Since COVID, hotels have been enhancing cleaning protocols and introducing new ways for guests to stay sanitary during their stay (think QR codes, readily available hand sanitizer, etc.). But one of the often-overlooked touchpoints—and one of the dirtiest—happens to be something guests carry along with them pre- and post-hotel stay: their phones. That’s where iCleanse comes in.
iCleanse started in 2010 as ReadyDock Inc., and its current CEO, Christopher Allen, was a board member and venture capital investor. Allen saw an opportunity to purchase ReadyDock in 2020 and transform it into iCleanse.
The acquisition was complete in July 2020 and the team added new products to its legacy lineup of Swift disinfecting units. The team also created Swift UV, an on-the-fly disinfection system, coupled with a monitor, creating a new Digital OOH (Out of Home) vertical.
Using Swift UV is simple: The unit recognizes someone standing in front of it, which triggers the door to automatically open, allowing consumers to place their phone in the top of the unit.
“Swift UV is designed to have no touchpoints,” Allen explained. “It lowers the phone into the chamber and past UV-C LEDs. Those LEDs render the RNA of the various pathogens inert, thereby not allowing them to replicate and, therefore, die. This is all done in 15 seconds, and during that time, the attached screen can share relevant information or advertisements, generating revenue or customer awareness for the hotel.”
According to Allen, the product has minimal upkeep for staff. All that’s needed is a regular wipe-down to keep its surface clean. In fact, it’s so hassle-free that all the units are covered by iCleanse’s global warranty, which includes on-site service.
“iCleanse is the perfect addition to the hotel market,” Allen said. “When placed in lobbies, spas, concierge and gyms, it works to inform the guest of other amenities, such as personal training or on-site restaurant or bars. They can use Swift UV to display ads for these amenities to the guests to help drive traffic and revenue. The Swift UV does all this, while at the same time offering a necessary, timely and free benefit to the hotel’s guests.”
Although COVID may have increased awareness about germs and bacteria in guestrooms and public spaces, devices shouldn’t be excluded from the lineup of must-wash items.
“The CDC has always recommended that we wash our hands, but never to wash the thing we touch the most and take with us everywhere—our phone,” said Allen, who explained that phones carry up to 25,000 bacteria (such as E. Coli, MRSA and H1N1) per square inch.
“We firmly believe that people will continue to do what they can to help stop the spread of COVID and other viruses,” he said. “Hotels investing in this type of disinfection technology get two benefits. The first is the free service to their guests, but the additional revenue the hotel can generate is a huge benefit. In addition, the hotel market is very congested and differentiation is key. iCleanse gives the hotels that choose to deploy it the opportunity to stand out.”
Allen believes that the possibilities are endless for hoteliers when it comes to Swift UV. For example, big brands can use Swift UV to display internal messaging like spa services, F&B specials or loyalty rewards programs.
“This helps drive guests to the amenities offered by the hotel and enhances enrollment in loyalty rewards,” he added. “Furthermore, if the hotel is smaller and doesn’t have such amenities, they can choose to have iCleanse generate the ads on the screen and they receive a portion of the ad revenue each quarter.”
Although Swift UV is a new product that has only been on the market for three months, it’s been deployed at a group of hotels in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut.
“We look forward to working with and deploying units in some of the largest names in the business in the coming year,” said Allen, who expects to have more than 10,000 units placed this year and double that in 2024.
“Our free model for Swift UV is a tremendous opportunity for iCleanse and hoteliers,” he said. “In the free model, we install, service and manage the content on all the units and then send the business owner a check every quarter with a percentage of the ad revenue generated. This offering has been hugely successful to date, and we look to expand this into other verticals as well.”
The company is in the process of scoping out the right partners to roll out a mass deployment of Swift UV, hopefully with a global brand, Allen said. Additionally, it’s looking to grow its marketplace to include restaurants, airports, corporate offices and healthcare, with a long-term goal of more than 50,000 units of Swift UV deployed.
For Allen, however, one of the biggest takeaways is to know that Swift UV isn’t a COVID-based device. “The Swift UV is an evolution of the mobile phone proliferation and of washing your hands,” he said. “As you wash your hands, your phone is the one thing that is almost always constantly with you, yet very rarely gets disinfected. We offer a convenient and rapid solution to this problem, and one that can benefit your business’ bottom line at the same time.”
