IoT networks and devices have emerged as a problem-solving tool for hospitality operators, as well as a way to differentiate and delight customers with a better than home experience. IoT devices can track assets, employees, and connect environmental controls back to a central control point at a given facility. IoT can also be used to provide better experiences such as better, and faster, room pick up services, and door locks that can be operated with the guest’s phone instead of a clunky key card.

IoT has also presented hospitality with new challenges, and solutions, including:

Guest Safety – With an estimated 187,000 hotels and 17.5 million guest rooms, the demand for IoT as a means of enhancing guest safety has exploded. Hotels have an affirmative duty to exercise reasonable care for the safety and security of their patrons. Therefore, they must protect their guests and employees from foreseeable criminal acts of third parties. In this scenario, it is worth noting that the Ruckus IoT Suite, combined with IoT door locks, allows for a secure, simplified management of Zigbee and BLE IoT guest security devices.

Staff safety and tracking have become industry requirements for all hospitality operators. The ability to provide quick access to help for staff in case of an emergency is paramount in any staff safety IoT deployment. The Ruckus IoT Suite, combined with IoT location bracelets and tags, provides a secure and manageable staff safety solution that provides actionable data when it is needed most.

Facilities – While safety for guests and staff is important, the day-to-day running of a facility is also critical. Staff entrances, security systems, and cameras are some of the many things that are now being controlled through IoT technology. The Ruckus IoT Suite, combined with Ruckus SmartZone and IoT partners, provides a best-in-class system that integrates with the property’s PMS systems for complete control and visibility. This provides a single infrastructure for facilities managers to monitor and control the day to day needs of their site.

IoT-enabled sensors also allow facility executives to tackle energy consumption that has historically been difficult to measure. In office environments, computers and monitors, smartphones, vending machines, and even coffee makers, are growing in-plug and process load (PPL) energy usage. While much attention has been paid to HVAC and lighting, PPL energy usage is beginning to attract more attention as the technology allows facility managers to hone in on it.

Asset Tracking – One of the easiest ways to keep customers coming back is by providing an enjoyable and memorable experience. Asset tracking can contribute to the overall experience, as well through increased guest satisfaction and a personalized, better than home experience. Through location tracking, hospitality operators can delight their guests by knowing what the customer needs almost before they ask. When a room service tray or shoe shine bag equipped with an IoT tracking tag leaves a guest room, hotel staff can be instantly notified that service is needed and exactly where. The Ruckus IoT Suite and our IoT partners can track any desired asset in the facility, from the time it is placed in the hallway for pickup, to the time it is re-delivered to the guest room.

Ruckus IoT Suite, a holistic solution – The Ruckus IoT Suite enables operators to manage and view their IoT deployments from a single point. Ruckus IoT ready APs eliminate the need for the installation of vendor specific IoT bridges, by using the access points to transport the beacon information to the Ruckus IoT controller and on to the specific IoT partner’s services engine, on or off site. When leveraged with Ruckus’s API integration, this allows seamless management and integration of multiple IoT partner’s devices and services on to a single platform.

The Ruckus ecosystem already provides best in class Wi-Fi and switching systems in hospitality. When this is combined with the Ruckus IoT Suite and IoT ecosystem partners, Ruckus can provide a secure and manageable hospitality IoT environment with the flexibility of managing multi-vendor and multi technology IoT devices from a single Ruckus pane of glass.

For more information about the Ruckus IoT Suite and its application to the hospitality sector contact manuel.aquilina@stl.com.mt at Smart Technologies for more information.

This article was adapted from ‘Rukus IoT and Hospitality – Technology Overview’, April 2019