Smart Hotels - In Room Technology

Before COVID-19, hotels' primary strategies were to create guest satisfaction, brand loyalty, and revenue. In theory, this won't change, but hoteliers and hotel owners will have to deal with post-COVID-19 tech-enabled guests who will most definitely have health-related expectations.

When the world starts to open up again, a hotel's cleanliness and sanitation will play a critical part in its recovery, and so will its guest-facing technology.

If applied cleverly, guest-facing technology and how a hotel markets its offering could play a significant role in the decision-making process of future bookers and guests at a hotel.

A hotel's guest-facing technology offering could become a relevant focal point for their future guests' experience. Contactless options will most likely be very sought after.

Hotels wanting to introduce technology that supports a contactless environment will first need to review their tech stack and determine how flexible it is to support this. Consider a guest's touch points when arriving and staying at a hotel. 

  • The front desk and check-in process
  • The elevator call button and floor selection button
  • The door lock to the guest room
  • Light switches and thermostat controls
  • Telephone
  • TV remote control

Hotels could transition all these items to a contactless environment - but it will take some consideration.

You probably think the easy solution would be simply providing an app the guest can use on their phone / preferred device to do most of the above. You'd be right when you boil it down to its basic element. However, it is what sits behind the app and all the technology to ensure that it works in a connected and seamless way. And this is where the Internet of Things (IoT) related technology will play a part.

IoT
The definition of the Internet of things has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, real-time analytics, machine learning, commodity sensors, and embedded systems. Traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), and others contribute to enabling the Internet of things. In the consumer market, IoT technology is synonymous with products pertaining to the concept of the "smart building," covering devices and appliances (such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, security systems and cameras, and other appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems. It can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers. This is also the case within a hotel environment.

The Cloud

We talk about “The cloud” and how it benefits a modern hotel’s technology stack quite a lot in our content, which is why: While the cloud is not directly a part of IoT, it is an essential component of many IoT workflows. Cloud computing refers to remote (off-site) servers managed by the end-user or a third-party provider to process, manage and store data while running business applications instead of having them locally installed on the property. This has various benefits, including cost, scalability, maintenance, and more. We talk about Cloud computing in more detail in the PMS Editorial Video and the Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) Editorial.

Let's consider the future expectations of the guests' touch points as they arrive at the hotel, check-in, and make their way up to the room.

Arrival and check-in

Guests most likely will expect keyless, contactless check-in and checkout with almost zero physical interactions and contact points. Even having self-service kiosks may not necessarily be the only answer. They’ll likely need constant sanitizing before people may feel comfortable touching them without wondering how many before them have.

Post-COVID-19 travelers are likely to want to check themselves in via their mobile device, walk into the hotel, enter the elevator themselves, select the floor they’d like to go to, find the room, and use their mobile to enter their room - all without having to touch anything on the way. At the time of check-out, the same principle applies with the addition of automated payment solutions to avoid the need to hand over any cash or credit cards at the front desk.

What makes a hotel room a “Smart” room?

We have touched on the arrival process, getting to the room, and checking out. Now let’s look at what can be done within the hotel room to make it “smart” and offer as much as possible in-room technology contactless solutions.

  • Room Controls

IoT technology can control in-room lighting, heating, air conditioning, and even curtains from a centralized or remote location, such as a smartphone or via a device like Amazon Alexa.

  • Voice-Controlled Technology

Smart speakers can remove the need to touch in-room technology devices. By connecting to the TV, guests can simply control the device using their voice. With voice directives, guests can turn the television on or off from anywhere in the room and change the channel.

Suppose the hotel network infrastructure supports it and the connectivity is available; guests can use voice features to play personal music playlists via the in-room smart speaker or even order room service. It results in a contactless environment and a more convenient experience.

  • Personal Content

Most of the population consumes video, music, and other services via the internet, ranging from streaming, watching live feeds, listening to music, and more. Thus, guests also expect access to these services during their hotel stays. The new normal for most guests is using their mobile devices to access platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, etc. Therefore a smart hotel room can also offer a more personalized entertainment experience by allowing hotel guests to use their individual, private accounts with these third-party online services either directly through the in-room TV or pushed from their device onto the TV or in-room speaker system. This, together with reliable internet connectivity, allows the guest to stream, view, listen and control devices in the hotel room with their mobile devices.

  • Amenities and faster guest services

Using IoT devices within a smart hotel offers the ability to connect devices to other hotel services. These could range from Housekeeping to ordering extra towels, Maintenance to report an issue with the air conditioning, spa bookings, or even concierge to get information about the local area.

Using either a voice-activated smart hub or an app can allow guests to interact on their devices directly with the hotel’s departments and staff, all without having to touch a single item in the room.

