11 ANTI-COVID INNOVATIONS BY HOTEL SOGO

1. UVC Disinfection of Rooms, Utensils, Key Cards & Cash
-Sogo was the first hotel, as early as March 2020, to use UVC (254nm) to fight Covid-19. Taking the cue from hospitals abroad, remote-controlled carts have been deployed for room disinfection. Compartments for utensils, key cards and cash were also fitted with UVC LEDs but kept away from personnel since 254 nm UVCs, while great for killing viruses may harm the skin and eyes.

2. FAR UVC Disinfection at Elevator Lobbies
-After extensive research, Sogo has acquired and tested the FAR UVC 222 nm lamps that effectively kill viruses while being harmless to humans. Just recently (2020 Q4) produced commercially, it is quite expensive and is sold by only a few manufacturers abroad. Sogo is the first hotel to install these revolutionary excimer lamps in all its elevator lobbies.

3. UVC Disinfection for Room Aircons
-All room aircons are to be fitted with specially manufactured UVC LEDs. Through germicidal irradiation, the UVC light attacks the DNA/DNR of micro-organisms, killing bacteria and viruses, and preventing their spread. As it is turned on with the aircon, room air is always sterilized each time it passes through the unit, ensuring the best possible room air quality for our guests.

4. Ventilation ACR is Doubled in Lobbies & Hallways
-The ACR (Air Change Rate) or the number of times the air is replaced for all general spaces is set at ≥ 4 per hour by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers). Sogo is doubling its current ACRs for intensified inflow of covid-free fresh air to accelerate indoor air replacement.

5. Covid Sniffer Dogs for Screening of Employees
-Dubai and Helsinki Airports have deployed Covid sniffer dogs to screen passengers and report a > 94% accuracy rate with dogs detecting the virus days before symptoms even start. Sogo has tied up with a leading K9 company, to have specially-trained Belgian Malinois dogs regularly screen its personnel for Covid.

6. Thermal Scan Controlled Doors
-For most branches, guests on their own, can get scanned before entry and if within the safe temperature limit, main doors will open automatically without need of any contact.

7. Microbial ATP Fluorescence Testing of Surfaces
-ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) Testing measures ATP content to indicate the presence and amount of microorganisms. Each branch has an Anti-Covid Team that regularly swabs high touch point surfaces that pass through ATP Fluorescence Detectors to verify microbial presence and effectivity of the new protocols.

8. Anti-Microbial Coatings on Furnishings, Fixtures & Touch Points
-Widely used in hospitals and mass transports in China, Hong Kong and Japan, these Polymer coatings are formed after spraying millions of nano-capsules with contact killing and anti-adhesion features that lasts for weeks. It effectively kills bacteria and viruses, including H1N1 and Covid. Sogo applies this over all furnishings and touch points.

9. Reduced Touch Points with No-Contact Fixtures (with photos of no-contact fixtures)
-A Sogo study shows that pre-pandemic, guests had a minimum of 59 Touch Points (TPs) during a typical hotel stay. Due to new protocols that include contact-less fixtures, TPs have been reduced by 40.7% with the goal to achieve a reduction of 66.1% with more advanced technology centered on cellphone use.

10. Multi-Stage Air Purifying Equipment in Lobbies
-To further sanitize indoor air, Sogo installed air-purifying equipment having several levels of filters: Pre-filter, Activated Carbon, HEPA (H11), with built-in Cold Catalysts, Ion Generators and UVC lights that eliminate allergens and pollutants such as dust, pollen, odor, bacteria, viruses, and even reduces carbon dioxide levels.

11. No-Contact Key
-Specially designed key (keychain) to avoid touching. This is one of our giveaways included in some of our promos.

Ang SOGO nag-iingat, parang Pag-iingat mo!

❤️ Mama Farrah

Eurotel grants scholarship to Pamantasang Lungsod ng Maynila Scholars Foundation, Inc. (PLMSFI) students

We all know that Pandemic hardly hit our lives, businesses slowly went down and worst leads to closure. All people suffers financially — employed from being unemployed, contract workers to non-income at all. Our youth is the most affected individuals from this chaos.

If there’s another lesson that the pandemic has brought us, it is the importance of education. While schools are reopening in some corners of the world after pandemic induced closures, the Philippines remain its classes shutdown due to COVID-19 crisis. With this, education is no exception, this catastrophe has exposed the numbers of insuffeciencies and partiality in our education system.

We’re thankful and grateful that some private companies are willing to help and prioritize helping children and youth in their education, like Eurotel Hotel. Through the initiative of Mr. Edmundo G. Las, Director of Eurotel Hotel, they are sponsoring 10 students from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Scholars Foundation, Inc. (PLMSFI) for the year 2020-2021.

“As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility program, we at Eurotel Hotel are glad to helpout by granting these students the opportunity to learn and grow despite the pandemic. We believe that educationon is a vital part of growing not only as a person, but a responsible Filipino as well. I hope that they will not forget our simple gesture thus, learn to share with people whenever they can.” Mr. Ed Las shared.

Eurotel Hotel continues to take further its cause in extending help to the community, by helping PLMSFI scholars who are in need, despite the current pandemic situation.

“We are aware that in these trying times; education is not something to be overlooked. As we extend our assistance to these gifted individuals just as we hope for a better future. Like PLMSFI vision, we believe that no student must be deprived of a good college education. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody, and true happiness are found in helping others.” Mr. Edmundo added. The PLMSFI was established on August 1998 by a group of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) baccalaureate graduates it aims to preserve and promote the mark of PLM model university for the less privileged, intellectually deserving students of Manila. As of today, PLMSFI has fifty (50) scholar beneficiaries. Their goal for the next five years is to double the number of scholars or more and that would become possible if they can get more sustainable donations.

Dr. Edmundo G. Las, Director of Eurotel

“Even before the pandemic, there were major holes for many poor or low income families in the country who struggle to pay tuition fee for schools and lack of resources to cover emergency expenses. In this time of pandemic, all we need is care. We need more sensitivity. We need more people to care about one another; we should not let this pandemic, driven down the will and eagerness of the children and the youth to brighten up their education. Actions can really create hope,” the Director of Eurotel said.

True enough that the most generous heart remains humanity. We salute with great honor the persons behind Eurotel Hotel for being a ray of sunlight amidst chaos.