January 28, 2025 • 32 mins
This podcast features an enlightening discussion between Skip Kimpel and Fabio Zaniboni, focusing on the integration of IoT technology within the hospitality sector and its profound implications for sustainability and energy efficiency. Fabio, with his extensive experience in engineering and innovation, articulates how IoT devices serve as a game-changer for hotels and restaurants aiming to reduce their energy consumption while simultaneously enhancing the guest experience. The narrative highlights the shift toward edge computing, which facilitates smarter data processing at the device level, reducing the need for extensive cloud data transmission and thereby conserving energy and resources.
Throughout the conversation, Fabio presents various practical applications of IoT in hospitality, emphasizing the role of smart technologies in optimizing energy usage. For example, he illustrates how occupancy sensors can dynamically adjust lighting and climate control systems based on guest presence, leading to substantial energy savings—potentially as much as 70%. He underscores the accessibility of these solutions, noting that they can be integrated into existing infrastructure with minimal disruption, making them feasible for properties of all sizes, including smaller boutique hotels that may previously have found such technologies cost-prohibitive.
Takeaways:
- The transformative role of IoT in hospitality focuses on sustainability and energy efficiency.
- By integrating IoT solutions, hotels can significantly reduce energy consumption and operational costs.
- Smart environmental controls enhance guest experience through improved air quality and personalized lighting.
- IoT technologies allow for real-time monitoring, leading to predictive maintenance and reduced operational stress.
- Implementing IoT devices can result in substantial cost savings, improving the hotel's bottom line.
- Wireless IoT solutions minimize the disruption to existing infrastructure, making adoption easier for hotels.
Links Referenced in This Episode:
How To Contact Me
- Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)
- Website: https://magicgate.com
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- https://instagram.com/skipkimpel
- https://www.instagram.com/magicgatetech/
- X (Twitter):
- https://twitter.com/skipkimpel
- https://x.com/magicgatetech
- Facebook:
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- LinkedIn:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
You are listening to the TechChef Podcast.
This is episode number 86,January 28, 2025.
This show is powered by GrowthAdvisors International Network, where
travel and hospitalitycompanies come to grow.
For more information, pleasevisit gainadvisors.com.
(00:23):
This is Fabio Zaniboni,founder and CEO of Babinet, and you
are listening to Skip on theTech Chef Podcast.
Off premise Strategy, Business continuity.
How about a taste test ofrestaurant technology?
Drive thru or curbside?
(00:44):
Mobile apps or AI?
It's all on the menu.
Cook it up for the date.
It's a recipe for success.
You're in good hands with protection.
Make a plan to be your best.
Strategize with the Tech Chef.
(01:06):
Well, hello there and welcomeback to another exciting episode
of the Tech Chef Podcast.
I'm your host, Skip Kimple,joining you from a surprisingly brisk
and breezy Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For those of you shivering incolder climates, I know you might
be rolling your eyes rightabout now, but hey, we Floridians
aren't built for this kind of weather.
(01:27):
Wherever you're tuning infrom, whether it's over your morning
coffee during your commute orwinding down after a busy day, thank
you for making us part of your routine.
We are thrilled to have you here.
As with every episode, we'rediving headfirst into the ever evolving
world of restaurant andhospitality technology.
(01:48):
We'll uncover fresh ideas,discover innovative tools and share
actionable strategies thatwill not only inspire, but empower
you to take your business tothe next level.
From cutting edge tech trendsto practical solutions that you can
implement right away, this isyour go to resource for staying ahead
of the curve in the fast pacedhospitality industry.
(02:12):
If this is your first timetuning in, welcome to the family.
We are so glad you found us.
Be sure to hit that subscribebutton on your favorite podcast platform
so you never miss an episodepacked with valuable insights and
inspiration.
And for our loyal listeners, aquick favor.
If you've been enjoying thecontent, we'd deeply appreciate it
(02:34):
if you could leave us aglowing five star review.
Not only does it help spreadthe word and grow our amazing community,
but it also fuels our passionfor for bringing you the best in
hospitality and tech weekafter week.
So grab a seat, sit back andlet's get started.
It's time to turn up the heaton innovation with the Tech Chef
(02:55):
Podcast.
Today, Fabio Zanaboni, anexpert in hospitality technology,
discusses the transformativerole of IoT in driving sustainability
and energy efficiency withinthe hospitality sector.
