Important Innovations

  Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group's New Superyachts                                          Source:  Ritz-Carlton Yachts The Ultimate Hotel Getaway Ritzy hotel chain Ritz-Carlton is adding a new business line to its real estate portfolio.  Three new superyachts are being added to serve as 5-star, luxury hotels on the high seas.  The first yacht named Evrima will launch for a Mediterranean cruise in August 2022.  The 623-foot yacht contains 149 large, luxurious suites and can accommodate 298 guests. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has just provided journalists with an inside look at the gorgeous vessel. Evrima has three homeports: Fort Lauderdale, Barbados and San Juan. Very Accommodating  The suites aboard the yacht are among the ultimate in travel.  Each has floor to ceiling windows, a balcony to enjoy the o...

Rapidly Expanding Use of Ultraviolet Light Robots to Eliminate COVID Virus Source:  Xenex UV Light Robot in Weston Hotel Hotels, Public Transit, Amazon Putting UV Robots to Work Ultraviolet light (UV)) has been used as a disinfectant in hospitals for decades.  As businesses start re-opening after the COVID lockdowns, the use of UV is rapidly expanding into the hospitality industry, public transportation and beyond including entertainment venues. Beverly Hills Hilton An example is the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, where 3 UV robots from San Antonio-based Xenex Disinfection Services are on deep cleansing patrol.  Xenex has UV robots deployed in more than 500 hospitals around the world, including the Mayo Clinic.  In two minutes the high energy pulses of UV light from the robots eliminate dangerous viruses like COVID by 99.999%, according to the company and independent analysis by the Texas BioMedical Research Institute.  UV works at the speed of light a...

US & European Regional Travel on the Rise Source: Cape Cod Summer Tourist Destination Marriott CEO's Global Hotel Perspective The pandemic was particularly inhospitable to the global hospitality industry.  As Covid-19 cases soared, air travel ground to a halt, lockdowns forced people to shelter at home and bookings at global hotel chains plummeted.  At Marriott, room occupancy rates dropped to 5% in some US hotel properties and to 7% in Marriott hotels in China.  The rates have rebounded in China to 40% and in the US to 20%.  CEO Arne Sorenson says he's starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel for global hotels:  a pickup in personal and business travel. Profound Economic Impact Sorenson says the impact of the pandemic on Marriott's global business is worse than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined. He doesn't expect global occupancy to return to the average of 71% for a few years.  But there are positive signs....

Taking Reservations, Giving Information Source:  Misty Robotics Your Robotic Hotel Experience Misty 11 has great aspirations to be a key part of the hospitality industry.  The cute, little rolling robot is the invention of Misty Robotics, based in Boulder, Colorado and was just unveiled at CES 2020.  Misty can detect humans, greet them, interact, provide information and responses.  She can make reservations, call for assistance and even be part of point of sales systems.  The little robot gives new meaning to the hospitality industry.  Her inventors have designed her to go to work in a hotel near you very soon. Open Source Code What's ingenious about Misty is she is not limited to one task.  This is part of an important, new emerging trend to design robots that are not limited to one use.  They have capabilities that can be used in many ways.  In the case of Misty, from room mapping to greeting customers and taking r...