Africa is the Hot Zone for Hotel Development

Already proven in installations at embassies and other large facilities across Africa, UST has a solution for significantly lowering the cost of hotel development in one of the fastest growing regions of the world.

According to a recent article in the Financial Times (free registration required), the economy of sub-Saharan Africa will grow at a rate of 6% in 2014. That’s just behind the 6.5% growth projected for China and India.

“Honestly, I think Africa is the next big thing,” says Michael Wale, head of Europe, Africa and Middle East at Starwood. But he sounds a note of caution amid the hype. “I’m absolutely clear it won’t be easy and won’t be done in the short term.”

However, as hotel chains rush to meet the rocketing demand, they will no doubt be racing ahead of the capacity of local utilities to deliver power.

Poor Power Conditions are Common Across the Continent.

The last thing a business traveler spending $500 or more a night wants to experience is a brownout. No treadmill. No restaurant. No Internet! Likely, architects and facility engineers for Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, InterContinental Hotels Group and other developers are designing, and probably over-designing, diesel and battery powered backup systems to bridge local power hiccups and longer-term brownouts.

The problem is, diesel generators are expensive to install and run. They’re noisy and noxious too. And battery backup systems (also known as a UPS) are typically assigned to computers and emergency systems only, and rarely supply more than a small fraction of the power needed to run a hotel.

But, as a recent white paper outlines, UST’s advanced voltage regulation technology is completely rewriting the cost-benefit equations that drive backup power system design.

UST manufactures a full line of industrial-grade power conditioners capable of reacting to, and completely compensating for variations in incoming voltage, within a single cycle. That means, no matter how dirty the local grid gets, it’s business as usual for you.

UST power conditioners allow facilities to ride through power fluctuations—sags, surges and even extended brownouts, without ever switching to diesel generation. Depending upon location, UST power conditioners can pay for themselves in a little more than a year—and that’s just diesel savings alone! Add in fewer room comps, fewer negative reviews, more uptime for revenue-generating attractions and a higher-quality guest experience, and you have the formula for maximum profit.

See related article: UST Voltage Regulators Provide the Bridge to a Bright Economic Future for Africa.