He shares insights from hisextensive background in engineering
(03:15):
and innovation highlightinghow IoT devices can significantly
reduce energy consumption andoperational cost in hotels and restaurants.
The conversation delves intothe importance of edge computing,
which minimizes datatransmission to the cloud, thereby
conserving energy and resources.
Fabio also emphasizes that adual focus on sustainability and
(03:39):
guest well being.
Showcasing how IoT can enhancethe guest experience through smart
environmental controls.
With practical examples andemerging trends, this episode illustrates
how integrating IoT solutionscan lead to substantial cost savings
and a more immersivehospitality experience.
Let's dive right in and hearwhat Fabio has to share with us.
(04:08):
Fabio, can you tell us a little.
Bit about your background, howyou ended.
Up in the hospitality sector,why you started bubblynet, and your
role in driving sustainableinnovation in hospitality technology?
Yes, Skip, I'm an engineer,but I always loved aesthetics and
interiors and for 20 years Iwas in automotive, I was in robotics,
(04:34):
and then I had the opportunitystart a company into the cruise ships
and high end yachting andthere we were doing lighting, we
were doing controls, we werepretty much taking care of everything
experience inside of theseluxury yachts.
(04:58):
And those luxury yachts haveto be designed not only for their
private owners, but also fortheir charting times that most of
the time is the primary use ofthose yachts.
So I came to understand how isimportant to address those minute
(05:19):
details that make an amazing experience.
We were doing lighting, wewere doing controls.
A few years later we startgetting into land.
So architectural space and ofcourse hotels was the most immediate
target for our projects.
(05:42):
And around 2010, 2012 westarted Bubblenet as a wireless solution
for hospitality and as well asalso commercial real estate in general,
healthcare and so on.
But hospitality definitely isour main focus.
(06:03):
Obviously I know yourbackground a little bit and your
company a little bit more, butwe're really talking about IoT devices
here in order to be able tomonitor and control some of these
systems.
For the sustainability piece,what inspired you to focus on sustainability
through IoT and energymanagement systems?
So as you get into the IoTspace, you get into embedded systems.
(06:26):
That means that you're puttingintelligence at the edge.
You're putting intelligence onthe last few feet of your project.
So your lighting becomesintelligent, your sensor become intelligent.
Pretty much anything that iselectrical or electronic can be intelligent.
And as you are able to get allthose data points, you can do some
(06:51):
incredible things.
And the two major, I would sayvalues are sustainability and well
being.
On the sustainability side ofcourse is how it can be energy efficient,
but it's also how littleenergy I will need in order to process
(07:13):
that information.
So being able to processinformation at the edge level, not
having to push all yourinformation to the cloud, that reduce
drastically the amount ofenergy that, as you know, right now
we are getting kind of, we arestarving for energy with all these
new data centers that arecoming that are being built right
(07:35):
now across the country.
And so that is one piece of sustainability.
The other piece ofsustainability is in a hotel up to
10, 15 years ago, in order tohave all that intelligence, you had
to have panels and cabinetsand equipment and pull Cat 6 cable
across all your property.
(07:56):
So it was very, very demandingin terms of labor, but also in terms
of resources.
By going edge, by going IoTand having most of the computing
being done at the devicelevel, we can save up to 94% on earth
resources just because you'reusing less cables, you're using less
(08:18):
copper, metal, silicon and so on.
So that is one sustainability.
The next one is well being.
So well being means not onlyhealth and happiness of your guest,
but is everything that can beincluded on a guest experience.
(08:41):
I will give you a few examples.
We can control and monitor ofcourse your H Vac, so your temperature
in your room, but we can alsocontrol your CO2 level.
So CO2 level is determinant.
In order to have your bestsleep quality at night.
We can also mask what could benoises and distractions, unfamiliar
(09:09):
sounds on a corridor, for instance.
That is another reason yoursleep can be of poor quality.
Do you loop in lights there as well?
Yes, absolutely.
So what you do is lighting.
In terms of lighting,nowadays, LEDs can have different
kind of spectrums throughoutthe day.
(09:31):
So in the morning you want tofeel energized.
Well, you can have a lightthat is brighter and more, let's
say, bluish, we call itmelanopic frequencies is the technical
term.
But now that lighting willmake you feel more alive.
