Digital Control

With energy costs on the rise, hotels find simple ways to save by using digital thermostats.

By Rebecca Oliva, Technology Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 4/1/2001

Since energy is the second highest cost of hotel business today, hoteliers

are looking for more ways to save money and conserve energy. Recent

technology has provided ways in which integrating guestroom temperature

control, locking systems and lighting saves a sufficient amount of energy

costs. Yet, some hotels are finding that simple installations of digital

thermostats in guestrooms and temperature control in public spaces saves

money while simplifying energy management.

Getting Accurate Temperatures

Replacing mercury bulb thermostats with digital

ones is one way to cut energy costs in guestrooms. "The benefit of

digital thermostats is that they are more accurate and reliable," says

William Fizer, president of Lodging Technology, Roanoke, Virginia,

which recently came out with GEM Stat, a digital thermostat available

in all voltages of heat pumps and fan coil systems. "They don’t

fail as much as mechanical or mercury thermostats." Energy savings

are realized with digital thermostats due to the accuracy of temperature

selection by guests. Because the guests can see the actual temperature

of the room, Fizer says "they tend not to set the room to extremes."

Digital thermostats are also attractive from a

guest standpoint as well. “They are easier and more customer friendly," says

Raymond Nixon, director of engineering at Hyatt Regency, Bethesda, Maryland. "It’s

something that starts your unit up in a quiet fashion." Nixon is

currently beta testing the GEM Stat in the 381-room hotel.

By reading the actual temperature, guests feel as though they are in

control, he says. The Hyatt is about to undergo a US$4 million renovation,

in which 10 rooms will be added. Nixon will then install digital thermostats

in all 400 rooms, costing about US$33,000, which he says,

is no more than a regular mercury-bulb or mechanical thermostat.

Digital thermostats take only 45 minutes to install in each room, Fizer

says, so there is no loss in revenue. While Nixon plans to purchase

the GEM system next year, which will integrate energy management with

the use of infrared motion detectors in the guestroom, he says for the

interim, digital thermostats will show sufficient savings.

Detecting Occupancy

But a digital thermostat can be taken even further

when coupled with a motion detector. With INNCOM’s e4TM Smart

Digital Thermostat, there are three levels at which it can work. At

its most basic level, it operates as a accurate thermostat. A hotel

can set a predetermined standard temperature window that can be stored

in the computer of the thermostat. This feature eliminates guests

turning room temperatures to extremes because the thermostat will

only go as high as the window at which it was preset.

At its next level, with the use of an infrared

transceiver,a passive infrared occupancy sensor (PIR) and five relays,

it becomes the brain of an independent energy management system. When

it senses the room is unoccupied, it turns the heating and cooling

system to the predetermined temperature, going into unoccupied mode. "The thing that has made

the most difference is the unoccupied status feature," says Lloyd

Leal, director of engineering, The Westin, Westminster, Colorado, which

recently had the e4 thermostats installed in each guestroom. The IR

transceiver and wireless magnetic door switch automatically sets the

thermostat to occupied mode, allowing the thermostat to be set at the

guest’s discretion. When the guest leaves, Leal says, the temperature

goes into unoccupied mode, falling or rising 10 to 15

degrees above or below the set temperature.

"About 50% of energy used in the hotel is in guestrooms," he

says. "Saving about 80% in energy when the room is empty makes

a big difference." Leal estimates a return on investment within

three years.

While it can control the temperature independently,

the e4 works in conjunction with INNCOM’s system 6, 8 and 4

energy management systems, whereby the thermostats in each guestroom

can be monitored and overridden, if necessary by a centralized computer.

When a guest checks in at the front desk, a signal goes to the INNCOM

system instructing it to set the thermostat to occupied mode. When

a guest checks out, the room goes back to the unoccupied mode. Leal

says, this feature also helps from housekeeping staff setting the

temperature to extremes.

The e4 can be interfaced with electronic locks

that allow the the control room staff to indentify whether a guest

or housekeeper enters the room. Other features of e4 thermostat include

lighting control, do not disturb/makeup room doorbell and humidity

monitoring and control. However, Leal opted only for one additional

feature that monitors the smoke detectors in each room, so that when

alarmed, the computer in the control room is alerted. "That stuff is minimal in the guestrooms," he says. "So

it would have stretched out the pay back time."

And, Leal and Nixon both agree that the ease of

maintenance plays a pivotal role in the benefits of digital thermostats.

