Finland: Hotel U14, a Marriott Autograph Collection property, has been designed in collaboration with Finnish start up, Valpas.
New in-room technology, installed in all 117 rooms of Hotel U14, responds to bed bugs’ natural behaviour and is integrated with the latest Internet of Things (IoT) to prevent an infestation of bed bugs.
It primarily consists of ‘smart’ legs on the bed frame, designed to attract and capture bed bugs before they cause damage to the bed. Upon each catch, the hotel staff are notified and they can act accordingly.
The Hotel U14, Autograph Collection website states: “Environment and sustainability plays a big part in all our daily operations and it can be felt throughout the hotel.”
Roni Saari, founder of Hotel U14, said: “U14 is a carefully crafted experiential boutique hotel with a strong focus on sustainability. Ecology is woven into many elements and is reflected for instance in the use of renewable energy, hybrid vehicles and in all used textiles from employees’ workwear to traceable cotton covers. With Valpas, harmful pesticide use and unnecessary furniture waste is avoided – both at the hotel as well as in guests’ homes.”
Other amenities at the hotel include a restaurant and cocktail bar, meeting rooms, a sauna and a gym.
Established in 2018 by CEO Martim Gois, Valpas holds four patents in technology and design, and specialises in the elimination of bed bugs in hotels. Over the last two years, the company has partnered with hotels in 12 cities across eight countries in Europe.
Scheduled to open in March 2020, Hotel U14, Autograph Collection, is the first new-build hotel that’s been designed to the Valpas standards.
