DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As businesses remain hopeful for a return to normal in the days and weeks to come, they’re already thinking of returning customers and staff by brainstorming safety solutions.

The Holiday Inn Daytona Beach at LPGA began using one local man's creation: a machine that emits quick flashes of UV-C light in order to disinfect rooms.

"We’re going to use it moving forward," said Jacob Lafferty, the hotel's general manager. “[It's] possibly an added layer of protection for our guests in the room. I think that’s a lot of it right now, giving people that peace of mind that they can come in and stay and be safe.”

But the last few weeks have been a challenge for the hotel. While they’re still open, the restaurant is closed and occupancy is down from peak times post winter holidays through spring from 80 to 90 percent to 10 and 20 percent.

​“I have been here every day, just making sure that the property is clean," said Lafferty, noting their other newly-employed measures. “The biggest thing is the six-foot distancing. We have put out some tape, pulled our credit card machine back.”

He added, "We are asking our guests to stay six feet away from staff, at this time, for everyone’s safety.”

An Idea, a lull, and a new interest

Around a decade ago, Sandeep Mathow was getting his home's HVAC unit replaced. When the repairman suggested a UVC light to mitigate mold growing in his system, he scoffed at the notion, but later agreed to the install. Six months later when the company returned to show him the result, he was floored: no mold.

Mathow, with a background in biochemistry, imagined using a UV-C wand on everything, from countertops to food. His wife cautioned his zest.

But, the idea stuck in his mind as he began researching.

"I found out the hospitals were using this in their OR rooms, but the difference was they used light which constantly stayed on," he said, continuing, "But I also learned that organisms over time adapt to it. I said, 'What if the UV-C lights were at a higher intensity and they were strobing, so organisms can’t adapt?'"

He soon began consulting with an engineer, then testing the product with a swab machine that measures bacterial levels. That led to the creation of XENARC around 2010.

“It kills the DNA of organisms so it doesn’t multiple or replicate," he explained. “When we push the button, the bulb raises up and there’s a fan in there that keeps the bulb cool.”

Years later, Mathow was leasing out the machine to a pharmaceutical company, but shelved the notion of making it his focus as he turned his attention to several pharmacies he runs in Central Florida.

That is until the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Mathow said XENARC was in demand once again, as he began getting approached by cruise lines to demo his product. Hotels, like local Marriotts and Hiltons, reached out as the entrepreneur signed contracts with other hotels, like the privately-owned Holiday Inn Daytona Beach, who hoped to use it as part of their enhanced cleaning strategy.

“What I’m thinking is making sure everything is clean, making sure we’re taking the proper precautions, wearing masks if needed, hand sanitizer," said Lafferty. “I think if people can start traveling again and doing what they love and feel safe about it, it makes me feel great.”

And while Mathow is thrilled, he's also overwhelmed: They only have a few machines built and he worries about manufacturing lag times due to the pandemic.

"I feel like we're going to have a lot more orders coming and we're going to have to get back into our groove of manufacturing and getting it ready for the demand," he said.

Generally the company can produce 40 machines in about one month.

“I just hope that it can help," he said. "I'm happy we're using it in a different purpose we hadn't thought of."

The XENARC is produced by Mathow’s company XENOARC. ​If interested, contact: 407-915-0041.

Check out how the XENARC works: