Hotel guests don’t need to be Internet of Things experts to understand that they like it when their guest room optimizes to their preferred temperature and lighting. Marriott with its Marriott’s Innovation Lab is working with Samsung and Legrand on an IoT Guest Room Lab that it hopes will use Internet of Things to continually improve and personalize its guests’ in-room experience.
According to Marriott, the IoT Guest Room Lab explores concepts that have the potential to elevate the guest experience, create more efficient hotel room design and construction, and contribute to Marriott’s global sustainability efforts and goals.
Working with partners including Samsung and Legrand, the IoT Guest Room Lab allows multiple responsive Internet of Things systems, devices and applications to communicate with one another to serve guests and optimize hotel operations.
“We know that our guests expect to personalize almost everything in their lives, and their hotel experience should be no different,” says Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer, Marriott International, in a Marriott press release.
“By teaming with best-in-class partners, we are leveraging mobile and voice-enabled technology to give our guests the ability to set up the room to best meets their needs – whether that is creating the ultimate relaxation environment or one that enables productivity for business travelers.”
For Samsung’s part, there’s an opportunity to improve consumers’ technology experience even when they’re traveling, says James Stansberry, senior VP and GM of ARTIK IoT, Samsung Electronics.
“Partnering with Legrand and Marriott, we can offer users unprecedented levels of control and personalization, thanks to our end-to-end Internet of Things services powered by the ARTIK platform and the SmartThings Cloud.
“From intuitive lighting to voice-activated room controls, we’re delivering customizable, intelligent experiences that make our consumers’ lives more convenient, productive and secure.”
“We’re proud to be innovating with industry leading partners to get closer to revolutionizing the guest experience, along with hotel operations and even hotel construction,” says Karim Khalifa, senior VP, global design, Marriott International.
“Together with Samsung and Legrand, we are well on our way to creating the hotel room of the future.”
The three-month long IoT Guest Room Lab project will lead to Marriott, Samsung and Legrand analyzing feedback that they expect to help them continue to innovate with IoT technology. In its press release, Marriott indicates that consumers will start to see elements of the technology in hotel rooms within the next five years.
Takeaways from Marriott’s IoT Guest Room Lab project:
Focus on Intuitive Features
Developing an intuitive system is critical as Marriott seeks to continuously innovate the global guest experience across its 30 brands.
The technology inside the IoT Guest Room Lab allows, for instance, a user to ask a virtual assistant for a 6:30 AM wake-up alarm, to start a yoga routine on a full-length mirror, request additional housekeeping services and start the shower at the desired temperature stored in their customer profile – all by voice or app.
Connected Devices Are Key
“At Legrand, we offer a suite of power, light and data solutions that bring power and connectivity to previously untapped locations. Legrand is partnering with Marriott to improve the guest experience in a cost effective and intuitive manner.
This work further supports our Eliot Program in North America, Legrand’s global IoT program that encompasses our ambition, drives our product innovation and fosters our partnership in the Internet of Things space,” says Ken Freeman, senior VP of demand creation, Legrand.
“Legrand’s product portfolio can elevate a property by turning everyday features into lasting highlights. We are thrilled to collaborate with Marriott and Samsung to conceptualize and deliver on the future traveler’s needs.”
It Has to Be Easy to Manage
Marriott is working towards a future where hotel owners would have a seamless, transparent and flexible end-to-end solution that requires minimal equipment, while customers would enjoy an integrated experience with access to their own data and information, as well as accessible voice and mobile-optimized controls.
Such systems would also benefit hotel operations and improve personalized service by, for instance, allowing staff to provide services at a guest’s desired time.
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