Yes, you did read the article title correctly… wireless charging!
I’ve written before about the flashpacker and how many electrical items travellers now carry around with them on their travels, whether it be for social purposes or for work. Wifi for mobiles is now expected to be free in hostels worldwide, but staying connected is also seriously affected by the pitiful battery life of our mobiles.
My iPhone and I have been joined at the hip for the past two years, and six months ago after much frustration I finally had to give in and buy a back up portable charger, just to make sure the phone battery lasts the whole day!
So I got pretty excited last November when I encountered chargifi, who had partnered with Nova Interiors, to provide wireless charging tables for the Sleep Event 2014.
What Does Chargifi Do?
Chargifi have harnessed technology so that you can literally just place your mobile (equipped with the chargifi app of course) on a wireless charging spot and your phone will charge without needing to be plugged in!
At the moment, Chargifi provide a small plug-in wireless adapter to charge the phone with, but in the future they are looking to build their technology in to mobiles themselves.
Like most ridicously useful technologies, I had to see it to believe it. So press play on the quick 50 second video below and then scroll down to see why I believe hostels need Chargifi.
Why Do Hostels Need Chargifi?
Modern hostels, such as the new YHA Brighton and Vintage Hostel Paris have realised the importance, not just in giving guests free wifi, but also in providing plug or USB sockets for each and every bunk in the hostel.
Overnight charging is so often essential for travellers with mobiles and laptops, but it also confines guests to their rooms if they need to charge their phones during the day. What’s more is that despite these huge moves to give each bunk sockets, common areas still so often lack well-placed sockets.
When I met Chargifi I was staying in a hostel that had a great open common area, but barely any charging sockets. If I wanted to charge my phone to answer emails or catch up on Skype I had to go all the way back to my room on the top floor which was a right pain in the bum!
A great addition to the technology is the Chargifi app itself, which allows venues hosting Chargifi to send out their own ads as notification through the app. It would be a great way to get guests noticing hostel activities and events such as walking tours and pub crawls which travellers so often miss hearing about at check in in the rush to dup their bags and explore!
So what do you think – would Chargifi make a difference to your hostel experience?
I couldn’t possibly rave anymore about the awesome technology that Chargifi could bring to the hostel industry and design. I can only wish them best of luck with their business and fingers crossed we will see them in hostels across Europe soon!
Lots of love,