But if you use the same kindof light at night, well, you are
going to have a poor qualityof sleep because your body thinks
(09:53):
that is day, just because it'sgetting that input from your guest
room.
So lighting, sound and so onare all aspects of what you can do
with IoT.
Another aspect, for instance,is I remember once reading some reviews
and people complaining aboutin the morning having cleaning services,
(10:16):
knocking on doors and wakingup people and so on.
Now you can have your buttonthat is a do not disturb button.
And not only you have a morecalm user experience, but then if
somebody wants to have a roomthat is cleaned now your button can
change color and all thosestatuses when you're saying, I want
(10:38):
my room to be clean, I don'twant to be disturbed, and so on.
All those statuses can also bepushed to the cloud and then talk
to your property managementsystem so that then you can optimize
the service of your cleaning crew.
While you just gave me thescenario of the entire IoT architecture
(10:58):
within the hotel area, let'sconcentrate for a second on the energy
piece of it.
What are some of the most significant.
Energy challenges that hotels,restaurants and other hospitality
businesses face today and howcan IoT help solve for them?
Yes, good question.
So hospitality is one of theprimary users of energy.
(11:19):
It's incredible how much ahotel, for instance, or a restaurant
requires in terms of energy.
So the first, first thing is,well, like on a guest room, if we
consider that, for instance,your two main loads are going to
be your H Vac and your lighting.
Now it's very simple.
(11:40):
You can have a couple ofmotion sensors, you can have a sensor
on the door, and whenever youopen the door, the sensors are going
to detect if there is motionor motion.
And this is called smart occupancy.
So in the middle of the night,if you don't move, it's not that
the sensor will think thatthere is nobody in the room.
But with these solutions, wecan know at every given time if a
(12:02):
room is occupied or not occupied.
So for instance, we've beendoing properties where, like right
now we're doing a propertyhere in Florida facing west.
Big energy, challengingbecause of course, everybody wants
to have big glass panels andbe able to see the sea and so on,
but that room most of the dayis empty.
(12:24):
So when the room is vacatedafter 20 minutes, the shades of motorized
shades automatically go down.
And that is a big factorbecause all that sun, that Florida
sun, is not going to get intothe room.
Your H Vac is going to go towhat is called a setback temperature.
So your H Vac is going to beusing less and all the powers.
(12:45):
So your lighting as well asall your, your outlets are going
to be disconnected from, fromthe grid.
So the savings, like I've seenstatistics, I've seen savings up
to 70%.
That is huge.
Typically we say, we say,well, you know, you could be saving
about 30% of, of your NHBL.
(13:05):
So the return of investment ontechnology, particularly when you
go wireless, so very littlelabor and very easy to install, is
typically 12 to 18 months.
That is amazing because after12, 18 months, you know, all those
savings go back to you.
So are there any emergingtrends in energy management that
you believe will kind.
Of shape the future of hospitality?
(13:26):
Yes, for sure.
AI, it's a big trend.
So what we are doing right nowis we take all these data points,
we push them to the cloud andthen we, we have different user interfaces
allowing you to see how muchenergy you're using, you're not using.
(13:47):
When you start correlatingenergy consumption with occupancy,
energy consumption with yourdifferent loads, the dimming levels
and so on, now you are able tosee, well, where you could address
your energy consumption.
The next thing is now that youhave multiple properties, or we can
(14:07):
compare your property withother similar properties in the same
geographical area.
We can immediately startseeing what are the outliers during
the day or the weekend of theoperation of your hotel and your
restaurant.
All these right now is done byour energy consultants.
What we're doing right now iswe are training AI agents.
(14:31):
So right now we have an AIagent that's fully trained on everything,
customer service.
We are training an AI agentfor anything that is a, let's say,
energy consultancy.
So the idea is that byplugging IoT and AI together on your
property now, you're going tohave proactive emails where there
(14:56):
will be recommendations.
If you go with this strategy,you could do this and you could do
that.
We could even get to a pointin which if a client says, well,
just get me full AI, likelet's go fully AI agentic now, it's
going to be automatic.
So the sequence of operationin your property will automatically
(15:18):
adjust to the best in class inthat geographical area for the type
of property.
So you brought up data pointsand that brings up a really important
question that I hear quite abit from IT executives.
IoT devices spit out a lot of data.
They're capturing tons of dataand spitting.
