Checking In: The IoT Hotel Room of the Future
In the newest wave of room improvements, Marriott International teamed up with Samsung and Legrand to create the hospitality industry’s Internet of Things hotel room.
Photo: Marriott International
Hotel companies are always trying to move one step ahead of the competition by creating the most comfortable room experience possible for the leisure and business traveler. In the newest wave of room improvements, Marriott International teamed up with Samsung and Legrand to create the hospitality industry’s Internet of Things hotel room.
Described by Marriott as “the ultimate hotel experience of the future,” the new prototype room features services such as a yoga routine directed by a mirror and a shower that can automatically set the temperature to the traveler’s preferences.
Dubbed the IoT Guestroom Lab, the concept room is powered by Marriott’s Innovation Lab and is built at the company’s corporate headquarters in Bethesda, MD. The goal of the project is to explore concepts that have the potential to elevate the guest experience and create more efficient hotel room design and construction. As a “smart” hotel room, the Lab will facilitate several communications networks and multiple responsive IoT systems, devices and applications to communicate with one another to serve guests’ needs and optimize hotel operations.
Photo: Marriott International
"Guests expect to personalize almost everything in their lives, and their hotel experience should be no different," said Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer, Marriott International, in a recent statement. "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."
Shining a Light on IoT Controls
One of the partners in the project, Legrand, is a French industrial solution provider that specializes in electrical and digital building infrastructure technology. According to the company website, Legrand focuses on solutions that bring power, light and data to interior spaces, aiming to transform the customer experience.
“Legrand is partnering with Marriott to improve the guest experience in a cost-effective and intuitive manner. This work supports our Eliot Program in North America, Legrand’s global IoT program that drives product innovation and fosters our partnerships in the IoT space,” said Ken Freeman, senior vice president of demand creation, Legrand, in a recent statement.
Using IoT technology, Marriott wants to give hotel owners a seamless, transparent and flexible end-to-end solution that requires minimal equipment. The tech-infused rooms provide customers with an integrated experience, with access to their own data and information, as well as accessible voice- and mobile-optimized controls. These systems would also benefit hotel operations and improve personalized service.
Some features and services under consideration in the IoT Guestroom lab include:
- A virtual assistant that can arrange wake-up calls, request hotel services or direct devices in the room through an app or voice command.
- Personal preferences, where guests can register preferences such as temperature settings for showers and instruct the virtual assistant to turn on the water.
- In-room tablets that function as room remote controls and offer quick access to hotel services, room service menus or spa reservations.
- Digital mirrors or large screens that display a yoga or stretching routine, news, headlines, local weather and other useful information.
- Digital wall art that can change to meet traveler preferences.
Following the three-month testing and evaluation of IoT Guestroom Lab, Marriott, Samsung and Legrand will analyze feedback to continue innovating with IoT technology. Consumers will start to see elements of the technology in hotel rooms within the next five years, according to Marriott.
Rest Easy with IoT
- Watch the video to see the layers of technology and networks that will be put into play in the Marriott International IoT Guestroom.
- Learn more about interior IoT and smart digital lighting solutions from Legrand.