Maybourne Riviera Redefines Luxury Using Touchless Technologies

Creating a sense of luxury is an art form, and for the hospitality industry, it extends far beyond providing high-end products and services. Dewhurst with Neonode technology helps to create luxury experiences that turn vacant spaces into safe and stylish interactive moments.

Rising boldly from the rocky peninsula of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France, The Maybourne Riviera showcases an impressive display of modernistic architecture that rises above the shimmering Mediterranean Sea below. The hotel is at one with nature, skilfully built into the rockface of Côte d'Azur. It is the fifth property by the privately owned Maybourne Hotel Group, who pride themselves on the successes of other world-renowned hotels such as Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley, and The Maybourne Beverly Hills.

After a six-year renovation project, The Maybourne Riviera opened its doors at the beginning of 2022 with a focus on luxury, health and wellness. With attention given to every detail, the hotel provides affluent travellers with the best money can buy. Guests are ravished with luxuries that arouse all of the senses, from champagne on arrival, breath-taking panoramic vistas of the coastline from Monaco to the Italian Riviera, delectable Michelin Star food curated by globally acclaimed chefs, holistic wellness treatments using fragrant products from Augustinus Bader and La Eva, and high-quality amenities like Dyson hairdryers in the bathrooms and Bang & Olufsen sound systems in the living quarters.

But as experienced hoteliers know, a luxury hotel experience is not created from materialistic things alone that guests can touch, taste, hear, smell or see – even though this is an obvious part of it. Besides impeccable service, truly relaxing and memorable experiences can only be attained if there is also a sense of calm and safety. Being in a secure, clean, and hygienic environment is essential.

The Challenge – Redefining the Public’s Expectations on Hotel Hygiene

Housekeeping is taken very seriously at The Maybourne Hotel Group and meticulous hygiene standards are of utmost priority. But throughout the renovation of The Maybourne Riviera, the Group ardently sought after new differentiators that would exceed guest expectations and redefine the way hygiene is perceived in high-class hospitality as a whole.

Touchless technologies took a front seat. Afterall, the best way to eliminate germs on ‘high touch’ hotspots, is to remove the need to touch them all together.

The Solution – A Touch of Luxury

Ironically, an extra ‘touch of class’ was woven into the design of The Maybourne Riviera by removing touch itself.

Large and small touchpoints throughout the hotel were made touchless, removing the niggling unease people can feel when sharing amenities. From the reception desk to the restaurants, guests are offered complimentary hand sanitizer via touchless dispensers. Diners can access restaurant menus electronically on their own phone or tablet. Tamperproof keyless entry to the rooms is provided and whether it is to settle a room bill or pay for a drink, contactless payment methods are available throughout. But what we love the most is the touchless controls in the elevators which allow guests to operate them without needing to touch a single button inside nor out – because as we know, these controls can otherwise be a haven for bacteria, no matter how often they are cleaned.

Luxury Travel Advisor states that the touchless elevator controls are “a welcome hands-free tech touch in the age of COVID”, while renowned Traveller Magazine quotes them as a “lovingly realized detail” of the hotel.

The solution for the contactless elevator controls was selected from Dewhurst, based on their proven experience in designing and fitting luxury elevator components. In addition, all the touchless products by Dewhurst were compatible with the standard Otis operating system which meant a seamless integration into the elevator car.

Parkesh Gajjar, Technical Project Lead at Dewhurst, explained “Maybourne Hotel Group had a very specific style they wanted to achieve for their elevators. We were supplied with a design sketch and some high-quality polished copper panels. We worked closely with the design team and architects to customize the look and feel of our controls so they would fit perfectly into the aesthetics of the hotel”.

The specific technology that was selected was the Dewhurst wave-to-call touchless unit which was implemented in the foyers, enabling guests to call the elevator with a simple wave motion in front of the sensor. Inside, the HALO Touchless Car Operating System was used in combination with the US1 Touch Panel, which allows guests to simply hover their finger over a beautifully designed digital interface to select their floor of choice. The screen has been configured with a subtle day and night mode, so it always compliments the temporal atmosphere.

Peter Dewhurst, Commercial Director of Dewhurst Ltd said “We use Neonode’s contactless touch technology to create the in-air touch from our Halo touchless car operating system. It provides extremely fast and responsive interaction, and it can be easily configured by our engineers to work over any button formation or digital interface that out clients would like to create”.

Result

The copper detailing and marble surrounding The Maybourne Riviera elevators immediately provides guests with an impression of prestige and sophistication. After a simple, but gratifying in-air gesture outside the elevators, the doors open to reveal a beautiful stained glassed ceiling and opulent wall panelling inside the car.

Guests are delighted to select their floor using the most modern Contactless Touch technology, providing both delight and comfort from a notably germ-free ride before they enter their unique hotel room created by celebrated designers and architects that have been inspired by the movement of the sea, which all overlook the verdant landscape and the spectacular views of the Mediterranean.

About Dewhurst

Dewhurst Ltd is an independent supplier of quality components to the elevator, keypad, and rail industries. Dewhurst Ltd is part of the Dewhurst Group, which has sales of £50 million+ and employs over 350 people worldwide.

Visit Dewhurst at www.dewhurst.co.uk

About The Maybourne Riviera

The Maybourne Riviera is a five-star hotel owned by The Maybourne Hotel Group, who are dedicated to offering guests authentic experiences and a personalized stay. The Maybourne Riviera is inspired by the rich culture of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and the sweeping brushstrokes of artistic legacy.

Read more at www.maybourneriviera.com