White Lodging Sees Double-Digit Savings with EMS
Travelers become guests for life when a hotel offers them an experience tailored to their needs. "Ensuring a high level of guest comfort and satisfaction is always our first priority at White Lodging," says Thomas D. Riegelman, CFM, White Lodging vice president of engineering & facilities management.
White Lodging is a hospitality development, ownership, and management company with more than 160 premium-branded, select, and full service hotels in 21 states. All White Lodging managed properties are branded hotels that include Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood, and IHG flags.
In order to address the company’s goal of providing premiere guest comfort and satisfaction, White Lodging turned to INNCOM by Honeywell to deploy an energy management system (EMS). “The INNCOM thermostats help us meet this goal while we also realize excellent energy savings,” Riegelman says. "INNCOM's smart thermostat with occupancy detection has been a standard for most of our new builds since 2011 and we have retrofits underway.”
INNCOM delivers significant energy efficiencies and a greener footprint, according to Riegelman. "We start getting energy savings the minute we install the system,” he explains.
White Lodging reaps savings from several levels of INNCOM's line of energy management solutions. These range from installations of standalone digital smart thermostats to fully networked, property-wide smart solutions that interface with Property Management and other third-party systems.
White Lodging’s Marriott Courtyard/Residence Inn Austin relies on INNCOM's fully integrated network EMS to optimize energy conservation and savings. INNCOM’s wireless Deep Mesh RF network technology provides high-speed communication to automatically monitor and control the thermostat in each guest room.
"You can absolutely track in real-time what goes on with the heating and cooling in every room," notes Riegelman, "But with INNCOM’s software, you don't have to. We know the automated system is maximizing our energy savings because we verify the improvement." The INNCOM network solution has lowered energy costs by $79,459 in just the first seven months of operation for a 37% savings at the Austin property.
Monitoring guest comfort and safety from check-in to departure
“Guest comfort is more important to White Lodging than energy savings,” Riegelman said. Each guest experiences seamless environmental comfort from check-in to departure. INNCOM’s INNcontrol 3 near-real-time reporting server links energy management components with the property management system (PMS) and automated door locks to ensure guests are always comfortable.
When a guest checks in, the PMS signals the INNCOM EMS to automatically activate temperature controls to heat or cool the room to a comfortable set point. "It is our experience that when guests see an appropriate set point and are comfortable, they rarely touch the thermostat," says Riegelman. "If they want to change the temperature, INNCOM has clear, easy-to-use controls that are an essential part of guest comfort.”
Occupancy sensors integrated in the thermostat and door lock detect when a guest is physically in the room. "If the room is temporarily unoccupied, the thermostat automatically drops back to an energy-saving temperature setting," said Riegelman. "Sensors trigger the thermostat to return to a property configurable set point when the guest reenters the room. This process takes place without any active management by hotel staff."
Door lock sensors signal an alert when a guestroom door is left ajar. Properties can also opt for door sensors that signal the thermostat to automatically shut off when guests open patio or deck doors, then resume heating or cooling when doors are closed.
The INNCOM EMS activates system notifications for heating or cooling alerts if room temperature moves outside the norm for a predetermined period. "If a room experiences a temperature control issue, our engineers can proactively address the problem before the guest calls for assistance," says Riegelman.
At checkout, the thermostat automatically goes into setback mode at the most efficient temperature. "If housekeeping or other staff go into a room and change the temperature, it does not affect the setback," explains Riegelman. "The temperature will stay optimal until someone else checks in so guests are always comfortable."
Standalone thermostat delivers 22% energy use reduction
White Lodging also reaped considerable savings at its select service Hyatt Place Austin. The hotel recently installed INNCOM standalone digital guest room thermostats with occupancy detection. "This very simple, cost-effective implementation produced 22.4% reduction in energy use," says Riegelman.
White Lodging operates many property types from full service JW Marriotts and Westins to smaller Select Service hotels. The company follows franchisor energy conservation initiatives. Aloft, for example, requires that thermostats have occupancy sensors. Hyatt has similar design mandates. INNCOM provides EMS solutions for all hotel types. "INNCOM is part of a connected, fully integrated system that benefits our guests and White Lodging’s bottom line," says Riegelman.