It used to be that guests would call the front desk and complain that

the thermostat wasn’t

working right, Nixon says. "We’d have to send up one of the

engineers to inspect a problem," he says. Often times the problem

lied in guests not understanding how to operate the thermostats. With

digital thermostats, that problem is eliminated, Nixon says. Now when

guests make a maintence call engineers can look up the activity of the

thermostat from the control room. "We can do troubleshooting even

before we go up to the room," Leal says.

Controlling Public Spaces

Just as energy savings can be realized in guestrooms

using digital technology, similar savings can be achieved

in public spaces such as meeting facilities, ballrooms,

lobbies and office areas. "Since

these rooms are much larger, they tend to need a lot of heating and

cooling to keep them at a pleasant temperature," says Dennis

Villeneuve, technical resources director at Fairmont

Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, Canada. While they are not in use,

even for just a couple of hours, the savings can be astronomical,

he says.

The 100-year-old hotel faced many challenges in

finding a solution to its energy management. It had many mechanical

problems due to age, so installing a guestroom energy management system

would not have been worth the investment, Villeneuve says. In exploring

other options for energy management, the hotel underwent a CAN$2 million

project. The project included replacing light bulbs with flourescent

ones and replacing steam traps. The hotel also signed an agreement

with Johnson Controls, to provide its Metasys system in the hotel’s

public areas.

The Metasys system controls energy usage in public

areas either by CO2 carbon dioxide sensors, occupancy sensors or via

time programming. Temperatures can be controlled by direct digital

controllers that maintain an accurate temperature. "Pneumatic and electronic controllers

are not as effective as digital controllers because you have to guess

where the actual temperature is," says Terry Hoffmann, global products

manger, Johnson Controls. "With the digital controllers, the temperature

is accurate. It doesn’t float."

Johnson Controls installed the hardware system

in various places and trained employee on how to use it. "The system is pretty easy to

use," Villeneuve says. "It works similar to a Windows-based

system."

Using the Metasys system, Villeneuve controls

boiler automation system and chiller control panels according to the

desired temperature. "My

engineers get the schedules of the week and punch it in the computer," he

says. The system saves the hotel about CAN$200,000 per

year in energy costs, equalling a rate of return of less than five years.

Villeneuve says it also reduced the cost of labor by CAN$60,000 to CAN$70,000,

because of a lack of maintenance problems.

But, the jewel of the Metasys system, Villeneuve

says, is the energy reports provided by Johnson Controls. The reports

help the hotel uncover and correct utility billing errors and analyze

energy usage, by segmenting energy usage by functional area, kilowatt

hours and power factor. "Hotels

can better understand what the true cost of an event is," Hoffmann

says. "They can see where their money goes." Johonson Controls

now offers its energy system management reports through

the Web. Hotels can access their data via e-mail or through a password-safe

Web site.

Energy Boost

Choice Hotels International reacts to the California

energy crisis by teaming up with energy conservation

partners.

Marie Patel, manager of Comfort Inn, Arcata,

California, runs around every day telling housekeeping staff to turn

off lights and turn down heat. In her own office she

keeps light to a minimum and has installed stickers in

each of the hotel's guestrooms asking guests to conserve

energy whenever possible. "We couldn't really do much," Patel

says, about the energy shortage facing California. Patel

says they were lucky not to have any blackouts. But even though Patel

put forth the effort to conserve energy, her bill doubled compared

with last year.

In response to these kinds of problems and concerns

about the rising costs of energy, Choice Hotels International formed

an energy alliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

ENERGY STAR program, a nationwide initiative to reduce energy waste

by adopting energy management practices and technologies. "As part of this agreement, we have

committed to put our efforts into reducing energy consumption in our

franchises," says Richard Dangay, director of new business development

at Choice.

Choice's partnership with ENERGY STAR follows

its recent formation of the Choice Energy Alliance with Chevron Energy

Solutions and Tharaldson Energy Group designed to help Choice's franchises

in the U.S. reduce energy costs and lower energy consumption. "Because of the hype

surrounding the California energy situation, our franchises no longer

look at energy as a fixed cost," Dangay says. "They are looking

to potentially reduce the amount of energy used."

More than 400 Choice franchises are involved in both alliances. Dangay

says that by partnering with ENERGY STAR, Choice can suggest energy-saving

products and technologies endorsed by the program such as televisions,

refrigerators and water heaters.

