EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—After an exhaustive two-year process, a University of Arizona Health Sciences research team has announced the publication of their work, Comparison of electric hand dryers and paper towels for hand hygiene: a critical review of the literature. The review culled the current breadth of data, including published studies, news reports and online content, seeking to uncover which hand drying method, hand dryers or paper towels, is more hygienic and safer relative to human health risks. The researchers found that, while studies in the public arena generally favor paper towels over hand dryers, the conclusions are largely misleading...

PHILADELPHIA—Monarch Brands has developed the first in a new line of disinfectants to meet the increased demand for antimicrobial products. Isopropyl alcohol is the most common and widely used disinfectant for various medical and specialized industries. Medical institutions, pharmaceutics, hospitals, clean rooms, and electronics manufacturers use it where antiseptic conditions are essential. To survive and thrive within the new standard, businesses must protect their staff and customers. The global community now understands the importance of cleaning and disinfecting. If you’ve tried to buy wholesale isopropyl alcohol disinfectant wipes recently, you will understand the need to secure your pipeline and bolster reserves....

MGM Resorts International’s announcement this past week that it would open its Park MGM/NoMad resort as a 100 percent nonsmoking resort was good news for travelers who prioritize good, clean air to breathe. According to MGM’s press release about the opening, it is the Las Vegas Strip’s first fully smoke-free casino resort. While a long time coming, I applaud MGM for taking this step and strongly encourage the company to repeat it at its other remaining properties around the world. (Listen up other gaming companies as well.) The announcement comes at a critical time—with the West experiencing its worst fire...

It was a little more than 11 years ago that I first wrote about the “Make a Green Choice” program that had been rolled out at a couple of hotels in Seattle and Kauai. For those of you not familiar with Make a Green Choice, it gave guests the option of opting out of housekeeping for a day or more. At the time, in exchange for doing that, guests were given either a $5 gift card for the hotel’s restaurants or the option of receiving 500 Starpoints as part of Starwood’s loyalty program. I applauded the program at the...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—CIRQ+ founders dreamed of a world where people can work and live safely, allowing a nation hard-hit by the pandemic to return to the life they knew, and today that dream becomes a reality with the launch of CIRQ+CLEAN. Developed by cloud-based platform CIRQ+ in response to the impact of the global COVID crisis, the CIRQ+CLEAN is a first of its kind solution—a touchless sterilization innovation that dispenses an EPA-registered fluid through an in-room autonomous, connected IoT robot, the Cbot. The all-natural, non-toxic disinfecting solution has the most up-to-date approvals by the EPA for use against Sars-CoV-2, the...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Spectrum UVC to its Green Product & Service Directory in the Cleaning & Maintenance/UV Disinfection category. Spectrum UVC is revolutionizing sanitation standards for residential and commercial spaces by utilizing the power UV light disinfection, eliminating 99.9 percent of all viruses, bacteria, and pathogens in the safest manner possible to both humans and the environment. The company’s 850M9 is lighter and more mobile than competing units but is at the same time more powerful for better disinfection in less time. The units are user friendly. When guests feel safe occupancy increases. Decrease turnaround time. Proven...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International announced that Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas will open their doors on September 30, completing the reopening of all of its properties around the world following closures earlier this year amid the Covid-19 crisis. Upon reopening, Park MGM/NoMad will be The Strip’s first fully smoke-free casino resort. “Opening Park MGM and NoMad represent significant milestones, as they are the last of our properties to welcome back employees and guests alike,” said Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts CEO and President. “The last six months have presented extraordinary challenges and I could not be prouder of the MGM...

NEW YORK—Ace Hotel has teamed up with Noshinku to elevate the hand sanitizer experience for their guests. Noshinku is a premium hand sanitizer brand that doesn’t just kill germs but also treats skin gently and smells great. Ace has installed Noshinku’s signature sleek dispensers in multiple locations throughout the public spaces in its U.S. properties, including New York, Chicago, Downtown Los Angeles, and New Orleans. In doing so, the hotel brand is treating hand sanitizer as a premium amenity that elevates the overall guest experience, and not just a generic necessity. “We’re thrilled that Ace chose us, and recognizes that elegance...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—CIRQ+ announced the unveiling of a new Touchless Sterilization Innovation that will generate hope for a better, brighter and safer future for hotels, travelers, offices, businesses, schools and more. The global unveiling showcasing at multiple sites will be held on September 16 at 2 p.m. EST and streaming live. This event will be hosted by Anthony Melchiorri, star of Hotel Impossible and Glenn Haussman, host of the popular “No Vacancy” Podcast. Yani Deros, CEO and Founder of CIRQ+ will unveil the new breakthrough technology developed in response to the impact of the COVID crisis felt around the world. “This is...

It has been said that “crisis breeds innovation.” That has certainly been true in our industry and others since the onset of the pandemic. One of the innovations I have been seeing more often in recent months is portable or even robotic ultraviolet (UV) light machines that can be used by housekeepers or others in maintenance for guestrooms and public areas. They tend to use UVC light as compared to UVA or UVB. UVC light has a wavelength range of 100 to 280 nanometers (nm) and is widely acknowledged as the most effective light to eradicate germs. The machines...