Advanced Hotel Automation and Access Control in the Best Western Hotel Vista in Ostrava

To meet these requirements, it was decided that the hotel would undergo a complex renovation and implementation of a hotel automation system combining advanced access control functions. As a result, system of the SENSOR | Automation for Hotels, operating on the Roger HRC devices, was selected. The decision was dictated by a high level of system functionality and flexibility, its integration with the international PMS Protel hotel system, translation available in eight languages (including Czech), and general equipment quality compliant with the adopted hotel standards.

The project included securing two hotel floors. The implementation took place while the facility was operating, excluding individual floors, without the need to close the entire hotel. In close cooperation with Libre Design, a company in charge of design and coordinating construction works, and the Polish Inter Service installation company from Rybnik, the SENSOR team performed installation works, technical supervision, and commissioned the system. The first stage of the project started in March 2023 and began with the installation of the showroom and a room for integration testing. The entire system was completed in May 2024, just before the commencement of the ice hockey world championship which was held in Ostrava at the time.

Detailed training courses for the staff were conducted after implementing the system, ensuring smooth and intuitive operation of the applied solutions. Currently, the system supports two hotel floors, i.e. 56 rooms and 4 hallway entrances. The solution has contributed not only to increasing the comfort of the constantly changing number of guests but also to optimizing the work of a hotel team of approx. 20 people.

Thanks to the integration with the PMS Protel system the room statuses are automatically synchronized with the automation system and intelligent readers with a card slot activate the power supply and temperature settings in the room after inserting the hotel card. In turn, integration with the Modbus air conditioning allowed for a dynamic temperature control depending on the status of the window (closed/open) and guest presence. The state-of-theart proximity readers with Bluetooth identification can provide contactless access to rooms with the use of a smartphone, thus improving guest comfort and security. The implemented solution allows for central management of room settings, increasing operational effectiveness and enabling easier facility monitoring.

The Best Western Vista hotel in Ostrava achieved numerous benefits that affected both the comfort of guests and the operational efficiency of the facility itself due to the implementation of the advanced hotel automation system integrated with access control functions.

The implemented system has significantly improved the guest service standard and provided the facility with automatic room temperature control from the moment of check-in. In turn, the possibility of contactless access to the rooms has rendered the need to carry traditional keys obsolete, contributing to an increased level of security in the hotel. The intelligent lighting control has positively impacted on the comfort and convenience of guests by eliminating the need to manually turn on lights. Additionally, SENSOR has provided the facility with TVs, safety boxes, minibars, and Hafele bathroom fittings. This contributed to increasing the attractiveness of the facility.

The system upgrade also allowed for a significant reduction in fixed operating costs. Due to intelligent heating and air conditioning management, the hotel has reduced its energy consumption resulting in real savings. Other elements that have helped reduce the hotel’s maintenance costs include automatic heating or air conditioning deactivation after a guest leaves a room and optimizing lighting in unoccupied rooms.

From an operational standpoint, the system has introduced a number of enhancements. These include integration with the PMS system and clear visualization, which allows staff to continuously monitor room status and respond in real time. Intelligent reports support the planning of service activities and cleaning, while the implementation of a notification server accelerates response to various events. Process automation has also reduced the necessity of manual interventions, which had a positive impact on the comfort of the hotel personnel. In addition, introducing intuitive visualization, function panels, and clear signaling on the external readers has optimized staff work time.

The new system has contributed to improving the security of the facility. The hotel gained better control over guest and staff traffic thanks to the registration of access to each room and the possibility of blocking it for selected rooms depending on the user’s rights. In the event of an emergency, the system can automatically send SMS and e-mail notifications which guarantees quick response.

Modernization of the Best Western Vista hotel in Ostrava is a step toward modern hotel facility management. Due to intelligent integration of access control, air conditioning, and the PMS system, not only the comfort of hotel guests was increased but also costs were optimized, improving operational efficiency and competitiveness on the market.

The implementation success has paved the path to further automation. Covering subsequent rooms, including conference rooms and an additional 28 rooms, with access control, is planned for the future. The flexibility of the applied solution allows the hotel to easily adapt the system to the changing needs while maintaining the highest standard of services both now and in the future.