ORLANDO, FLA.—Guests staying at the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis, an Ascent Hotel Collection Member, are controlling their room environments and engaging with the property in new ways. Since adding Intelity ICEbedside tablets to each guestroom—which are interfaced to the INNCOM by Honeywell Integrated Room Automation Systems (IRAS)—guests are controlling room temperature, lighting, drapes and alarm clock directly from in-room tablets. Guests can also access the hotel’s mobile app, powered by Intelity, which provides a direct link to hotel information, services, concierge, transportation, maps, directions and more.
“Adding ICEbedside tablets to each room brings another element to the guest experience,” said LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis Owner Harshal Patel. “Today, everyone is tech savvy and has a smartphone or tablet. Enabling guests to use an in-room iPad as an alarm clock or to request amenities or control elements of the room like temperature and lighting is an engaging way to exceed their expectations, and it’s a service that not many hotels are offering.
“LuMINN isn’t the biggest hotel and adding in-room tablets wasn’t in my budget, but I believed it was a necessary investment that would instantly add differentiation and boost guest satisfaction and loyalty,” Patel added. “The Intelity ICE platform is extremely intuitive, and it came with an already-established interface to INNCOM. Partnering with Intelity just made sense.”
While saving energy is of the utmost importance to Patel, he said it was not the key reason he was eager to offer room-control functionality on the in-room tablet.
“Being able to turn off lights or raise or lower room temperature through the tablet is a perk, especially if it lowers my energy bills, but it’s not the reason I was excited about the technology integration,” Patel said. “I’m more concerned with providing convenience to my guests and not requiring them to get up from our comfortable beds to turn off the lights or turn on the Do-Not-Disturb button in the hallway. Many travelers already have ‘connected homes.’ With Intelity + INNCOM, they can now be connected to their rooms in the same way. It’s fun, it’s interactive and it’s elevating the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis experience.”
Solid Integration Partnership
INNCOM began working with the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis in early 2017 when it was previously known as the Federal Plaza Hotel. Installation included the INNCOM E528 thermostat that provides energy control, humidity monitoring, and motion detection for a more efficient HVAC system. The E528 series thermostat serves as the network gateway for guestroom controls, including the Intelity ICEbedside interface. Also featured in LuMINN guestrooms is the INNCOM EVORA Switch Series. EVORA enables guests to control lighting independently in the entry, cove and window areas of the room or altogether.
Michael Asmussen, Engineering Manager for INNCOM by Honeywell, said the company has a “healthy partnership” with Intelity, and explained that any property with a networked INNCOM system can leverage the EMS to connect to Intelity ICEbedside tablets that INNCOM does not offer.
“The synergies between INNCOM and Intelity are beneficial for all hoteliers,” Asmussen said. “Whether a hotel starts with INNCOM and adds Intelity or vice versa, our proven and compatible interface gives guests ways to control their room environment. The two-way communication is completely transparent to the guest. All they see is a fun, new, and interactive way to connect to the room. For guests, it’s nothing short of magic; for owners and operators, it means better efficiencies and lower energy costs.”
Gregg Hopkins, Intelity Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, said the two companies have been working together for almost eight years.
“The Intelity/INNCOM relationship is very strong,” Hopkins said. “We are giving hoteliers the ability to offer a flexible user interface that gives guests more control over their stay experience. It’s the next generation of self-service that today’s modern travelers are looking for. We are thrilled that the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis is ‘live’ with ICEbedside, and we look forward to working with INNCOM at more properties soon.”
For more information about the Intelity Guest Service Platform, click here, or for INNCOM solutions, click here.
