{"id":72915,"date":"2024-04-18T13:40:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T11:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intellias.com\/?post_type=blog&p=72915"},"modified":"2024-07-16T03:24:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T01:24:19","slug":"internet-of-things-iot-hospitality-industry","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/intellias.com\/internet-of-things-iot-hospitality-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"IoT in Hotels: Solutions That are Transforming the Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the oldest industries in the world, hospitality is readily absorbing all technological innovations that have the potential to improve the guest experience and enable more efficient service. The sector suffered a considerable blow with the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in harsh travel restrictions and supply chain disruptions.<\/p>\n

But the most painful consequence of the pandemic was the loss of qualified staff, which in the US alone resulted in a 48.6% decrease<\/a> in total employment in the leisure and hospitality industry. During the pandemic, forward-looking hotel chains and individual establishments turned to digital technology to compensate for a lack of skilled personnel, ensure their guests\u2019 safety and comfort, and keep their businesses afloat.<\/p>\n

The Internet of Things (IoT) stormed into the travel and hospitality domain to resolve some of the biggest pandemic-induced issues, automating tasks previously performed by hotel staff and minimizing guests\u2019 interactions with both staff and objects in the public space through contactless check-in and check-out. Yet the potential of IoT in hotels turned out to go far beyond meeting social distancing requirements, opening new and sometimes quite unexpected opportunities for the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n

Smart devices are firmly on the way to transforming the guest experience on top of justifying hotels\u2019 investments in them via returns from intelligence-based predictive maintenance, asset allocation, and \u2014 above all \u2014 service effectiveness. Today, the hospitality sector has moved past questioning the relevance of IoT and is actively exploring ways to adopt it, testing new approaches and demonstrating new gains. The global IoT market in the travel and tourism industry (including software, hardware, and services) is forecast to reach $28 billion by 2027<\/a>, with the software sector showing the fastest growth.<\/p>\n

Global IoT connected devices 2019-2030 forecast (billions)<\/h2>\n

\"Global<\/p>\n

Source: Statista<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In this post, you will see the transformation triggered by the Internet of Things in the hospitality industry<\/a>, creating unique experiences and changing the approach to hotel maintenance.<\/p>\n

Advantages of IoT in hospitality<\/h2>\n

For the hotel and hospitality industry, connected technologies bring quite a number of benefits, primarily thanks to their ability to automate tasks large and small that need to be done on a daily basis. Such automation accelerates flows and performs lots of unseen services that contribute to maintaining an unvaryingly high quality of hotel stays for guests. Yet the benefits of Internet of Things in hospitality extend far beyond this.<\/p>\n

Personalization of guest experiences<\/h3>\n

According to a survey by PWC, in the majority of cases of IoT used in hotels, the data gathered by this technology serves to create unique, personalized experiences for guests<\/a>. From mobile check-ins and keyless room entry to voice assistants and targeted recommendations, connected services accompany hotel guests every step of the way, making their stay as comfortable as possible. IoT-driven mobile applications can accept orders, make reservations for in-hotel services, customize amenities, and suggest places to visit.<\/p>\n

As a result, guests\u2019 interactions with the hotel become smooth and positive, with no time wasted talking to service agents or queuing at the reception desk. Connected devices make sure that the temperature and lights in the room meet a guest\u2019s requirements and that housekeeping visits the room when guests are out. An IoT-enhanced hotel room will remember a guest\u2019s favorite TV channels, wake-up time, comfortable water temperature, and much more to create an outstanding experience \u2014 almost anticipating the guest\u2019s preferences.<\/p>\n

Resource consumption management<\/h3>\n

For years, hotels have been saving power with mechanisms blocking air conditioning from running with windows or balcony doors open. Implementation of IoT in hotels offers much wider opportunities for optimizing power consumption in rooms and buildings of any size.<\/p>\n