(15:39):
It out constantly back to adatabase or a data lake.
How do you handle all thatdata coming in?
Skip, that is a very important point.
What we do is we try to haveas much computing being done at the
edge as possible.
And this has two benefits.
(16:00):
First, of course, is theamount of data that you're pushing
to the cloud is a smallfraction than what really you would
have.
If, let's say, your sensorsevery second will be sending out
a message saying, the room isbusy, the room is busy, the room
is busy.
So what we do at the edge isif the room is busy until the room
is not vacated, we're notgoing to send another signal.
(16:22):
So those data points arereduced by 99%.
The other thing that is veryimportant is that we limit the bandwidth
of that information to what isvital for the analytics.
That means at least I have amic on my room because we are detecting
(16:46):
from gunshot or whatever may be.
Well, that mic is just anopen, close kind of signal.
So is there a spike on your decibels?
That is a gunshot.
So we send an alarm, but we'renot recording the content or what's
going on in the room.
(17:07):
Similarly, all these sensors,we just extract the information that
is needed for the purpose of a client.
So the client can also filterat the device level on the configuration
of the devices.
What kind of information orhow granular or how intense needs
(17:27):
to be this data flow to notonly minimize the data usage at the
cloud, but also you need toconsider all that information needs
to go through WI Fi.
So it's not that nowproperties need to readdress all
their WI fi system justbecause now they want to go IOT and
they want to have all this monitoring.
So you really want to have adata band that is minimal comparing
(17:51):
to what is going to be the usefrom your guest for streaming video
and so on.
Fabio, you bring up a verygood point about implementation.
We are going to take a little.
Bit of a break, but I think.
That'S a perfect segue.
After the break, we're goingto come.
Back and talk more aboutimplementation, the ROI of IoT and
some of the challenges andopportunities that exist out there
(18:13):
within hospitality.
So everybody hold on.
We'll be right back.
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Fabio, before the break, weare talking.
About implementation and youtouched on it with WI FI and infrastructure.
(18:56):
How do IoT solutions integratewith existing infrastructure in hotels
or resorts to improve energy efficiency?
Well, our systems areprimarily wireless and our commitment
to the industry is we're goingto have the most vast surface in
(19:16):
terms of integration.
So we integrate pretty muchwith any of the standard wide protocols
like BACNET that are typicallyused for BMSS.
We have APIs, either localAPIs and cloud APIs, and then we
use a lot of other productsprotocols from Rs232 to MQTT and
so on.
(19:37):
So what is very important ismany properties are not in the position
in which they can remove theirlegacy controls and put brand new
controls that would be reallytoo disrupting for the operations.
So being able to either adaptor or complement a legacy system
(20:02):
with these new technologies is vital.
That's why we've beendeveloping all these capabilities
in terms of integration.
So we integrate with AVsystems without mentioning brands
and names.
But most of the AV companiesintegrate fully with our system as
well as most of the bms.
(20:24):
We can work with propertymanagement systems that are either
local or PMSS, that are cloudbased because we have APIs for both
sides.
So the beauty here is thatwithout touching your walls, without
having to pull Cat 6 all overthe place, you can start adding these
(20:45):
elements in order to get moreinformation or deliver a better experience
with a minimal impact.
There's many projects where wego in and out of a guest room in
two hours.
So in two hours is what youneed to remodel here and there.
(21:05):
There could be a few scratchesor a few smears to clear, but it's
not that you need to open thewalls and put extra cabinets and
so on.
So it's very, very importantwhenever you decide, yes, I want
to start implementing IoT.
I want to start implementingall the things that we discussed,
defining and determining whichtechnology to use in order not to
(21:28):
have a physical impact in youroperations and an impact on your
current infrastructure.
What you do with wireless isyou have a parallel infrastructure
that is a totally wirelessinfrastructure and you use that highway
instead of having to gothrough your routers and your wi
fi and your legacyinfrastructure on your premises.
(21:53):
When we were talking beforethe show, I was explaining or telling
you.
I was at CES recently in Vegasand the amount of IoT exposure there
was pretty impressive,probably a more significant presence
than I've seen in the past.
And I know we've been talkingabout energy savings here most of
the conversation, but myquestion to you is, how are IoT devices
(22:14):
contributing to like a broadersustainability goal within hospitality,
for instance, waste reductionor maybe water conservation?
