Wynd Technologies, Inc., a California-based maker of proprietary AI-powered indoor air monitoring and purification technologies, announced the launch of Sentry, its latest proprietary indoor environment sensor and the only monitor of its kind that can reliably detect cigarette and marijuana smoke, vape usage and excessive noise.
Sentry’s groundbreaking features afford vacation property owners peace of mind by acting as a deterrent to unwanted smoking and disturbances, providing evidence for damage claims and assuring guests that they are staying in a verifiably smoke-free property.
Sentry’s airID™ smoke speciation technology sends alerts to property owners’ smartphones about unwanted smoking, while Sentry’s noise sensors alert owners of excessive gatherings, proactively eliminating or mitigating possible property damages. This ability to detect smoking, excessive noise and crowding can help prevent unwanted activities without violating the privacy of their short-term renters.
A single unwanted incident can cause an average of $4,100 in damages, in addition to costs and complaints associated with delays in accommodating future guests, resulting in the hosts’ reviews and ratings being negatively impacted.
“Sentry’s real time and data-rich environmental sensor technology is invaluable for property owners who see a high volume of short-term renters and need to keep their assets peaceful, undamaged, and disturbance-free,” said Raymond Wu, Wynd’s CEO. “With vacation season in full swing, we wanted to provide a solution for people whose second homes serve as a vital source of income and need to keep their properties ready for the next visitor. Our pilot program yielded amazing results, and we’re proud to officially launch the new standard for indoor environment protection.”
Wynd ran a pilot program with Sentry throughout 2021 and into 2022, placing the sensors in the vacation rental properties of participating Airbnb hosts and Vacasa rental owners. The program found that authenticated data regarding a smoking incident reduces insurance claim settlement times while also increasing the success rate for claims — making it ideal not only for short-term property rental owners, but also for owners of general multifamily rental units, single-family homes, hotels, student housing and more.
“Promoting my property as a ‘no-smoking’ property helps drive higher occupancy, and Sentry was useful for securing verification,” said Jessica, an Airbnb SuperHost, in September 2021. She also cited Sentry’s ability to lower her own costs by mitigating damage a tenant could cause, guarding against longer rental downtimes due to maintenance on her property.
“Sentry has allowed me to know which guests had a big party or smoked inside; I no longer have to guess,” said Alice, a Vacasa rental owner from January 2022. “I have proof, which has made filing a successful claim much easier.”