IoT Systems in hotels
OVERVIEW
The goal was to avoid losing loyal customers during full occupancy in hotels due to delayed services and increased waiting time. Thus we have designed an IoT system that offers guests a personalized experience at their convenience, allowing them to request services and track them, resulting in faster service delivery and saving time at the front desk.
TEAM
Aarya Sohal (Research Partner)
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Mentored by Bippin Daftardar
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YEAR
2022​
PROCESS
Topic Selection
Introduction to IoT
About Hospitality
PMS - Hotel systems
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Brain storming
Card sorting
Information architecture
Sketches
Wireframing
Final Screens
Product Features
UI elements
Learnings
Just click on the button to jump directly to that part of the process
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. It is one of the fastest-growing fields which is driving new ways for interacting with appliances, tools, and devices in entirely new and unexpected ways.
As a result of our study, we identified industries where the technology could be used to accelerate growth. The hospitality industry is very customer service oriented, hence prioritizing guest experience is crucial to this sector. Hospitality businesses that provide customers with a positive experience will reap the benefits of a higher customer retention rate, as opposed to their counterparts who offer a less pleasant experience.
Hospitality is predominantly a service-oriented industry that is customer-driven.
The front office generally receives more service-related complaints during the holiday season when the hotel is operating at or near full occupancy.
The guest may experience a problem with hotel services and may get dissatisfied. Examples of guest complaints due to service-related issues are​
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long waiting time for service
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ignored request for additional supplies
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lack of assistance with luggage
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missed wake-up call
What kind of system does a hotel use Currently?
A Property Management System (PMS) is software that facilitates a hotel’s reservation management and administrative tasks. The most important functions are
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front-desk operations
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reservations, channel management
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housekeeping
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rate and occupancy management,
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payment processing.
A general structure of property management system used in Hotels
Why is there a need for IoT systems in hotels today?
In terms of the customer experience, IoT technology enables hotel owners to improve hotel conditions and offer a comfortable and customized experience to their guests while also cutting down on their waiting times.
When it comes to operations, automation and real-time data can aid companies in detecting issues in their initial stage and if possible help to avoid some issues altogether. It can also streamline day-to-day tasks that go into running a hotel or travel company
From enabling automatic check-ins and check-outs to hotel rooms and helping guests locate their travel destination to monitoring the health status of people, IoT will make things easier.
In addition, IoT is a must, since it offers many advantages, such as cost reduction, increased productivity, greater efficiency of operations, more-satisfied customers/guests and differentiated services. The IoT solutions enable customized options for the customers like automated room lighting, temperature control, favourable ambience, and lots more.
PROCESS
Let's assume
Having gathered insights from the research, we started brainstorming, and card sorting helped us build a better structure and flow.
Information Architecture
The goal is to craft functional experiences that are memorable. Here is an attempt at building services and experiences that have the potential to improve people’s lives. This product is a white-label solution for various hotels to implement, assuming that they already have smart devices and capital for the same.
Sketches.
By scribbling out ideas on large sheets of paper, it was easier to build flow and low-fidelity wireframes.
PROCESS
Final Design
After checking into the hotel, the application lets the user scan the QR code generated by the self-check-in kiosk to complete the onboarding process smoothly. Additionally, users can also register and log in manually before arriving at the hotel.
As soon as the user has completed the onboarding process, they are checked in! The screen displays the booking details. There is a quick application demo highlighting the key features of the product. There are primarily 4 sectors - Home, Services, Plan and Key Card.
The prime features
Stayy
Stayy is an IoT-enabled system that offers guests a personalized experience at their convenience, giving them access to room controls, allowing them to request services and track them.
Key Card
This is a digital Mobile Key Card that lets the user unlock the door by holding the phone against the lock.
Room Security
There is a section to view how Mobile the key card works in case the user missed out on it. It provides the user with a Door security camera to view when there's someone at the doorstep. One can change the room status to do not disturb and the hotel staff will get notified about the same.
Home
The Home page consists of all the room controls designed intuitively for the users. The devices that are connected and can be controlled are placed as tabs on the top that the user can switch between them depending on their requirement. The profile icon on the top right opens up for the user to access the account, settings, payments, etc, from all pages.
The basic functional settings of all devices are put together on the panel, a few advanced settings are available in the drop-downs below for a customized experience.
Services
To avoid the hassle of calling the front desk and following up for services, one can book any service and can keep a track of it. Guests can also view all amenities available in the hotel that they are staying in and book sessions or view timings.
The services section has a search bar making it easier for the user to look for things. There is a chatbot that connects the user with the front desk for any queries.
In addition to this, there is a list of all the in-house restaurants along with their menu cards. One can request room service and mention their preferences.
This also suggests nearby places that the user could visit and promotes in-house taxi services and drivers that one can hire for a comfortable day out.
The scheduled bookings made in the Services section appear in the Plan section in the form of an itinerary. The user has the liberty to add other events to plan their day to make sure they do not miss out on anything and timings do not clash.
Plan