Dangay expects the program to save Choice franchises 15% to 35% in

energy costs. With the help of Chevron, a provider of energy management

services, Choice can develop energy reduction and cost management solutions.

Some installations include high-efficiency lighting, heating and cooling

equipment, improved ventilation systems and water conservation measures.

Tharaldson will negotiate cost-efficient energy

supply contracts for franchises in deregulated areas. "We can get a lower rate for utilities

up to 20%," Dangay says. Tharaldson will track the hotels' energy

usage and compare it with industry averages.

"If a hotel can save 15% to 35% on energy, that's money it can

spend on something else," Dangay says. "And, any project that

can conserve energy can improve the value of a hotel's

assets."

Patel says the energy shortage hasn't affected

revenue yet, but she doesn't dismiss the possibility, if the problem

persists. "We would

have to go up on our room rate," Patel says. 'I don't think the

market could take it." Patel intends to meet with Chevron to find

energy conservation solutions for the hotel.

Tech Briefs

Virtual Brochures

Providing meeting planners with the most accurate and

current materials is the key to boosting conference

revenue. Recently, The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel

and Spa, Pasadena, California, contracted with iQrom to develop and

produce CD-U(tm) Card, a CD-ROM brochure to supplement and ultimately

replace its paper conference services brochure. The size of a business

card, CD U(tm) Card runs in a CD/DVD drive of any computer and holds

35Mb of data, either in text, video or still pictures.

"It is more cost-effective for us because it can be updated," says

Deanne French, spokeswoman for The Ritz Carlton. It is a savings of

50% because it costs less to send, and it has the ability to be updated

with any information downloaded from the Internet. "With brochures,

you are locked in," she says, "new information cannot be added."

Some 45% of Ritz-Carlton's revenue is derived

from group sales. Being able to show its services efficiently is important

to French. "We

anticipate this will help increase revenue because it is something they

[meeting planners] can share with one another," French adds. Eventually,

French says the hotel will make a complete transition

from paper brochures to the CD-U(tm) Card when more planners have access

to CD-ROMs. Until then, sales people will use it as a supplement to

the paper brochure and bring it to trade shows for demonstrations. The

Card currently shows the hotel's meeting spaces, amenities, recreation

area and activities offered in Pasadena.

Flight Check-in From Your Hotel Lobby

Now, air travelers can get boarding passes, seat assignments

and check luggage all from a hotel lobby. Certified

Airline Passenger Service (CAPS) and Unisys Corp.'s

check-in technology e-@ction Airport Passenger Processing System (APPS)

provide hotels with the ability to create a hassle-free air travel experience

for their guests. Guests can check in to their flight before leaving

the hotel via the CAPS representative. APPS gives the CAPS representatives

the flexibility to connect to multiple airline host systems including

United, American West, Delta, Royal Airlines and Southwest, among others.

Las Vegas hotels equipped with this system include Imperial Palace Hotel

and Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Unisys

and CAPS plan to extend the program to other cities including San Francisco,

Seattle, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Supply Line

La Quinta Inns Inc, Dallas, chose Lanyon's PropertyVault to store its

marketing data...

The Inn of Locust, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, chose AlphaNet Hospitality

Systems Inc. to provide InnFax, a multi-function, in-room business center

to its rooms...

Town and Country Resort, San Diego, California, selected Lexington

Services to provide Global Distribution System (GDS), Internet and International

Voice reservation support...

Zoho, Sunnyvale, California, the online marketplace for the hospitality

industry has expanded its selection with more than 25 regional and national

suppliers...

Wellesley Inn and Suites, a division of Prime Hospitality Corp., Fairfield,

New Jersey, chose TravelCLICK to provide its properties

with Phaser and Hotelligence Reports...

Millenium Hotels and Resorts, Arlington, Virginia, selected

Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions to upgrade its central

reservation system...

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Zurich, Switzerland,

chose Chicago-based TravelCLICK to provide Phaser and Hotelligence

Reports...

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Toronto, Canada, announced that it joined

Mariott International, Washington D.C., Hyatt Hotels Corp., Chicago,

Bass Hotels & Resorts, London, ClubCorp USA Inc., Dallas and GoCo-op

Inc., Maitland, Florida, in founding Avendra LLC, the

largest Internet-enabled B-to-B hospitality procurement company...

Marcus Hotels, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, selected Springer-Miller Systems,

Stowe, Vermont, to provide a property management system for its Hotel

Mead property.