I would say that IoT isgetting a new life for two aspects.
One, of course, is the adventof AI that will decouplicate the
(22:37):
power of IoT.
And the other is thecontinuous reduction of the cost
of an IoT device, of a tag, ofa beacon, and so on.
So we're getting to a point inwhich you can start controlling.
For instance, you werementioning about reducing waste.
You can control thetemperature at which certain supplies
(22:58):
are being stored.
And that allows you also toknow what kind of life you have on
the shelf of differentproducts or different producers and
so on.
But you can also startcontrolling your water flow, your
waste, your sewer.
(23:19):
You can really control allaspects of inputs and outputs of
your property with IoT and itreally costs a fraction.
Nowadays you can have aSilicon Labs or a Nordic chip that
10 years ago was a fullcomputer in terms of computing power
(23:40):
for $5, $6.
And that shows you howeconomically it's becoming implementing
IoT into a hotel or a restaurant.
So we've talked about some ofthe more common aspects of ROI within
hospitality, using IoT devicesand monitoring.
(24:02):
Obviously, energy savings iscertainly impactful.
I just want to make sure I'mnot missing anything.
How are these systemstranslating into tangible cost savings
or ROI for hotel operators?
Yes.
So of course the mostimmediate is that power bill or those
different bills that are goingto go down.
(24:22):
But it's not a secondaryeffect of IoT.
The type of operational costsavings that you can have, like by
monitoring, we were mentioningearlier, the status of different
guest rooms or the status ofdifferent equipment and supplies
and so on.
(24:45):
The amount of time that can besaved on personal is extraordinary.
There is the fact that havinga clear picture of what's going on
on your property reducesstress on management and operators
big time.
Because you know exactlywhat's going on.
(25:05):
You have a grasp of what ishappening most of the time you have
prediction of what couldhappen right or wrong in the near
future or long term future.
You can have predictivemaintenance, for instance.
So imagine having now aproperty down just because your Chile
is down, or what could be theeffect on the brand just because
(25:30):
now you have an elevator thatis down.
So a lot of what IoT candeliver is that the prediction of
what can happen on thisequipment based on the sensors, are
we getting more vibrations onelevator shaft?
Are we getting moretemperature on a specific valve?
(25:50):
And by monitoring these and byusing AI, you can determine there
is a 99% chance that valve isgoing to go down.
And that valve has to do withthe West Wing hot water and now being
able to preventively correctthat valve and not having to do it
(26:13):
after the fact.
Where now you have gas withouthot water, well, that is a big.
It's still a saving, but it'sdefinitely a plus in terms of reduced
stress, a better operation,better customer service and less
disruption to the operation ofa property.
(26:34):
We've talked a lot about this technology.
I mean, it used to be a littlebit cost prohibitive in the past
for smaller properties.
How can smaller boutiquehotels or smaller properties leverage
IoT solutions without large budgets?
Yes, going wireless,definitely the best solution.
Nowadays on a guest room youcan start with a few hundred dollars
(26:59):
a key up to of course, $1,000,$2,000 a key.
On common areas you could havean investment of a dollar a square
foot.
Those are really minimal costcomparing to the savings that we've
been discussing.
The increase in productivityof employees, improve in customer
(27:24):
experience and yes, I wouldsay five, ten years ago, going iot,
going full integration on aproperty will be cost prohibitive
for a lot of particularly likehistorical buildings or buildings
that need to be just remodeledand so on.
Nowadays it makes absolutelysense and the return of investment
(27:48):
is, is totally there.
Before we finish up here, Igot a two part question.
What's the most uniqueimplementation of IoT devices you've
seen?
And number two, what is themost successful use case of implementing
an IoT device?
So very interesting topic.
The ownership wanted to have adifferent experience throughout the
(28:13):
day.
What they did is they, theyused the lighting, but they used
also the music that they werestreaming on the property.
So the designer was able tocorrelate the intensity of the light
and the brightness of thelight with the beats per minute of
(28:34):
the music streamed through the property.
So you will have a high bitsper minute music in the morning just
to get energized and then youwill have a lower bits per minute
of a music in the evening andwarmer colors, more ambery lights
in the common areas just tocreate that coziness and relaxing
(28:57):
kind of experience.
So these are very interestingaspects where the property is no
longer your typical light anda few other.
