What do you think of this in hotels?
 

Fellow FT,

I would appreciate your input on a product we just created. The product is called CleanremoteUV.

We are finishing up the touches on the product. I have learned so much from fellow FT's and know that most of you are Elite members with many of the travel programs. Your input is important to me.

Here is a summary of how the CleanremoteUV works.

1. You walk into your hotel room.
2. You see the remote in the CleanremoteUV
3. You know it is germ free because the "Clean" light is on
4. Take it out, use it as you normally do
5. You can put it back into the CleanremoteUV and it will sense the remote is in. The door gently closes and it kills the germs
6. No odor, chemicals - no trash

7. For housekeeping, they simply take the remote, place it in the CleanremoteUV and forget about it.

Here is a link to the video. http://youtu.be/eACOv0lQaF0

Thanks for your time and input to the product.

What do you think of this in hotels?
 

Sounds like a solid idea! Remote controls are a well-known fomite in hotel rooms...

germaphobes.. omg you'll die of bumfinger! never touch the remotes.

The remote will not be clean but hopefully germ free - thus the product name is a bit misleading. I can guarantee that the stuck on dried boogers will still be there when it comes out. That said they should be germ free. Having a clean remote will be more important than a germ free. For instance, linens that are dingy in color may be germ free. But who wants to dingy linens? Similar for the remote.

In my world there is clean and then there is sterile. Achieving each requires different processes. For a remote what is current process for cleaning them in the hotel industry? Do they get wiped down with a combo cleaner/sterilant? What is the process for the rest of room. Personally I would be worried about other parts of the room.

except everything else still requires hand cleaning?

these kinds of products sell fine though.

FlyingUnderTheRadar, well put. :)

I've stayed in a few hotels that place a foil wrapped disinfectant disposable towel packet next to the remote for guests to use. I wish airlines provided the same thing to wipe off tray tables and armrests. I've never seen these things in stores, but I haven't systematically looked.

It doesn't seem like that wonderful of a product frankly. It only works in remotes/small stuff? Probably not worth the money for a hotel or individual to buy. What about surfaces? What about door knobs and faucets? Toilets? Headboards? Sheets?

Look, I'm your exact target audience. I clean ever hotel room before I bring my stuff in and check for tell tale signs of bed bugs. You are trying to solve a problem but you've only addressed one of many germ-o-phobe's issues. Until your product can clean multiple surfaces and sizes, I think it is inferior to my plastic clink wrap remote/handle/surface barrier, which also addresses the dirty/grime issue another poster brought up.

I guess I just don't worry about these things enough to be in your target audience. As long as the hotel offers soap, water and towels so I can was my hands I'm not going to panic about germs on the TV remote. I'd prefer somebody make one that consistently works...

At the end of the day, I'd be staring at that gadget and wondering how much extra it added to my hotel bill.

IMO, this might go over well with those that don't travel a lot. People who travel a lot know all of the other places that aren't clean. Some one who travels less and is anxious about contracting noro will be more impressed. Have you considered marketing this to the cruise lines?

What about the toilet handle, and sink knobs, and door knobs, and clothes hangers, and telephones, and alarm clocks, and thermostat, and light switches, and drawer handles, and the clothes iron, and desk chair arms, and...

The best barrier to germs (and the reason why germaphobes are still alive to obsess over germs) is human skin.

That said, I think most hotel operators are going to be more interested in sealed remotes that are easy to clean/wipe off than adding another AC or battery-operated item to the inventory.

And...what about the surface of the Cleanremote UV? You've just given housekeepers a new item to have to clean/wipe off.

The video doesn't show if this thing is on AC power - I'm guessing it is, so you're now taking up an outlet, and most hotel rooms are short of outlets as it is.

If it's battery powered, then it's probably two (or four!) batteries per unit, so you're adding that expense, maintenance and carbon footprint impact on each and every room.

You're competing against CleanRemote, which is becoming common in many hotel rooms, and is an easier solution IMO.

this was my thought as well...I'm not a germophobe and I know that a hotel room is a shared space with the germs, hairs, dead skin mites and bio material of hundreds of prior guests. A healthy immune system is a good defense, rather than the unrealistic expectation that the room and contents are sterile.

This will not sell to cruise lines. Cruisers are in the stateroom for a whole week, generally, and would expect the place to be cleaned fastidiously.

A cruise line putting that product in the room is saying that they don't think their customers think their employees clean the stateroom well enough.

I think that highlighting cleanliness issues to customers is not a great idea for hotels.

Try these:

For personal hand use:
http://www.amazon.com/Germ-X-Antibac...e+towel+packet

This is what is in First aid kits to clean surfaces prior to treatment in the filed; I use them for tray tables, remotes-if needed and other questional hard surfaces:
http://www.amazon.com/PDI%C2%AE-Sani...e+towel+packet
You might be able to source this a medical/first-aid/EMT suppler at a lower cost. ($15-20)

I carry a bundle of each for my travels.