TAMPA, FL—Mobile technology has made many aspects of life easier in hospitality, from mobile check-in to the connected room. Now, guests can use their mobile phones to make the process of doing laundry in a hotel much easier.
Technology from Washlava allows customers to reserve and pay for laundry machines from their smartphones, managing the end-to-end experience for both business owners and their customers, cultivating a cashless laundry network.
“Hotels are using technology to connect with their guests in more and more ways, and Washlava offers them another way to deepen the guest experience while making life easier for travelers,” said Todd Belveal, founder/CEO, Washlava. “Washlava’s mobile, app-enabled technology lets guests reserve and pay for in-hotel machines from their smartphones, creating a connected and convenient laundry experience for hotels and their guests.
“On the business side, our proprietary technology charges only on a percent-per-transaction basis, and with no initial install cost, and credit card processing handled by Washlava, hotel operators will have lower transaction fees and a lower cost of ownership,” Belveal said. “We provide 24/7 support to business owners, showing real-time data for more informed business decisions.”
He said that guests want to go cashless with their hotel purchases, and that should include laundry costs. “Hotel guests expect every expense—from a few dollars on room-service orders to the grand total cost of their stay—to be billable to a credit or debit card,” he said. “We don’t think laundry should be any different. Washlava allows hotels to deliver the same level of customer experience in the laundry center that their guests are used to receiving elsewhere on property.”
Washlava’s entire platform is hosted on Amazon Web Services, and all credit card, debit card and prepaid card transactions within the mobile app process through Stripe, a PCI Service Level Provider Level 1 company, ensuring that no credit card information ever touches the Washlava infrastructure.
Washlava recently came to an agreement with LG that the electronics company will be the lead investor in a Series A-1 equity financing. “We plan to use the funding from LG to fuel R&D for our enabling technology, and to add talent to scale the brand and company,” said Belveal. “Our goal is to continue to offer the most advanced and seamless shared laundry experience in the world, reaching more users who deserve an upgraded amenity, such as valued hotel guests. LG obviously brings to the deal a massive consumer marketing capability, along with market share leadership in residential laundry appliances and smartphones. In an industry that is primed for modernization, this partnership and funding is critical to creating a technology platform that cultivates growth and innovation.” HB