplied with the fogger is EPA registered, NSF food-safe certified, and is classified as a hospital-grade disinfectant. It’s ecologically safe, requires no rinsing, and does not irritate when inhaled. If the chemicals from the fogging machine kit are inhaled or ingested, they are non-toxic.
Also, unlike some disinfectant fogging machines, the solution won’t damage electronics, technology, or fabrics such as drapes and carpeting. “Fog up” your lobby or waiting room without added stress; you won’t harm any devices or decor!
How long does this sanitizing fogger process take?
This disinfectant fogger projects anywhere between 8 to 10 feet, allowing you to cover a room of a couple square thousand feet in only 5 to 10 minutes. The solution takes a mere 10 minutes to dry after application. Spray in the morning just before opening hours and be ready before customers even arrive.
The Hanover disinfectant fogger machine leaves a layer of protection over an area for 7 to 12 days. One drum of the solution can handle at least 25,000 square feet, so you can rest easy knowing the included sanitizing fluid will go a long way.
Some areas need more attention, though…
Of course, some areas are bound to have more hotspots with resistant bacteria than others. Door handles, elevator buttons, remote controls, and credit card terminals are high-touch areas and may require more frequent sanitation. For this purpose, the Hanover kit includes a spray bottle, so you don’t have to use the fogger too often.
Going the Extra Mile
It’s not just important to sanitize your business for your customers’ safety; it will also give them peace of mind and foster confidence between your industry and community. The Handheld Disinfectant Fogger is an obvious way of demonstrating your efforts to your clientele. Display how you are actively taking measures to ensure their safety.
The disinfectant fogger kit includes certificates you can post at your entrances. These will let visitors know you are committed to providing a secure environment. Change can be uncomfortable, and in such uncertain times, the first thing you need from your customers is trust.
Show them you are worthy of it.
Can you think of any businesses or spaces that would benefit from using the fogging kit I haven’t mentioned? Drop your input in the comments below.
This year, Almo Hospitality is debuting its first ever outdoor collection; the Cape Soleil Contract Collection of outdoor hospitality furniture, made by Agio. The collection is designed to help hoteliers create better outdoor customer experiences for guests, while giving operators great designs that are affordable yet durable. Oh yeah, it also sets the stage for more food & beverage sales too.
Why? Outdoor living is now essential to many travelers, both on balconies and in outdoor areas around the hotel. In fact, getting closer to nature is a major consumer demand driver for hotels. Take the idea of biophilic deign in hotels. That’s the idea of bringing the outside, inside hotels.
In residential, outdoor living has become increasingly important to the consumer. According to Global Market Insights, The Outdoor Furniture Market will cross US$23 billion by 2024 as “rapid socializing trends, including dining at gardens, rooftop restaurants, grilling & barbeque events in the garden, or in the backyard area are the factors propelling the product demand.”
So, it’s no surprise hoteliers are seeing increased demand for more outdoor experiences from customers. In fact, the hotel business is seeing increased demand for nature related elements inside too! According to a report from Terrapin Bright Green, guests will spend on average 36% more time in hotel lobbies that have biophilic elements such as living walls and water elements. Also, guests will pay up to 18% more for rooms with a great view.
Now imagine taking that philosophy outdoors by creating an outdoor living experience through partnering with Almo Hospitality to help you create memorable outdoor experiences that drive sales food and beverage while simultaneously setting the stage for increased loyalty.
Hospitality.net notes that properties utilizing rooftops for F&B experiences saw a whopping $13 increase in revenue-per-seat to $68.20. In comparison, other properties saw an average of only $55.22. And that’s just one area within the hotel ripe for possible transformation.
Almo Hospitality has partnered with Agio to expand into the hotel business after finding success in the residential outdoor residential furniture market for more than 25 years.
“Hotels, restaurants and resorts rely on outdoor furniture to provide the best experience for guests by creating a calming, relaxing and inviting space that they can enjoy and remember,” said Apryl Lamberti, director of business development, who also noted this creates an additional revenue opportunity for Almo affiliated resellers.
