Why Building Integration Optimizes Hotel Operations

SILOED SYSTEMS ARE REACHING THEIR LIMITS

The typical hotel depends on a diverse array of technologies – a property management system, access control and door lock systems, security and surveillance, fire safety systems, HVAC and lighting systems, myriad guestroom technologies – with various platforms to manage all of it. And many would call that list “just the basics.”

Yet when every system operates separately with a different interface, it can become challenging to operate them all efficiently. The risk of issues across systems multiplies as they become more complex, as does the time needed to troubleshoot. Likewise, training on disparate systems is more time consuming – making it that much harder to obtain and replace skilled staff.

Even for those hotels tempted to retain older systems and processes for the sake of perceived “simplicity,” this is a temporary fix at best. As technologies age, they become more difficult to maintain, and may degrade in efficiency over time. Eventually, older technologies become unsupported and potentially vulnerable to cyber threats. Meanwhile, competitors continue to gain advantages with newer capabilities.

So what’s a forward-looking hotel to do? Overcome technical complexity with integration.

THE CONVERGENCE OF HOTEL SYSTEMS

As advanced capabilities and technologies become increasingly essential, and increasingly sophisticated, our industry has likewise been experiencing a trend toward system integration as the key strategy for maintaining efficient, reliable, and adaptable hotel operations.

For instance, by having a single user interface to manage all building systems in guestrooms and common areas – such as HVAC and lighting, energy use, security and access, and life safety – hotels can more efficiently maintain optimal conditions and adapt to the unexpected. A fully integrated building system requires fewer people to manage it and is easier to learn, freeing staff to devote more attention to guests.

The upshot:  Greater operational efficiency for your staff, and for the systems in your hotel.

INTEGRATION UNLOCKS NEW POSSIBILITIES

As many hotels have learned, a fully integrated building also gives rise to valuable new insights and capabilities.

Analytics of systems and processes become more precise and more meaningful when they give a picture of how the entire site operates. This data can then help hotels refine staff workflows, reduce avoidable costs such as energy waste, and make better-informed investments for further growth.

Integration is also a key element of automation – one of the most effective ways hotels can improve operational efficiency. For example, when a guestroom can detect that it’s unoccupied, it can automatically reduce unnecessary energy use from HVAC and lighting systems, helping hotels mitigate a huge source of energy waste without affecting guest experiences.

And integration also increases resilience and responsiveness to the unexpected. From preventing equipment malfunctions to addressing safety or security risks and cyber breaches sooner, a fully integrated building is more capable of detecting potential concerns early, and helping staff respond more quickly if an incident does occur.

PROVIDE RESPOSNIVE GUESTROOMS

Guest room management systems (GRMS) can now be tightly integrated with energy management, building management, property management, life safety, and door lock systems.

PERSONALIZE GUESTROOM EXPRIENCES

When a guest checks in, their room can automatically adjust the temperature to a comfortable setting. Likewise, a welcoming lighting scene can activate as they enter the room, as can other responses, such as a personalized greeting. For returning guests, their preferred custom settings can also be restored throughout the room.

REDUCE ENERGY WASTE

Integrating building systems lets guestrooms make optimal use of occupancy sensors, door-status data, and room-rental status. When the system detects a room is unoccupied, heating or cooling goes into setback mode, curtains close, and lights turn off. Unrented rooms can automatically go into a deeper setback mode for further energy savings.

SIMPLIFY GUEST ACCESS

Digital key technology can let guests use their own mobile devices to control their door lock via Bluetooth^®, as well as other secured areas such as elevator access to their floor. This is more convenient for guests, saves time for staff, and reduces cost for hotels by reducing the need for other expenses like keys and access cards.

STREAMLINE BUILDING MANAGEMENT

Building integration also helps hotels optimize management of common areas by integrating a building management system (BMS) with energy management systems, security, access control, and fire safety systems.

