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What Are These “Things” And Why Do I Need Them In My Guestroom?
8 min read
With the Internet of Things (IoT), 2019 has brought us a technology buzzword that doesn't really make any sense.
That word is "things". Apparently, you need "things" in the guestroom now. Every hotel guestroom should have "things". The trouble is, nobody knows what these "things" are. We know that there are basic requirements for a guestroom, a comfy bed, a good shower, a pleasurable view is a bonus, but it isn't these "things" that people are talking about. Here, we take a look at what "things" are, and why we may or may not need them. That's right, we're going to discuss IoT solutions for hotels.
Hotel rooms were traditionally a shining beacon of modern technology, on demand movies, International TV programmes, WiFi, Bluetooth speakers and iPod docks. Fast forward 10 years, and this all seems a bit, well, old hat. It's amazing how quickly technology moves forward, to the point that keeping pace proves quite the challenge for even the most tech savvy of hoteliers.
You may think it a little crazy that I use the word things as a buzzword, but it really is, albeit one that hardly anyone knows what it means. Allow me to expand. Things, is one part of the phrase Internet of Things, often written, or now spoken as IoT (Aye Oh Tee).
Breaking IoT down, we start with Internet. I feel another blog post coming on about the World Wide Web vs The Internet, so I'll save the definition of Internet for that. Next we have 'of', which is a word we use all the time so again, no in-depth explanation required.
The confusion lies in "things". I'm not sure that everyone truly knows what it means, when used in the context of Internet of Things. The dictionary helps us with the definition being:
"A material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object"
So, assuming this helps us, we now have the "Internet of material objects without life or consciousness". Forgive me if I'm wrong, but is that not what we have always had? Assuming no robotic uprising that was swept under the carpet during the coming of the information age, I'm going to put my neck on the line and say that everything that was connected to the internet was "without life or consciousness".
I apologise, so far, I have not managed to clearly explain the definition of "things". So, here's my stab at it:
Things (noun) - "Material objects connected to a network, via IP, that you would not normally expect to be connected to the internet…….. Such as a toaster"
Well maybe a toaster is a random example, but this explains the idea. IoT involves taking everyday items, giving them an IP connection, allowing them to be controlled over the IP connection. While this may seem like a random idea, for our hypothetical toaster, it does allow the control of the device to be centralised. Suddenly we can have 20 slices of toast all toasted to the same level of 'toastiness', ready at the same time, by just one set of programming. OK a far-fetched scenario, but you see the idea.
Moving away from the toaster, we are already familiar with many IoT devices, some which existed in their own system initially, that we use on a regular basis, some "things" are:
Soon we will see much more than the small subset of examples above, and of course the toaster. On a personal level, I'm looking for an IoT coffee machine, not as crazy as it sounds. Perhaps that's something best left for a later conversation though.
What Are These “Things” And Why Do I Need Them In My Guestroom? — Source: HotelTCS
The idea of connected devices, "things", is as I stated above, centralised control and management. Moving away from the idea of individually programmed and configured devices, to a centralised platform. This model has existed for a very long time in the traditional IT world and is known as the client-server model. Information is held in a central data store, and any clients that require information to carry out an action, take their instructions from this central data store. If a change is required to the action, is made in one place and all devices which carry that out action are automatically updated. Ok, that simplifies it a little, but you see the benefit.
Centralised management aside, the remote aspect is what leaves many people wide-eyed. Remote access has existed in IT since the use of things like Telnet were widely adopted, after 1969, yet the idea that we could remotely turn the kettle on, 50 years later, will make people gasp. While this does impress people, man-management experts are quick to point out how we use this to reduce manpower. A strong consideration for any business.
So, we know what things are, and have some ideas about what they can do, but we've come to the second part of our question:
This is a question without a straightforward answer. Technology in the Guestroom should always be complimentary, it should add to the experience. To add to the experience, you need to know what your guests expect, and this depends greatly on the type of guest who frequents your hotel. There are many considerations to an IoT roll out, and one that any hotel needs the correct guidance through. Fortunately, HotelTCS can help.
Perhaps you don't need IoT at all, but are you making a costly mistake, that leaves you behind the competition? HotelTCS bring our industry expertise to show you how IoT compliments your guests. Maybe you have multiple offers on your desk that will make your hotel a technical marvel. Let HotelTCS help you avoid unnecessary investments and costly mistakes, by bringing "things" to your guestrooms.
Contact HotelTCS now to benefit from our knowledge and experience of IoT.
The idea of connected devices, "things", is as I stated above, centralised control and management. Moving away from the idea of individually programmed and configured devices, to a centralised platform. This model has existed for a very long time in the traditional IT world and is known as the client-server model. Information is held in a central data store, and any clients that require information to carry out an action, take their instructions from this central data store. If a change is required to the action, is made in one place and all devices which carry that out action are automatically updated. Ok, that simplifies it a little, but you see the benefit.
Centralised management aside, the remote aspect is what leaves many people wide-eyed. Remote access has existed in IT since the use of things like Telnet were widely adopted, after 1969, yet the idea that we could remotely turn the kettle on, 50 years later, will make people gasp. While this does impress people, man-management experts are quick to point out how we use this to reduce manpower. A strong consideration for any business.
So, we know what things are, and have some ideas about what they can do, but we've come to the second part of our question:
This is a question without a straightforward answer. Technology in the Guestroom should always be complimentary, it should add to the experience. To add to the experience, you need to know what your guests expect, and this depends greatly on the type of guest who frequents your hotel. There are many considerations to an IoT roll out, and one that any hotel needs the correct guidance through. Fortunately, HotelTCS can help.
Perhaps you don't need IoT at all, but are you making a costly mistake, that leaves you behind the competition? HotelTCS bring our industry expertise to show you how IoT compliments your guests. Maybe you have multiple offers on your desk that will make your hotel a technical marvel. Let HotelTCS help you avoid unnecessary investments and costly mistakes, by bringing "things" to your guestrooms.
Property Technology Guestroom Technology
With 15 years’ experience in technology, and more than half of that time dedicated to the Hospitality sector, James has a wealth of knowledge but also a millennial’s eye view. James has worked with a multitude of consultants over time, many of whom helped shape the knowledge he now brings to the table, others just reinforced the need to share his experience with others.James’ career has encompassed many technical and consultative roles, focusing on network architecture, WiFi, VOIP and IPTV. With a blend of technical skills that also includes RF architecture, this completes a “holy trinity” of requirements for the Hotel Guest Room. Spending the last 8 years travelling the globe, has given James a close insight into requirements of all regions of the world.