Occupancy sensors help to save power by triggering smart thermostats to lower the temperature or switching off lights when nobody is in the room. Motion sensors control hallway lights, increasing their brightness when guests appear.<\/p>\n

On top of optimizing energy use, IoT-powered data and analytics allow hotels to monitor water consumption as well as control waste generation.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of connected devices across the building not only save a hotel\u2019s budget but also help reduce waste, save resources, and contribute to greener and more sustainable operations.<\/p>\n

Time and cost savings through task automation<\/h3>\n

With IoT devices taking care of mobile check-in and check-out for hotel guests, the workload of reception staff is lowered, allowing the hotel to optimize task distribution and achieve higher personnel efficiency, leaving employees more time to interact with guests. Despite technological advances, personal touches remain at the heart of the hospitality experience.<\/p>\n

Using data from occupancy sensors, housekeeping can plan room cleaning more efficiently, saving workers\u2019 time and raising the team\u2019s productivity. At the same time, connected devices for equipment maintenance and monitoring can play a significant role in improving safety and sustainability while saving the hotel money. Sensors monitoring the equipment and detecting deviations from the norm (such as excessive temperature or pressure, gas or water leaks) can alert maintenance crews to perform preventive service, avoiding major failures.<\/p>\n

Prioritized security and safety<\/h3>\n

\"Reasons<\/p>\n

Security surveillance is one of the priority areas for using Internet of Things in hotels. IoT devices are integrated into security systems to boost the quality of surveillance and access control. Security cameras with face and motion recognition features can monitor public areas, analyzing people\u2019s behavior, identifying potential threats, and spotting individuals who are not supposed to be in the hotel. Meanwhile, IoT-based keyless entry systems can ensure authorized access within the hotel, keeping both guests and staff safe.<\/p>\n

Connected smoke alarms, temperature monitors, and gas leak detectors strategically installed across the hotel premises can alert staff about any hazards in time for emergency response crews to take action. Such proactive measures increase both the safety of people in the hotel and the operability of hotel property.<\/p>\n

Data collection and analytics<\/h3>\n

Through connected devices, hotels gather their guests\u2019 data (with consent), enhancing personalization opportunities and raising overall customer satisfaction. Using hotel IoT solutions, management can gain insights into guests\u2019 preferences, routines, schedules, and other metrics that allow the hotel to offer highly personalized services.<\/p>\n

In a hotel chain, using such data helps to create unified guest profiles, providing consistent, personalized services across all facilities, no matter where guests roam.<\/p>\n

Transformative IoT solutions for hotels<\/h2>\n
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Everything that can be automated will be automated.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRobert Cannon<\/a>,<\/span> Internet Policy Analyst<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/small>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t<\/section>\n

In the global smart hospitality market, connectivity and digital solutions<\/a> are integral for optimizing guest experiences and operational effectiveness. The adoption of advanced technologies enables hotels to provide efficient services, personalized experiences, and streamlined operations, ensuring competitiveness in the digital era.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Hospitality<\/p>\n

Source: Research and Markets<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Just as there are dozens of connected solutions, there are dozens of IoT applications that can reshape hotel experiences for both guests and personnel. With each passing year, we see new cases of IoT in the hospitality industry aimed at creating an appealing, safe, and comfortable environment for guests and improving working conditions for hotel staff.<\/p>\n

Digital twins<\/h3>\n

Digital twin solutions are not unique to the hotel industry. Manufacturing enterprises, logistics facilities, healthcare institutions, and construction companies are already creating digital twins<\/a> of their infrastructure to increase the efficiency of monitoring and maintenance.<\/p>\n

For hotels, having a digital replica of their infrastructure based on data obtained from sensors, cameras, and other connected devices opens a wealth of benefits for optimizing facility management<\/a> and creating unique guest experiences. For example, Intellias proprietary IntelliTwin digital twin solution can be customized for use by hotels and hospitality facilities to attain a next-level method of hotel property management through:<\/p>\n