SIMPLIFY FACILITY MANAGEMENT

With a fully integrated building, operations can be centrally managed for a wide variety of essential building functions, such as lighting, elevators, HVAC, fire systems, video surveillance, and sound management, helping facilities staff to operate with greater oversight and efficiency.

AUTOMATE HVAC EFFICIENCY

Streamline staff workload by letting systems adapt automatically as needed. For instance, HVAC sensors and controls can accurately manage temperature and ventilation in each area, even adjusting to current conditions such as occupancy levels, weather, and utility rates.

AUTOMATE LIGHTING

Lighting often needs customization for multifunction common areas, such as conference rooms. With lighting fully integrated into the BMS, scenes can be automated and scheduled. Lighting and blinds can also take advantage of daylight harvesting, making the best use of natural light during the day to reduce hotel energy consumption. And if a safety risk occurs, emergency lighting can activate automatically to aid an evacuation.

INCREACE STAFF PRODUCTIVITY

In addition to automating standard functions and eliminating repetitive tasks, an integrated building can help hotel teams perform their jobs more effectively by providing better information and control.

RESPOND TO GUEST NEEDS FASTER

Guestroom status can be tracked in real-time – such as HVAC settings, “do not disturb” and “make up room” status, and door / window / curtain statuses – helping housekeeping know which rooms are occupied and which need service. This tracking can help staff respond to requests more quickly, and enables housekeeping to assign cleaning more efficiently without disturbing occupied rooms.

MAINTAIN SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

With a fully integrated site, facility staff gains better visibility into how effectively equipment is performing in guestrooms and common areas. This makes it easier to maintain targets for comfort and energy efficiency, and to identify maintenance needs sooner – even before guests notice an issue.

ENHANCE SAFETY

By centrally monitoring security and life safety from the same system that operates the building, staff can more easily stay aware of current conditions. They can also get alerted to concerns sooner and coordinate responses more effectively. For instance, the building management system can be ready to activate standard operating procedures for issuing alerts, as well as managing a lockdown or evacuation.

IMPROVE TRAINING AND STAFF RETENTION

Integrating systems into a common interface helps hotels train new staff more quickly, making them less dependent on competing for skilled staff in short supply. And a hotel that operates more efficiently is not merely delightful for guests – it can also lead to a happier workforce, helping hotels retain their own skilled staff members.

MANAGE PROPERTIES REMOTELY

Once integrated into a single platform, hotels can also easily adopt cybersecure remote capabilities to further improve responsiveness, consistency, and operational efficiency.

MONITOR AND MANAGE FROM ANYWHERE

Key staff members can monitor status and receive alerts, even when they’re off site. And with secure access via a web browser on a computer or mobile device, staff can change settings, control systems, and troubleshoot issues without needing to physically access equipment or come to the site.

SIMPLIFY PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Once sites are integrated, hotel owners and portfolio managers can use dashboards and reports to monitor key performance indicators across the portfolio, both as trends and in real time. This makes it easier to compare performance, pilot-test new capabilities, and manage portfolio-wide initiatives such as sustainability targets.

STANDARDIZE SYSTEM SETTINGS

Brand and portfolio managers can also establish and monitor standard settings for a wide variety of systems – such as temperature settings and lighting scenes – helping optimize consistency across sites for how efficiently systems use energy, and the types of experiences guests can expect, no matter which hotel they visit.

FUND VITAL UPGRADES

Beyond streamlining the operational efficiency of your hotel, integrating building systems can help you operate systems more cost effectively and with greater energy efficiency.

And this in turn may open the door to funding opportunities – particularly those designed to encourage greater sustainability, energy efficiency, and safety.

There are a variety of funding sources that hotel owners and operators can leverage to help make their buildings more sustainable and energy efficient – such as rebates from local and state utilities, state energy efficiency programs, and federal stimulus funds allotted for energy efficiency and infrastructure renewal.

Moreover, you don’t have to figure out these opportunities on your own – we can help.