How smart tech in green hotels can enhance guest experience

Of all the customer-facing industries, hospitality is arguably the one most attuned to the changing mores of its customers. In today’s increasingly digitised world, that means balancing technology innovation for improved operations with the human need for connection, authenticity and discovery. Sustainability, cost-effectiveness, comfort: modern travellers want all three when they stay at a hotel, enabled by smart automation technologies that can be seamlessly integrated into building control systems to give guests 24/7 control over their environment at the touch of a button – while simultaneously helping property managers monitor energy usage and reduce their carbon footprint. Front of house innovations include one-touch interfaces for everything from lighting, ambience and shading to HVAC, room entry and entertainment. Combined with energy management solutions that automate operational and building engineering processes, these innovations deliver a superior guest experience, ease of operations, reduced OPEX and emissions and, ultimately, increased profitability. Vital statistics Global tourism expenditure is forecast to reach a record $2tn (£1.54tn) in 2024, and a significant proportion of that money will likely be spent by a new generation of eco-aware travellers to whom digital tech is second nature. According to Sustainable Hospitality – beyondNOW, 53% of global travellers will now pay more for products that demonstrate environmental responsibility, while 73% plan to stay in an environmentally friendly hotel at least once in their lifetime. Business as usual is no longer an option. New hospitality employment positions are opening up that are centred around digitalisation, technology and sustainability. Being sustainable no longer means breaking the bank; building a LEED-certified hotel only costs 1–2% more than one that’s not considered ‘green’. So, let us take a closer look at the intuitive connection between environmental, social and governance (ESG) and digitalisation, and how smart building technologies are being deployed in real-life hospitality projects to optimise, electrify and decarbonise operations. What is a smart hotel? A smart building uses interconnected technologies to improve comfort and performance across a variety of metrics (energy management, water use, heating, lighting, remote monitoring and communication networks, to name a few). By integrating technologies, a smart approach to building management creates a significant opportunity to increase return on investment and hit environmental targets. The concept of smart buildings is not new; what is new are web-based platforms that allow systems to integrate seamlessly with each other, delivering a single view of how efficiently and effectively a hotel operates. Intelligent building control solutions communicate with one another via one bus cable, using the worldwide open standard for the control of all types of intelligent buildings. Meanwhile, A comfort control in guest rooms embraces everything from entertainment to automated butler services via intuitive one-touch controls. The intelligent hotels of tomorrow In summary, hotel operators are tasked with identifying and catering to their key guest demographics in terms of age and technology proficiency. What may seem like second nature to a Gen Z guest may seem intrusive to more traditional hotel clientele who value the human touch over technology. Get this balance right and invest meaningfully in smart building technologies for both back and front of house, and operators can look forward to unprecedented visualisation and control of their hotel operations, empowering them to manage energy consumption, boost their sustainability credentials and compete from a position of strength in today’s – and tomorrow’s – booming hospitality space.