Smart hospitality

Five ways smart property solutions can revolutionise the hospitality industry

- SANJEEVV BHATIA

Digitalisation is leaving no stones unturned across business and industry. Before the pandemic, it would be deemed “disruption”; today, it’s transformation. And for its part, the hospitality industry has assimilated into digital reality at an exemplary rate. The global smart hospitality market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 21.63% from 2020 to 2027(1). So, what are potential adopters hoping to achieve?

First and foremost, hotels are complex structures comprising multi-vendor units such as HVAC, lighting systems, plumbing fixtures, central boilers, guest room management systems, security and access control, building management systems, etc. And since the industry is predominantly service-driven, there is no room for compromises in any system. Furthermore, the industry is increasingly coming under scrutiny for its resource-intensive nature. So, with technology adoption and implmentation, hospitality professionals are hoping to optimise energy usage, guest experiences, and routine operations, while reconciling these with long-term ROI and incremental savings. Here are five ways these multi-fold objectives are achievable through smart property solutions.

1. Vendor-agnostic integration: The cornerstone of smart hospitality is the IoT- led integration of all systems and functions, irrespective of vendor lock-ins and licenses. Enterprise-grade solutions will seamlessly integrate multivendor systems, creating an open-protocol ecosystem and centralising the control under one roof. Operators can thus perform real-time monitoring and commissioning. The single-window visibility into hotel-wide systems and processes will enable operators to give timely alerts, optimise workflows, and streamline operations of all — kitchen, administrative, and housekeeping — staff.