Honeywell has unveiled INNCOM Direct, a new energy management system designed to enhance energy efficiency in mid-market hotels through automation. This move aligns with Honeywell’s focus on three major trends: automation, energy transition, and sustainability.

INNCOM Direct addresses a significant challenge in the hotel industry, where more than 30 per cent of U.S. hotel rooms are typically unoccupied at any given time. By enabling hotels to manage their HVAC systems more efficiently during these vacant periods, INNCOM Direct helps reduce energy consumption and costs.

Billal Hammoud, President and CEO of Honeywell Building Automation, highlighted the importance of this innovation for mid-market hotels: “As hotels become more carbon-conscious, they are taking meaningful steps to show they care about their impact on the environment. Until now, mid-market hotels faced fewer options when it came to better managing their HVAC systems with automation. Now, INNCOM Direct is levelling the playing field with an affordable, cloud-based energy management system.”

The system’s proprietary detection technology autonomously adjusts the temperature in unoccupied rooms and common areas, ensuring energy efficiency without compromising guest comfort. For instance, empty rooms can be set to energy-saving temperatures, which can be adjusted when a guest checks in. Similarly, if a guest leaves their room for an extended period, the system automatically shifts to a more eco-friendly setting and readjusts when the guest returns.

Hitesh Patel, Vice President of Halifax Hospitality, emphasised the need for energy-saving solutions: “Hotel rooms are getting bigger and bigger, and we needed something that will deliver energy savings, especially when guests aren’t using the room or a common area is empty. Utility costs are going up just like anything else. We’re always looking to find the next big thing to cut costs where we can.”

Halifax Hospitality, which recently broke ground on its fifth hotel in Spring Hill, Tennessee, has adopted INNCOM Direct to better manage its HVAC usage. The hotel, spanning 92,000 square feet with 159 rooms, is significantly larger than the company’s previous projects, leading to higher operational costs.