Blog Assignment # 4

Managing Energy in a Volatile Environment
By: Geoff Griswold
Hospitality Upgrade Magazine
http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=62

High energy costs are dramatically influencing hotelier’s costs, especially where electricity and natural gas are concerned. Deregulation was expected to stimulate competition and thus lower prices of electricity and gas, but costs have actually increased in deregulated markets. Hoteliers are now forced to hire energy consultants and brokers to deal with lengthy buying procedures and financial contracts. Despite these drawbacks, hotels still need to “conserve resources and manage energy costs.” It is rather disappointing to know that energy costs may never decrease to an affordable price; however hoteliers who make a genuine effort to conserve energy despite the cost factor do not go unrecognized. “EnergyStar is a voluntary government/business partnership that offers energy-efficient solutions to conserve resources and protect the environment.” Initially EnergyStar was a labeling system that promoted energy efficient computers and monitors. Now the program has grown to include office equipment, heating/cooling equipment, major appliances, lighting, home electronics, new homes and even hotels. For hotels, the EPA established a rating system, from 1 – 100, which allows hotels to compare their energy usage with others around the country. Going through an extensive process, once a hotel reaches a rating of 75, they are awarded the EnergyStar. Even if hotels do not join EnergyStar, numerous vendors offer products and technology that can effectively help hotels manage their energy costs. Some of the vendors are described below:

Energy Eye: standalone, wireless radio frequency devices; manage room temperature, ventilation and air conditioning; an infrared motion detector identifies movement in the room; a micro door sensor determines if the door has been opened; communicates with the HVAC system

Lodging Technology: infrared-base system that detects body heat accurately to eliminate the chance of false detection picked up by other motion sensors; can have separate inputs for the HVAC system if a balcony door is opened versus the main door; hand-held scanner which allows hotel staff to determine if a room is occupied, without disturbing the guest

Energex Inc.: provide digital thermostats; interface with any HVAC control system; “Web-based room status display as part of real time occupancy reporting”; handheld wands to determine room status without knocking on the door

Reflection:

Because part of my contribution to the SDP project is energy management, I found this article to be very interesting. I was not aware of the extent of high energy costs that hotels face. However, it is great to see that many hotels are taking the opportunity to conserve energy resources either by joining the EnergyStar program or by other control methods. I knew that energy costs were increasing and that guest comfort was a sensitive subject, but I didn’t realize how easily it could be controlled through the energy management systems listed in the article. Of all the vendor products described, the one that surprised me the most was provided by two vendors - the hand-held scanners/wands. They allow hotel staff to determine room-occupancy without touching the door and/or interrupting the guest. Although the product seems fascinating, I do find it a little creepy. What would you think if you walked out of your room to find a hotel employee pointing a wand at your door to see if you were inside? Yes, it may only take a second to determine the status, but to me it is a little weird. I also find the infrared motion detectors, although not the newest technology on the market, to be very helpful in conserving energy when guests are or aren’t in the room. With any luck, all hotels can utilize these systems, distinguish themselves from their competitors and get a return on investment quickly with the purchase of these energy-saving systems.

Blog Assignment # 3

The Electronic Guestroom

Hospitality Upgrade Magazine

Inge, Jon (2006, March). The electronic guestroom. Retrieved
October 8, 2007 from , Web site:
http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=56

Summary:
In today’s hospitality industry, hotel guests push for user-friendly technology that not only enhances their experience, but also blends comfort with convenience. Guestroom electronics range from audio/visual entertainment, flat-screen televisions and surround-sound to iPod connections, mini-bars, electronic do-not-disturb indicators and intelligent thermostats. A simple television and stand are no longer acceptable, a soda-filled refrigerator is of the past, and wireless internet is not an amenity, but rather a necessity.

Entertainment in the room now involves pay-per-view movies, games, iPod connections and flat-panel displays. These flat-panel displays are equipped with laptop connections and high-speed internet; however they are usually in awkward positions. Considering that most displays are wall units, hotels can also utilize stand-alone guest workstations. These workstations can be utilized as a display for a laptop or for access to the internet and “hotel-specific” information. Guests could potentially make restaurant reservations, enter wakeup calls, access the concierge, view folio information, create and print documents, etc, all at one workstation.

Phones are also changing their technology to focus on guests. They could be a VoIP unit or just a “multipurpose control” unit that is touch-screen, and allows for access to weather, sports, travel conditions, events and restaurants. For group meetings, display icons could be used to pertain to a particular guest’s group, which could tell them who has arrived, the agenda for a meeting and directions to the conference rooms.

Mini-bars are centrally managed, allowing hotels to record real-time activities, charge the guests folio automatically, check expiration dates of food and drinks, give “drink-mix discounts (e.g. charging a lower price if both gin and tonic water are removed,)” and notifying the staff to only bring certain items needed for restocking instead of wasting time and labor on manual inventory or every room.

In-Room safes are also changing their features, by coming in different shapes, sizes and varieties. They many include a power supply inside to charge laptops and cellular devices; and the usual pin-code entry may be replaced with “fingerprint recognition” or “swiping the guestroom keycard.”

Reflection:
The technologies the article described are certainly one-of-a-kind and attractive to tech-savvy individuals. However, if one guestroom contains all these amenities and technologies, I’d hope they would not confuse the guest. Of course, some of them aren’t even tangible, but many of the devices require some previous knowledge and older guests may not be too eager to use them. Despite the risk of being non-user-friendly, these technologies are a great way for a hotel to gain competitive advantage. They can increase revenues; put guests in full control of their stay with the guest workstations; and improve upon guest satisfaction with the customized room temperatures, safes and more. Overall, I agree with the usage of such technologies in guestrooms. The hotels just have to properly manage their networks, bandwidth use, and convergences between these systems to eliminate overlapping, overspending and more importantly, overwhelming the guest.