  • Sustainability

IoT technology also helps hotels save money on energy costs. For instance, it would be possible for a room to automatically detect the level of light in the room and then seamlessly reduce or increase the brightness of the lighting. The heating or cooling of a hotel room could also be automatically adjusted. Rooms can determine when occupied or empty and automatically run lighting and air conditioning services on the bare minimum or completely shut down.

Of course, guests could override this and manually manage the controls of their room, either while in the room or from another location in the hotel. E.g., if they wanted to warm or cool the room for a short time before going back after spending time in the spa or bar, they could do so through the hotel app on their mobile phone.

The Necessary Infrastructure

The networking aspect of a hotel can be a very complicated and detailed topic. We could do an entire editorial just on cabling and network infrastructure, it's that involved. We’ll be the first to admit that not all hotels are in a position to replace the entire network infrastructure within their building for varying reasons. 

That said though, before a hotel can consider introducing any technologies that support IoT cloud based solutions and wireless communication methods, having the right network and cabling back bone in place is an extremely important component in order to introduce a Smart Hotel environment. So it would be highly recommended that a hotel owner or management team consult with an industry network infrastructure consultant that understands the need for cabling based on the size and requirements of the hotel in question. 

Most independently operated hotels and smaller regional brands today have some networking infrastructure throughout the property that is based on TCP/IP using Ethernet, Fiber or DSL. This typically supports the High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) network for the guest and locally installed applications (e.g. PMS) for operational purposes. Unless the hotel is using cloud based solutions which then means that these services are off property. Most global chains such as Marriott and Hilton are installing Structured Cabling solutions on a Converged Network environment. These are typically configured in such a way that there is a Guest Network that supports Wi-Fi and internet connectivity with it’s own set of security protocols and a Back office network that is used for hotel staff for access to their applications and data with its own set of security protocols. 

The other network solution available but is still yet to show its commercial value is Fibre to the room, also known as Passive Optical Networks (PON). A Passive Optical Network (PON) is a point-to-multipoint optical fiber network infrastructure using a passive (no power required) optical splitter to distribute data from a central location such as the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) in a hotel to guest rooms and other locations throughout the property. The optical splitter creates a shared network using a single fiber between a port in the MDF. 

Advantages of a Passive Optical Network.

This “PON” solution is still to show its functional and commercial value, an example of why is due to the fact that most chain branded hotels will not install it due to the fact that every guest room still requires a Optical Network Terminal (ONT) that connects all of the in-room wiring for telephones, TVs, HSIA, and any other devices. For back-up and emergency purposes the chain brands require each ONT to have a dedicated Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) in the closet or the AC circuit to be on a UPS. This is a factor that adds a lot of extra cost that even the global chains baulk at and hence continue to install a structured cabling network over Ethernet. 

The benefit of such a PON network topology is that it should in theory save money on cabling vs. the traditional Copper Ethernet CAT 6 cabling environment, given it reduces the amount of cabling required to support the entire building. Yet for one reason or another, these cost savings have not been proven or validated and the vendors that supply them are themselves struggling at times to manage their own contractors and resources during the installation phase and ongoing service and maintenance. Just goes to show that even the biggest branded hotels and chains are struggling to find the “Goldilocks” zone of being cost effective and business enhancing. 

Fibre Cable vs. Copper Ethernet Cable. (Source - HTNG)

This chart gives a very high level comparison of the difference between Fibre and Copper Ethernet cable. 

With a PON solution hotels can integrate the entire Guest Room services onto a single optical fibre infrastructure that would include the following in room requirements. 

  • High Speed Internet Access
  • Voice Services
  • Analog Telephones
  • VoIP (w/PoE) Telephones
  • Automatic Mini Bar
  • Building Automation Systems
  • Video Services
  • IP Video (IPTV)
  • WiFi Access Point
  • Security Cameras and Systems
  • Sensors and Monitoring

215 Room Hotel Cable Comparison (Source - HTNG)

Not everything listed in this article might be practical or feasible for every hotel. If you’re a hotel owner or operator and interested in expanding your guest facing technology and smart hotel solutions to offer a more contactless guest experience then thorough research and investigation into the solutions that best fit your existing technology stack should be carried out. 

Also, talk with your technology providers about what might be the best solutions for your hotel. Like any major business decision, reducing risk and maximizing returns should be top of mind. 

Marriott International IoT Guest-room

This behind-the-scenes video shows The IoT Guest-room Lab – powered by Marriott's Innovation Lab at the company's corporate headquarters. It shows how they explore concepts that have the potential to elevate the guest experience, create more efficient hotel room design and construction. Watch Video


Also find these supporting content pieces on Smart Hotels

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