Have you ever stepped into a hotel room and marvelled as it came to life automatically? It is not magic that makes this happen; it is intelligent lighting controls.
Hotel rooms are left unoccupied around 70% of the time. So, without automated room control management, hotel buildings waste enormous amounts of energy at the expense of the environment — and rack up hefty utility bills.
That is why hotel maintenance teams turn to lighting control systems to improve room management, provide a seamless guest experience and minimise energy consumption. As such, we have seen a significant increase in the demand for integrated lighting controls for the hotel industry — from standard budget chains to high-end boutique hotels.
By connecting to the power circuits that supply a room, these intelligent systems can manipulate and monitor not just the lighting but sockets, solenoid valves, fan coil units, minibars, televisions, USB ports and more.
Facilitating a greener future
During the coronavirus lockdown of 2020, research suggested that many hotels had only reduced their energy consumption by 16% on average, despite rooms being unoccupied for weeks at a time.
However, intelligent controls have been found to reduce hotel energy consumption by 28% and make the job of facilities managers easier. With automation, maintenance engineers can regain control over energy use by turning off power supplies in rooms when they are not occupied or adjusting the energy consumed by different applications in response to their changing use.
For a more localised level of control, a stand-alone system such as the IRIS Room Controller can be fitted and programmed to control various lighting and power outputs. With a simple panel interface in each room, users can control a selection of outlets to create their desired environment. These may be switched on and off manually or with a keycard, meaning rooms consume a minimum amount of energy when vacant.
Providing ultimate control with architectural lighting
For a more comprehensive and flexible control solution, a bespoke architectural control system is preferred. In a luxury hotel, where occupants might have paid thousands of pounds for their stay, every detail counts. Every fixture in a room can be monitored remotely with architectural lighting controls, providing accurate real-time data and alerting staff immediately to anything from a leaking pipe to a bulb outage. Emergency light testing can also be automated to ensure buildings remain fully compliant, giving hotel managers one less thing to worry about.
When fully integrated with other building management systems (BMS) and controlled via a head-end PC, facilities managers and hoteliers gain the ultimate control over all rooms, corridors and lobbies under one system.
Delivering flexible, fully networkable lighting control solutions
Innovative room and lighting controls can provide a hotel with a unique atmosphere and user experience for both staff and guests, addressing the many requirements of hotel management with the functionality and ease of modern technology.
TheisCraft provides fully flexible control systems for luxury hotels — specifically designed for end-use and a range of applications — to improve hotel management and elevate the guest experience. Software and technology are purpose-built for each specification, ensuring every room operates at the optimum energy-consumption level while maximising comfort.
For example, rooms can be fitted with sensor-activated LEDs to illuminate the way to the bathroom or exit should a guest need to get up during the night. Rooms can also be pre-set from the reception-based computer system to power up various functions in an unoccupied room — such as heating and water or isolated plug sockets for cleaning — in anticipation of a new check-in.
All of this (and more!) is possible with our fully networkable room and lighting controls, offering a customisable atmosphere and a more refined overall experience. Through tablet control, guests can do anything from dimming lights and adjusting heating to opening blinds and turning on the television — all without leaving their bed.
We have a selection of products and services suitable for a range of budgets and scopes, from door contactors for individual room control to completely bespoke solutions. These solutions are easily maintainable with a no-fuss ‘plug-and-play’ installation, allowing facilities managers to start saving time, energy and money from the moment the system is up and running.
View our completed architectural lighting control projects on our website, and get in touch to discuss the solution we could provide for your hotel.