Home Publisher's Point of View Visions of Lab Coats, Sherlock Holmes & Magnifying Glasses

Visions of Lab Coats, Sherlock Holmes & Magnifying Glasses

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This past week Best Western International rolled out a new cleaning program aimed to give it a competitive edge and meet guest demand in the midscale hotel market. Called “I Care Clean,” it equips housekeepers with ultra violet (UV) sterilization wands and UV inspection lights. Housekeepers will use the wands to sterilize “high touch” points in the hotel such as telephones, clocks, light switches, door handles, bathroom fixtures and common areas. The black lights will be used as part of the housekeeper inspection process to detect any biological matter, food particles, and more, that the human eye cannot see. (Click here to access a demonstration video.)

Also as part of I Care Clean, Best Western will be offering TV remotes that are easier to clean and disinfect, wraps for remotes, and pillow and blanket wraps—extra pillows, blankets and towels will be wrapped in 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable single use wraps to ensure guests know that these products have been cleaned just for them.

I would love to know what you think about Best Western’s new cleaning initiatives. Because of a conference this past week I was unable to connect with a Best Western representative for more information but I plan to this coming week. Be sure to watch Green Lodging News for my follow-up.

Effective Kill Rate

What do I think about I Care Clean? Let’s go through each initiative. First, the wands. Anyone can buy these online. According to the vendor that sells these, the wands guarantee a 99.9 percent kill rate of bacteria, viruses, dust mites and bed bugs. I can’t imagine these being used to kill dust mites and bed bugs by housekeepers but the general idea of sanitizing often-touched items in a room is certainly a good one. There may be operational challenges, however.

I am curious to know whether “wanding” will replace or supplement other cleaning efforts in a room. If it will supplement, how much more time will this add to a housekeeper’s time spent in a room? Will housekeepers skip this step if they are running behind? If wand waving replaces traditional cleaning methods, will surfaces have to be tested scientifically every now and then to make sure the wands are working? Why do I keep picturing housekeepers entering guestrooms with white lab coats with these wand devices?

Many of you have seen, I am sure, the ABC News investigation from six years ago where investigators used black lights to “uncover” what is really on bed spreads in hotels. Best Western housekeepers will be using these UV inspection lights to look for similar things. Again, I wonder how much more time this inspection is going to add to a housekeeper’s time in a room. Of course when something is found there will be additional cleaning time—possibly even more laundering time, resulting in more energy, water, chemicals, etc. Why do magnifying glasses and images of Sherlock Holmes come to mind?

Remote That are Easy to Clean

Offering TV remotes that are easy to clean—without crevices—makes total sense. This is certainly a preferable option to wrapping them in plastic or another material that ultimately has to be thrown away.

Is it really necessary to put a wrap around extra blankets, pillows and towels? Best Western says the wraps are recyclable and biodegradable. While it does add a touch of class to a hotel room, one has to wonder whether or not these will always be effectively recycled. Housekeeper training will certainly be key to the success of this initiative and the others.

Is I Care Clean just the beginning of a trend toward hyper-cleanliness in hotels? Will we soon be equipping our housekeepers with microscopes and other testing paraphernalia?

I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com or (440) 243-2055.

GLN Adds Sysco Guest Supply, Green Energy Products as Directory Partners

Green Lodging News welcomes Sysco Guest Supply and Green Energy Products as Green Product & Service Directory partners. Sysco Guest Supply offers a variety of personal care, guestroom, food service and janitorial supplies. Specific product lines encompass furniture, fixtures and lighting; bed, bath and table linens; cleaning equipment; hand soap and dispensers; kitchenware; signage; paper products; breakfast buffet table services; can liners; hair dryers, and much more. Sysco Guest Supply has a Guest Green program. For more information, e-mail eservice@guestsupply.com, call (800) 772-7676, or go to www.guestsupply.com.

The Verdant eNviro iQ Energy Management system from Green Energy Products, LLC, specifically designed for the hospitality industry, incorporates a large touch-screen, user-friendly thermostat with an occupancy sensor to save energy when rooms are unoccupied and ensures guest comfort when rooms are occupied. Built-in wireless mesh-networking enables remote management capabilities and facilitates the installation. Hotels using the system can reduce HVAC energy consumption by more than 40 percent. For more information, e-mail sales@green-energy-products.com, call (800) 639-8796, or go to www.green-energy-products.com.

Looking for Guest Columnists

Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Planning Advertising for 2012?

Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2012. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2012 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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