HVAC automation helps hoteliers find savings and simplicity
By Jeff Johns
Hoteliers face a balancing act heading into 2025. While travel volume is expected to grow, so are expenses, especially energy and labor – often the two largest line items in a hotel’s operational budget.
While automated technology promises to help hoteliers save on both through operational efficiencies, the journey to cost reduction can feel complex. With staff already stretched thin, owners and operators might have questions about implementing new technology: Who will manage it? How much time will it take? Will it actually deliver the purported time savings and ROI?
That’s especially true for select-service hotels – the largest and fastest-growing segment – which are known for their lean operations. While automation can reduce costs, it must do so without adding complexity, maintenance, or new skill requirements for staff.
In an environment where it’s essential to maintain quality service with fewer hands on deck, technology can be a lifeline. Automating tasks like check-ins, energy management, housekeeping logistics, and guest communication leaves staff free for more direct, face-to-face customer service. The catch, however, is in the implementation.
Savings You Can Measure
Energy management systems have emerged as one high-impact investment that delivers value and a rapid and measurable return. Following EMS best practices – a combination of occupancy detection, door events, and check-ins and check-outs from a networked property management system (PMS) – can reduce HVAC unit runtime by up to 35 percent.
With an integrated EMS system, hotels save up to 900 kWh per room annually – that adds up to $160 in savings per room each year. And regional differences in electricity costs, weather conditions, and occupancy rates can amplify the savings.
Out with the Old
In the past, the cost of thermostat networking, new equipment, and maintaining an EMS presented a challenge for hotel staff and operators. Older EMS solutions often required hoteliers to install a dedicated network and an on-premises server. Staff needed training on how to keep the network and servers running and resolve any issues. The time commitment for an overly complex or poorly maintained system could cut savings nearly in half. Not to mention, maintenance tasks took staff away from guest-facing service and required skills and knowledge that hospitality workers did not have – nor did they necessarily want to learn.
Today’s EMS solutions include Wi-Fi thermostats that leverage an existing network and cloud connectivity, eliminating the need for new infrastructure equipment. Integrating a networked EMS solution with a PMS is now less expensive, easier to self-install, and simpler to manage.
Cloud–connected devices can be remotely accessed over secure networks for management and troubleshooting. The cloud enables above-property visibility, allowing owners and operators to monitor the systems across a portfolio of hotels, coordinate with local staff on resolving issues, and determine when maintenance is both needed and completed.
By eliminating separate networks, extra equipment, and complex IT configurations, newer systems require less capital and resources to purchase, install, and maintain, lowering the total cost of ownership while accelerating energy savings.
Maximizing ROI in Technology Investments
To streamline operations, hotel owners must make strategic investments in automated technology that addresses the highest operational costs and greatest inefficiencies. Garnering the highest ROI demands a “right-sized” EMS – one that’s tailored to meet a property’s requirements and that balances energy savings with expected staff resource demand. For example, connecting the EMS to the PMS for check-ins and check-outs maximizes savings during days a room goes unoccupied, and it allows for quick temperature recovery when the next guest checks in. Guest comfort is a guarantee, and it requires zero staff involvement.
The bottom line is that a simple, cost-effective solution that is easy to install and easy to manage will deliver much faster return than even the most advanced hardwired systems.
Striking a Balance
Automated technology is key to overcoming high energy costs and staff shortages, but hoteliers must navigate this transition cautiously. The balance between adopting technology to drive efficiency and maintaining a human touch in hospitality remains delicate.
Focusing on strategic investments that offer low-cost, no-hassle installation, minimal hands-on management, and negligible complexity allows hotel owners and operators to leverage automation for long-term success without sacrificing service. By addressing the two biggest line items in the budget – labor and energy – EMS solutions safeguard against ever-rising costs, deliver a solid ROI, and enable staff to focus on providing an enriched guest experience.
Jeff Johns is global vice president of EMS business development for Nomadix, an ASSA ABLOY company. Johns has over 20 years of experience in hospitality technology and providing consultative design for energy management systems for guest room automation for hospitality, casino, and other markets. He’s responsible for the Nomadix EMS Solution and works closely with Engineering and IT partners to specify product requirements and configurations for a select channel of strategic partners.
Image: Nadezha Buravleva/stock.adobe.com
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