Created specifically for hoteliers and their guests, the Cape Soleil Contract Collection is designed to be indoor or outdoor and can be mixed and matched as desired. It features what Almo says is comfortable furniture that requires minimal maintenance and is constructed from lightweight materials that provide strength, weather and rust-resistance for long-term durability. In addition, Cape Soleil furniture uses UV-resistant contract fabrics from Sunbrella and Phifer to protect against fading and stand up to rigorous use in commercial environments.
The Cape Soleil Furniture Collection is available in a wide range of styles, finishes and materials that can be stand alone or be paired together. The Cape Soleil line includes tables, dining chairs, lounge seating, sofas and side tables and a variety of complimentary outdoor living essentials like fire pits, umbrellas, patio heaters, outdoor fans, misters, combined with outdoor TVs, mounts and sound bars from Peerless-AV.
Though wireless electrical charging has been around since the days of Nikola Tesla, it hasn’t been widely adopted until recent years. Now that mobile phones are ubiquitous, both Samsung and Apple (the two leading phone manufacturers) are putting their considerable muscle behind this technology.
And last year, when the wireless charging standard Powermat joined the Wireless Power Consortium, well, it appeared as if the technology business finally has an industry wide standard supercharging adoption of this exciting new customer friendly technology. Now the Qi standard (pronounced chee) is quickly becoming ubiquitous.
For the hotel industry, this means the end of days worrying about significant cash outlays to buy a new charging technology that’s quickly outdated. For example, when traveling around the country we sometimes still see alarm clocks with 30pin connectors. Does anyone still have gear for those? This subtlety warns guests the hotel they’re staying in potentially cuts corners when servicing customers. That’s not the message any hotelier wants to send customers.
Plus, rooms with only Apple lightning connectors tell nearly 40% of room guests, the hotel is not looking after their device charging needs.
Fortunately, wireless charging is the last stop on a technological journey unifying all mobile cellphone users behind a single charging technology. According to TechNative, more than 500 million wireless charging enabled devices shipped in 2017 (most recent numbers available), representing a 40 percent surge.
The technology now works on all new Samsung Galaxy and latest iPhones, for example, as well as devices such as wireless headphones, Apple Watch, and many more.
That means after investing in wireless charging, hoteliers can be confident another technology won’t be supplanting this any time soon. That saves hoteliers money over the long term, while also improving the customer experience since guests no longer must hunt for appropriate connectors or dig through their bag hoping to find the right cables. Instead, guests simply set their mobile device down and charging automatically begins. Plus, in public spaces, wireless charging eliminates ‘low battery anxiety,’ which could cause customers to leave, rather than spend money at your property.
Public areas that include wireless charging stations such as the Hotel Charging Station with Qi Wireless Charging And Dual USB Outlets from Nonstop can actually increase food and beverage sales as the above mentioned survey notes 22 percent of those running low on power will order something simply for the right to charge up. Anecdotally, this improves customer service scores while simultaneously appealing to all generations, especially millennials and Generation Z.
Plus, we’re at the point where wattage delivered to charge devices makes it so wireless or the old-fashioned way takes about the same amount of time to fuel up.
There’s no longer any reason not to install brand new alarm clocks with wireless charging in your hotels. Your guests will think about how thoughtful you are when they wake up with a fully charged device right next to them.
These days, old TVs can’t be thrown out with the trash — they must be disposed of properly, an expensive undertaking which may impact a project’s funding.
It’s time for your client to update their old TVs. Great news for you, right? Then again, TV disposal can be a huge hassle.
When a property — let’s say: a hotel — has 300 new TVs in their installation, the reality is that they must actually handle 600 units. Unfortunately, the old TVs are often forgotten about until the new TVs are nearly delivered, which leaves hotel management and integrators alike scrambling to figure out what to do with all that outdated hardware.
Similar to car tires and other materials, TVs can’t just be thrown out with the trash. They must be disposed of “properly,” and this can equate to real dollars that may reduce the amount of money a property can spend on other new technology updates. Expectations for technology use in hotels is at an all-time high as tech-savvy millennials are projected to dominate the workforce over the next several decades.
Here are a few points to consider when getting rid of old TVs:
Recycling and Liquidating Old TVs: Pros & Cons
Recycling old TVs involves completely dismantling the units and separately recycling each component.
