The Hotel City Zurich not only has a prime location in the city, but is also actively involved in the areas of energy efficiency and sustainability. In an interview with Susanne Käser, Assistant General Manager of the hotel, we find out how the implementation of the LoRaWAN-based room control system better.energy is helping to save energy and promote sustainable behaviour.
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In this blog, we take a look at the background to the decision in favour of the intelligent energy management system, what it all has to do with Green Globe certification and why Hotel City Zurich is simply delighted with the system.
About the Hotel City Zürich
The 3-star superior Hotel City Zürich is a renowned boutique hotel in the heart of Zurich. Guests can expect first-class accommodation with a timeless design that invites you to linger and a wide range of amenities.
The hotel is characterised by its central location, which allows guests to easily reach the city’s most important sights, shops and restaurants. Hospitality is practised here with great attention to detail, while at the same time upholding environmental protection.
Focus on digitalisation and sustainability at Hotel City Zürich
At Hotel City Zürich, digitalisation and sustainability are very important alongside the needs of guests. This is because they enable more efficient work processes, conserve resources and also significantly reduce paper consumption. This means more environmental protection and resource conservation for the hotel.
For this reason, many small and large decisions were made very early on to strengthen sustainability.
These include the installation of an air-heat-water pump, cooperation with regional suppliers and waste separation as well as the switch to digital guest information, the use of wooden instead of plastic room cards and the installation of water-saving taps and, more recently, the intelligent radiator control system better.energy from Betterspace.
Objectives of the introduction of intelligent room control
Hotel City Zurich is pursuing two main objectives with the implementation of intelligent room control: Energy saving and sustainability. The room control system helps to achieve these goals by optimising energy consumption and promoting environmentally friendly practices.
“We opted for the heating management solution for the sake of the environment and, of course, to reduce energy costs. The great thing is that with the Betterspace solution, the two go hand in hand. Because the reduction in energy consumption also reduces our hotel’s CO2 emissions,” explains Susanne Käser.
Automatic heating control in the hotel
One of the current challenges facing the hotel is the acute shortage of staff and skilled labour. This bottleneck requires efficient solutions to ensure smooth operations. Automated processes that relieve the burden on existing employees are therefore also very important.
Hotel City Zürich has opted for the intelligent room control system from better.energy based on LoRaWAN in order to reduce energy costs and be more environmentally friendly. But the solution also helps to reduce staff workload.
The room control system offers functions such as switching off the heating when windows are open, limiting the maximum temperature and only heating occupied rooms. All automated, of course, and without the need for staff. “These features are crucial for the hotel’s energy efficiency and are very important to us,” explains Susanne Käser.
Use of state-of-the-art LoRaWAN technology in the hotel
Although the hotel management had no previous experience with LoRaWAN, the LoRaWAN technology for intelligent heating control impressed them with its simple, fast and efficient operation. The installation was uncomplicated and cost-effective. “We are delighted with the smooth implementation of better.energy with LoRaWAN in our hotel,” says Käser.
Before deciding in favour of the smart room control system, which transforms the hotel into a smart building, the management received detailed and extensive advice from the experts at Betterspace. “We were given very detailed information about the energy management solution and always had a great contact person who understood our needs,” adds the Assistant General Manager.
Green Globe certification through sustainable commitment in the hotel
As mentioned at the beginning, Hotel City Zürich has already taken an impressive list of measures to promote sustainability. In order to make this transparent for guests, the hotel has undergone the extensive Green Globe certification process and has of course successfully passed it.
The intelligent heating control system better.energy has also contributed to this. “Like many initiatives for more sustainability in our hotel, the Betterspace heating control system has also contributed to our successful Green Globe certification,” explains Susanne Käser.
About the Green Globe certification
The Green Globe certification is an internationally recognised certification system for awarding sustainable practices in the tourism and hospitality industry. It is based on comprehensive criteria and indicators of international sustainability standards. These include environmental protection, social responsibility and economic profitability.
Hotels and tourist facilities that undergo this certification are assessed and evaluated for their sustainability efforts. Successful participants receive the Green Globe certificate, which confirms their commitment to sustainability.
Overall, Green Globe certification promotes environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices in the tourism industry and supports the reduction of hotels’ environmental footprint.
A recommendation for other hoteliers
Hotel City Zürich recommends that other hoteliers do not wait too long to embrace digitalisation and sustainability. “Guests are increasingly focussing on sustainability and this will be a decisive factor in the future,” explains Susanne Käser.
Despite digitalisation and the switch to sustainable practices, Hotel City Zürich emphasises the importance of personal care for guests and, of course, taking into account the needs and concerns of its own employees. This personal touch will always remain an important part of hotel operations.
“With smart room control, we have found a good way for us to combine sustainability and the well-being of our guests and employees,” concludes the resourceful Assistant General Manager Susanne Käser.