The Melia Orlando Celebration hotel has contracted a Wisconsin tech firm to help keep its guest rooms Covid-clean.
The 289-room hotel at 225 Celebration Place in Orlando, Florida, is the first hotel in the U.S. to team with Waukesha-based manufacturer of robotic UV sanitation solutions Surfacide to use the tech firm's Helios System. Helios is described as "a trio of light-emitting robots to kill deadly virus and microorganisms on surfaces and in the air" in a few minutes.
The technology is said to "inactivate" the coronavirus through the use of ultraviolet-C light.
Cleaning is a must for the hotel brand's "Stay Safe at Melia" program, and the Helios system is tailor made for what the hotel needs to meet guest expectations, Antonio Baez, general manager of the Melia Orlando Celebration, told Orlando Business Journal.
Baez said the system takes only five minutes to clean a room and kills 99.9% of dangerous pathogens. He did not share how the system will affect the hotel's cleaning expenses. "It requires a major investment ... but we are doing it to provide safety for our guests."
The firm's website says the technology has been used in health care spaces, sports facilities and elsewhere, but this is the first time it will be deployed in a hotel.
“As we continue to navigate our new normal, we are proud to help bring peace of mind to those in the hospitality industry, as well,” said Surfacide founder and CEO Gunner Lyslo, in a prepared statement.
Ultraviolet light technology has been in the spotlight since the 2020 emergence of the Covid-19 virus, which caused many industries to shut down temporarily two years ago and still has many employees working from home.
The pandemic led to growth at Surfacide that saw the company, founded in 2010, move into a 75,000-square-foot building on Northmound Drive in Waukesha last year, where it could add as many as 50% to 100% more workers by the end of 2021.
Orlando-based Violet Defense Group Inc. last November closed a $20 million Series B investment round, and the capital will enable that firm to bolster its product offerings in both its disinfection technology and agricultural lighting divisions, executives told Orlando Inno.
Even theme parks, like Universal Orlando Resort, looked at ultraviolet light as a method to sanitize attractions between riders.
As businesses return to the office, UV technology like what's offered by Surfacide and others will be critical to helping make workplaces safe from dangerous pathogens.