Liquidation — or giving the TVs to a company that can resell them — is typically done at a minimal cost, and depending on condition, could even provide a small payout to the property. Liquidated units find homes in one- or two-star properties, dormitories, non-profit organizations, or they may even be shipped overseas.
Compared to liquidation, recycling can be pricey, starting at $35-$50+ (depending on location) per unit. This is because the recycling process involves labor to physically break down the unit, machinery, or other operating costs to recycle the components, and could involve freight costs to transport parts to other locations where additional recycling may take place.
Determining Values of Liquidated TVs
Liquidating TVs can help properties defray the costs of new TV installations.
The condition of the old equipment is the key to how much a property can expect to be paid after the TV disposal. Example: if TVs do not properly function, are inoperable, are missing remotes or stands/bases or are in poor condition (scratches, etc.), it may cost money to have the units liquidated. If there’s no value to resell them, the liquidator still needs to cover costs for labor, truck (rental/maintenance), fuel, etc.
Securing Green Certificates for Recycled TVs
Many recycling services provide a green certificate confirming the disposal was completed safely.
Documentation proves the property is environmentally responsible and confirms compliance with corporate green initiatives.
The Decision: Liquidation vs. Recycling Old TVs
For TVs in poor condition or with visible scratches, recycling is the best choice. Even though costs are higher, liquidators may not be interested in units that are visibly worn or in poor condition.
Larger and newer units are worth more and therefore are better candidates for liquidation. The rule of thumb: 85+ units make the pickup attractive to a TV liquidator.
There could be tax advantages for liquidation or recycling depending on state regulations. Check with your accounting department to verify applicable tax incentives.
Finding a Reliable TV Disposal Expert
Obtaining valid information on the old units (i.e. age, model number, brand, condition, accessories in place) will help ensure they are picked up by a liquidator
Check liquidator references:f a liquidator tries to push you to trust them rather than willingly provide references, this should send a red flag.
Amenities Included. Just a few years ago, amenities that guests now take for granted were revenue generators hoteliers counted on to boost profits. Did you know that properties now spend nearly 1% of revenues on included amenities like free guest room internet, free public space Wi-Fi, breakfast, happy hour or general manager’s reception, nightly turn down service, and more? Now consider one of the most sought after necessities by any traveler- power. The need to charge drained mobile devices is real and will only increase as our society becomes even more reliant on smart phones and mobile devices with an increased number of millennials in the workforce. This trend started several years ago with hotels providing extra power outlets in bedside lamps and desks but has expanded to common spaces throughout the lobby and other areas and will become even more prevalent in the years to come.
According to Smith Travel Research (STR) analytics, full-service hotels with large F&B outlets can have as much as 50% of total revenue come from those operations. In this regard, it seems logical that hoteliers would want to encourage guests to stay in on-property bar and restaurants longer to help drive added revenues and profits. If guests must leave the hotel’s common spaces to re-charge their mobile device in their guest room, essentially it means the property lost potential revenue that could have been captured had a charging solution been provided hence increasing the guests stay, and therefore the final guest check. The Kube 5 is a portable charging solution that enables a property to station the set of 5-portable charging cubes at the front desk, bar or restaurant or by the pool or cabanas so that guests can easily and quickly charge their mobile devices (up to 5 devices simultaneously). With included cables and programmable time-out throttles, hoteliers are now able to provide a universal charging solution that is portable and flexible enough to go wherever the guest goes on property, without guests feeling stranded they’ve forgotten cables at home or relegated to their guest room; Kube Systems also offers in-room charging solutions with Bluetooth audio.
Below is one such example from Powermat (a wireless charging provider):
Wireless charging becomes more dependent on mobile devices, hospitality have had to offer additional digital services.
Wireless charging in venues positively influenced their decision to visit the venue
Source: Powermat Survey
Would stay in the store up to an additional 30 minutes if it offered wireless charging
What it all comes down to is simple: It’s all about the guest experience.
Management companies and ownership groups need reseller partners with specialized installation capabilities that are willing to take a consultative approach to working with each project to help navigate the specific needs of a property and its clientele to help provide the right technology solutions that match up to the guest experience the hotelier is trying to accomplish. When that partnership is right, with strong management teams, loyalty rates and positive guest experience are a natural effect to the dedicated planning put into each individual project.
