3 Ways Technology Can Make Hotels More Sustainable

Although the Internet Of Things (IoT) has been around for some time there have been some technological advances that are helping hoteliers overcome some of the industry's challenges, especially when trying to prioritize guest comfort while still saving resources such as water and energy. In this article we look at 3 ways which technology and IoT can save resources for hotels.

#1 – Reduce costs through energy savings

Hospitality is highly concerned with energy consumption and its associated costs. “Energy is the second largest spending category for a hotel after employment”, according to Energy Solutions. (Source - HotelNewsNow) As hoteliers cannot control their guests' behavior, they have turned to technology to find solutions in order to save energy without the need for guests' manual interaction. For instance, daylight sensors aim to save energy while increasing indoor lighting quality. The technique consists of sensors that adjust the lighting intensity of the LED luminaires according to the amount of daylight coming into the room. These sensors act as automatic dimmers and automatically turn on or off lights in a space to ensure energy efficiency and optimal lighting conditions can be achieved simultaneously.

The Radisson Blu Hotel has already equipped its Disneyland Paris’ Hotel with these daylight sensors, which are used for outdoor artificial lighting in the garden and parking areas. This technique also plays a key role in the guest comfort and experience during their stay.

#2 – Customer comfort and customized experience

Hoteliers’ greatest priority is to increase their guests’ comfort. Connected devices can help to recreate this home away from home atmosphere and personalize the stay of each guest.

For instance, the ComfyApp, developed by Building Robotics, provides more comfortable spaces to customers while saving energy, by adapting the heating and cooling requirements to guest preferences and remembering the setup that has been previously used. Technologies such as these can make hotels more comfortable, spaces more intuitive and ultimately increase guest satisfaction.

According to Hotel 2025 report from Oracle Hospitality, "the path forward undeniably will rely on technologies that make hotels smarter, accelerate service and most importantly, personalize experiences for each and every guest".

Source: https://ucarecdn.com/a7d92b19-7ae6-4da5-8703-5c12b934f53e/

#3 – Predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance is the process of using sensor data in order to predict equipment failure which leads to significant costs saving.

“Organizations that established enterprise preventive and predictive maintenance programs find that maintenance costs can be reduced by more than 40% and energy consumption by more than 10%”. (Source - Blog Schneider-Electric)

The artificial intelligence IoT platform Verdigris has developed software and sensors, which are able to determine the energy patterns of a building. The technology they use allows hotels, such as Hyatt Hotels, Starwood Hotels or Marriott, to have energy forecasts, alerts about defective equipment, maintenance reminders and energy usage information for their appliances. The Einstein Sensor “makes it unbelievably easy to know what's happening inside your building in real time, down to a single appliance”, according to Verdigris CEO, Mark Chung. (Source - PR Newswire)

As sensors and devices become easier and cheaper to implement, IoT has a promising future in the Hospitality industry. To learn more about how your hotel can be energy efficient through Operations and Renovations, click here.

The use of sensors and IoT technology in building can support energy conservation, air quality and water management for which additional credits may be earned. The use of sensors may contribute to buildings earning LEED points in the ‘Energy and Atmosphere’ category for ‘Advanced Energy Metering’. The credit is intended “to support energy management and identify opportunities for additional energy savings by tracking building-level and system-level energy use”. To learn more about the LEED credits available for Advanced Energy Metering visit https://www.usgbc.org/credits/new-construction-schools-new-construction-retail-new-construction-healthcare-data-centers-15 credits page for more information.