But you start having differentcomponents like fragrances being
different or increase ordecrease music beat per minute or
(29:17):
type types of music throughoutthe day.
So you are, you are reallyhaving an approach to the guest experience
that is a holy experience.
And I love that level ofcommitment from the leadership at
those properties because Ithink back to, I was recently in
Vegas and I'm always amazedwhen I go through these amazing properties
(29:38):
out there because they takewhat you just described to a whole
different level.
And the beautiful part is thatyou have this feeling but you're
not really paying attention tothe technology around it.
It's transparent, but itreally provides a complete immersive
experience in that property's environment.
So that's a fantastic best usecase scenario.
(30:01):
How about the most successfuluse case?
Well, the most successfuldefinitely is energy monitoring.
That is, it's huge in terms ofoperational cost, but also impact
on on, on the environment.
So huge.
So to boil that down, thatreally should be the driving force
(30:23):
with the initial decision tomove into iot.
Yes, absolutely.
There is also becauseconnected to energy monitoring, there
is a rebates, there is codecompliance, there is a lot of state
level and federal levelincentives to do that.
So when, when you are able towrite those incentives, everything
(30:43):
else, everything else thatwe've been talking during the podcast
comes for free because it'sreally paid by the energy side of
the equation.
Fabio, our time is up, unfortunately.
Thank you so much.
It's always a pleasure tospeak with you and to kind of sponge
some of that information inthat head of yours to figure out
(31:03):
all these amazing things thatare going out there in the hospitality
space.
So thank you once again forcoming on the show.
Skip.
It was my pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Well, there you go.
If you haven't implemented IoTdevices on your property or in your
restaurant, what are youwaiting for?
(31:25):
You will experiencesignificant cost savings.
Let's continue thisconversation online.
You can always reach out to mevia everything social, Skip Kimple
or everything Magic 8 Tech.
This includes X, Facebook,Instagram and LinkedIn.
You can always go to thewebsite@Skip Kimble.com for all of
the archived shows and you canalso hear all of these new episodes
(31:48):
on the Magic gatewebsite@magicgate.com and of course
you can email me skipmagic8.com next week is a surprise
guest.
We actually recorded him overa year ago and due to some logistic
issues, it took this long toget him on the show.
Now, much has happened sincewe first recorded our session, so
(32:12):
we decided to do it all overagain just for you.
So make sure you tune in forthe next episode.
That's it for this week and Iam so glad you took the time to join
us.
And until next Tuesday, staysafe, stay healthy and stay hungry,
my friends.
You are listening to the TechChef Podcast.
This is episode number 86,January 28, 2025.
This show is powered by GrowthAdvisors International Network, where
travel and hospitalitycompanies come to grow.
For more information, pleasevisit gainadvisors.com.
(00:23):
This is Fabio Zaniboni,founder and CEO of Babinet, and you
are listening to Skip on theTech Chef Podcast.
Off premise Strategy, Business continuity.
How about a taste test ofrestaurant technology?
Drive thru or curbside?
(00:44):
Mobile apps or AI?
It's all on the menu.
Cook it up for the date.
It's a recipe for success.
You're in good hands with protection.
Make a plan to be your best.
Strategize with the Tech Chef.
(01:06):
Well, hello there and welcomeback to another exciting episode
of the Tech Chef Podcast.
I'm your host, Skip Kimple,joining you from a surprisingly brisk
and breezy Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For those of you shivering incolder climates, I know you might
be rolling your eyes rightabout now, but hey, we Floridians
aren't built for this kind of weather.
(01:27):
Wherever you're tuning infrom, whether it's over your morning
coffee during your commute orwinding down after a busy day, thank
you for making us part of your routine.
We are thrilled to have you here.
As with every episode, we'rediving headfirst into the ever evolving
world of restaurant andhospitality technology.
(01:48):
We'll uncover fresh ideas,discover innovative tools and share
actionable strategies thatwill not only inspire, but empower
you to take your business tothe next level.
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(02:12):
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It's time to turn up the heaton innovation with the Tech Chef
(02:55):
Podcast.
Today, Fabio Zanaboni, anexpert in hospitality technology,
discusses the transformativerole of IoT in driving sustainability
and energy efficiency withinthe hospitality sector.
He shares insights from hisextensive background in engineering
(03:15):
and innovation highlightinghow IoT devices can significantly
reduce energy consumption andoperational cost in hotels and restaurants.
