NATIONAL REPORT—Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, receiving an award, earning a certification, debuting a new product or expanding the business, hotel companies and vendors achieve new milestones on a daily basis. Here’s a look at recent accomplishments:
LG Introduces Health Protocol Solutions
To help businesses relay important information to their employees, customers, visitors and patients, LG Business Solutions USA has introduced a suite of digital signage packages that allows businesses to communicate their policies, sanitization standards and real-time updates.
Representing the first in LG’s all-new series of Health Protocol Solutions, these digital signage packages are designed for indoor and window-facing use in either landscape or portrait orientation. Each package includes a webOS Signage LG display, a Peerless-AV SmartMount Flat Panel Cart and a limited-time free trial of content management software (CMS) that’s compatible with multiple webOS Signage software application partners.
“More than ever, relaying important information to employees and customers is critical, and digital signage solutions allow businesses to update messaging as often as necessary, and as quickly and safely as possible,” said Dan Smith,VP of business development, LG Business Solutions USA. “Our goal is to help businesses during this challenging time with easy-to-use digital signage packages that can be used now for displaying immediate critical messages and redeployed later to communicate changing health protocols as employees return to the workplace.”
RFID Hotel, LAS Hospitality Supply Introduce Antimicrobial Key Card Technology
Lodging Access Systems, which provides thousands of hotels globally with a full spectrum of key cards and credentials through its subsidiaries, RFID Hotel and LAS Hospitality Supply, has acquired the exclusive right and license to manufacture and distribute a patented and proprietary antimicrobial plastic key card to hotels and resorts in the U.S.
The key cards contain New Antimicrobial Layer (NAML) technology to inhibit the growth and transmission of germs, viruses and dangerous pathogens that thrive on the surfaces of intensely circulated products. Antimicrobial agents are added during manufacture of the key cards to inhibit up to 99.99% of germ, virus and bacteria regeneration. The effect is long-lasting with no adverse reactions to anyone interacting with the antimicrobial surface.
Beekeeper Offers Free Next Normal Package
Beekeeper is releasing a new offering to help companies recover and adapt to the “next normal” of the post-COVID-19 era. The package, dubbed the Next Normal Package, is a product suite that was launched in response to emerging data that suggests that empowered frontline workers are more effective and better-equipped to deal with changing circumstances.
“When frontline workers are given information and decision-making power, managerial bottlenecks are removed,” said Cris Grossmann, CEO/co-founder of Beekeeper. “This frees up time and resources at every level, and allows team members to make nuanced situational decisions that restrictive top-down policy just can’t account for. By modernizing communication and providing a single source of truth for frontline employees, organizations will be better equipped for today’s fast-evolving business environment.”
On top of Beekeeper’s core communication and productivity features, the package includes a host of features designed to make businesses more agile and adaptable, including a chatbot that provides instant answers to COVID-19-related questions from Johns Hopkins and the World Health Organization; mobile shift schedules and shift communication; newsfeed-style streams for communicating about things such as cleaning and maintenance, administrative updates, continuous process and quality improvements; mobile forms and checklists with templates designed for maximum agility, health and safety; and mobile surveys.
Enseo Launches enseoConnect Mobile Remote
Enseo has launched the enseoConnect mobile remote, which allows hotel guests to navigate the TV and control smart devices in their room using their smartphone or tablet. EnseoConnect was designed by sister company Catapult Technologies LLC and is part of Catapult’s cloud-based platform that provides hardware, software and middleware for enterprise market solutions.
“Enseo has put all of our engineering and inventing into redefining the guest experience with touchless technologies. The ability to use your own phone to control the TV and room around you will bring comfort and confidence for guests while traveling,” said Vanessa Ogle, CEO/founder of Enseo Holdings Inc.
When EnseoConnect is combined with Enseo’s Fido IoT room control solution, guests can control the lights, thermostats, curtains and more, which eliminates the need to touch multiple items within the guestroom. In addition, enseoConnect now provides the ability for a hotel to share details of their cleaning and sanitization process with guests.
Team Duetto Wins Global All-Woman Virtual Hackathon
A group of five female tech engineers from Duetto recently won first place in the Women Hack the Crisis Global All-Women Virtual Hackathon event with their Hotel Haven concept.
Hotel Haven is designed to help provide a temporary home away from home for those in need due to COVID-19 with a platform enabling companies and donors to “Gift a Room” to those most in need. Hotels can sign up to have their availability shown on the site; individuals can sign up if they need support; and donors can “gift” rooms to individuals in their geographical area.
“Inspired by our customers, Hotel Haven helps connect hotels who currently have a lot of availability to individuals who might be in need of a safe haven, such as essential workers who have an at-risk family member at home and therefore need to distance; women in an abusive home; or others needing to find a place to stay,” explained Sabrina Jackson, director, product management.
The virtual hackathon event aimed to provide solutions to COVID-19-related challenges. Ten teams took part from around the globe, with Team Duetto being the only one to provide a live demo to the judges. The team was organized by Uma Parakala, senior software engineer, and included Jackson; Emily Jesse, lead partner manager; Jessica Clayton, senior product manager; and Laura Slepetis, engineering manager.