Hotel Adds Mobile Tablets to Control In-Room Settings

Guests staying at the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis, an Ascent Hotel Collection Member, are controlling their room environments and engaging with the property with in-room tablets.

Since adding Intelity ICEbedside tablets to each guestroom – which are interfaced to the INNCOM by Honeywell Integrated Room Automation Systems (IRAS) – guests are controlling room temperature, lighting, drapes and alarm clock directly. Guests can also access the hotel’s mobile app, powered by Intelity, which provides a direct link to hotel information, services, concierge, transportation, maps, directions and more.

“Adding ICEbedside tablets to each room brings another element to the guest experience,” said LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis Owner Harshal Patel. “Today, everyone is tech savvy and has a smartphone or tablet. Enabling guests to use an in-room iPad as an alarm clock or to request amenities or control elements of the room like temperature and lighting is an engaging way to exceed their expectations, and it’s a service that not many hotels are offering. 

“LuMINN isn’t the biggest hotel and adding in-room tablets wasn’t in my budget, but I believed it was a necessary investment that would instantly add differentiation and boost guest satisfaction and loyalty. The Intelity ICE platform is extremely intuitive, and it came with an already-established interface to INNCOM.”

While saving energy is of the utmost importance to Patel, he said it was not the key reason he was eager to offer room-control functionality on the in-room tablet.

“Being able to turn off lights or raise or lower room temperature through the tablet is a perk, especially if it lowers my energy bills, but it’s not the reason I was excited about the technology integration,” Patel said. “I’m more concerned with providing convenience to my guests and not requiring them to get up from our comfortable beds to turn off the lights or turn on the Do-Not-Disturb button in the hallway. Many travelers already have ‘connected homes.’ With Intelity + INNCOM, they can now be connected to their rooms in the same way. It’s fun, it’s interactive and it’s elevating the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis experience.”

Integration Partnership
INNCOM began working with the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis in early 2017 when it was previously known as the Federal Plaza Hotel. Installation included the INNCOM E528 thermostat that provides energy control, humidity monitoring and motion detection for a more efficient HVAC system. The E528 series thermostat serves as the network gateway for guestroom controls, including the Intelity ICEbedside interface. Also featured in LuMINN guestrooms is the INNCOM EVORA Switch Series. EVORA enables guests to control lighting independently in the Entry, Cove and Window areas of the room or altogether.