White Lodging is a hospitality development, ownership, and management company with more than 160 premium-branded, select, and full service hotels in 21 states. All White Lodging managed properties are branded hotels that include Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood, and IHG flags.
In order to address the company’s goal of providing premiere guest comfort and satisfaction, White Lodging turned to INNCOM by Honeywell to deploy an energy management system (EMS). “The INNCOM thermostats help us meet this goal while we also realize excellent energy savings,” Riegelman says. "INNCOM's smart thermostat with occupancy detection has been a standard for most of our new builds since 2011 and we have retrofits underway.”
INNCOM delivers significant energy efficiencies and a greener footprint, according to Riegelman. "We start getting energy savings the minute we install the system,” he explains.
White Lodging reaps savings from several levels of INNCOM's line of energy management solutions. These range from installations of standalone digital smart thermostats to fully networked, property-wide smart solutions that interface with Property Management and other third-party systems.
White Lodging’s Marriott Courtyard/Residence Inn Austin relies on INNCOM's fully integrated network EMS to optimize energy conservation and savings. INNCOM’s wireless Deep Mesh RF network technology provides high-speed communication to automatically monitor and control the thermostat in each guest room.
"You can absolutely track in real-time what goes on with the heating and cooling in every room," notes Riegelman, "But with INNCOM’s software, you don't have to. We know the automated system is maximizing our energy savings because we verify the improvement." The INNCOM network solution has lowered energy costs by $79,459 in just the first seven months of operation for a 37% savings at the Austin property.
Monitoring guest comfort and safety from check-in to departure
“Guest comfort is more important to White Lodging than energy savings,” Riegelman said. Each guest experiences seamless environmental comfort from check-in to departure. INNCOM’s INNcontrol 3 near-real-time reporting server links energy management components with the property management system (PMS) and automated door locks to ensure guests are always comfortable.
When a guest checks in, the PMS signals the INNCOM EMS to automatically activate temperature controls to heat or cool the room to a comfortable set point. "It is our experience that when guests see an appropriate set point and are comfortable, they rarely touch the thermostat," says Riegelman. "If they want to change the temperature, INNCOM has clear, easy-to-use controls that are an essential part of guest comfort.”
Occupancy sensors integrated in the thermostat and door lock detect when a guest is physically in the room. "If the room is temporarily unoccupied, the thermostat automatically drops back to an energy-saving temperature setting," said Riegelman. "Sensors trigger the thermostat to return to a property configurable set point when the guest reenters the room. This process takes place without any active management by hotel staff."
Door lock sensors signal an alert when a guestroom door is left ajar. Properties can also opt for door sensors that signal the thermostat to automatically shut off when guests open patio or deck doors, then resume heating or cooling when doors are closed.
The INNCOM EMS activates system notifications for heating or cooling alerts if room temperature moves outside the norm for a predetermined period. "If a room experiences a temperature control issue, our engineers can proactively address the problem before the guest calls for assistance," says Riegelman.
At checkout, the thermostat automatically goes into setback mode at the most efficient temperature. "If housekeeping or other staff go into a room and change the temperature, it does not affect the setback," explains Riegelman. "The temperature will stay optimal until someone else checks in so guests are always comfortable."
Standalone thermostat delivers 22% energy use reduction
White Lodging also reaped considerable savings at its select service Hyatt Place Austin. The hotel recently installed INNCOM standalone digital guest room thermostats with occupancy detection. "This very simple, cost-effective implementation produced 22.4% reduction in energy use," says Riegelman.
White Lodging operates many property types from full service JW Marriotts and Westins to smaller Select Service hotels. The company follows franchisor energy conservation initiatives. Aloft, for example, requires that thermostats have occupancy sensors. Hyatt has similar design mandates. INNCOM provides EMS solutions for all hotel types. "INNCOM is part of a connected, fully integrated system that benefits our guests and White Lodging’s bottom line," says Riegelman.