The conversation delves intothe importance of edge computing,
which minimizes datatransmission to the cloud, thereby
conserving energy and resources.
Fabio also emphasizes that adual focus on sustainability and
(03:39):
guest well being.
Showcasing how IoT can enhancethe guest experience through smart
environmental controls.
With practical examples andemerging trends, this episode illustrates
how integrating IoT solutionscan lead to substantial cost savings
and a more immersivehospitality experience.
Let's dive right in and hearwhat Fabio has to share with us.
(04:08):
Fabio, can you tell us a little.
Bit about your background, howyou ended.
Up in the hospitality sector,why you started bubblynet, and your
role in driving sustainableinnovation in hospitality technology?
Yes, Skip, I'm an engineer,but I always loved aesthetics and
interiors and for 20 years Iwas in automotive, I was in robotics,
(04:34):
and then I had the opportunitystart a company into the cruise ships
and high end yachting andthere we were doing lighting, we
were doing controls, we werepretty much taking care of everything
experience inside of theseluxury yachts.
(04:58):
And those luxury yachts haveto be designed not only for their
private owners, but also fortheir charting times that most of
the time is the primary use ofthose yachts.
So I came to understand how isimportant to address those minute
(05:19):
details that make an amazing experience.
We were doing lighting, wewere doing controls.
A few years later we startgetting into land.
So architectural space and ofcourse hotels was the most immediate
target for our projects.
(05:42):
And around 2010, 2012 westarted Bubblenet as a wireless solution
for hospitality and as well asalso commercial real estate in general,
healthcare and so on.
But hospitality definitely isour main focus.
(06:03):
Obviously I know yourbackground a little bit and your
company a little bit more, butwe're really talking about IoT devices
here in order to be able tomonitor and control some of these
systems.
For the sustainability piece,what inspired you to focus on sustainability
through IoT and energymanagement systems?
So as you get into the IoTspace, you get into embedded systems.
(06:26):
That means that you're puttingintelligence at the edge.
You're putting intelligence onthe last few feet of your project.
So your lighting becomesintelligent, your sensor become intelligent.
Pretty much anything that iselectrical or electronic can be intelligent.
And as you are able to get allthose data points, you can do some
(06:51):
incredible things.
And the two major, I would sayvalues are sustainability and well
being.
On the sustainability side ofcourse is how it can be energy efficient,
but it's also how littleenergy I will need in order to process
(07:13):
that information.
So being able to processinformation at the edge level, not
having to push all yourinformation to the cloud, that reduce
drastically the amount ofenergy that, as you know, right now
we are getting kind of, we arestarving for energy with all these
new data centers that arecoming that are being built right
(07:35):
now across the country.
And so that is one piece of sustainability.
The other piece ofsustainability is in a hotel up to
10, 15 years ago, in order tohave all that intelligence, you had
to have panels and cabinetsand equipment and pull Cat 6 cable
across all your property.
(07:56):
So it was very, very demandingin terms of labor, but also in terms
of resources.
By going edge, by going IoTand having most of the computing
being done at the devicelevel, we can save up to 94% on earth
resources just because you'reusing less cables, you're using less
(08:18):
copper, metal, silicon and so on.
So that is one sustainability.
The next one is well being.
So well being means not onlyhealth and happiness of your guest,
but is everything that can beincluded on a guest experience.
(08:41):
I will give you a few examples.
We can control and monitor ofcourse your H Vac, so your temperature
in your room, but we can alsocontrol your CO2 level.
So CO2 level is determinant.
In order to have your bestsleep quality at night.
We can also mask what could benoises and distractions, unfamiliar
(09:09):
sounds on a corridor, for instance.
That is another reason yoursleep can be of poor quality.
Do you loop in lights there as well?
Yes, absolutely.
So what you do is lighting.
In terms of lighting,nowadays, LEDs can have different
kind of spectrums throughoutthe day.
(09:31):
So in the morning you want tofeel energized.
Well, you can have a lightthat is brighter and more, let's
say, bluish, we call itmelanopic frequencies is the technical
term.
But now that lighting willmake you feel more alive.
But if you use the same kindof light at night, well, you are
going to have a poor qualityof sleep because your body thinks
(09:53):
that is day, just because it'sgetting that input from your guest
room.
So lighting, sound and so onare all aspects of what you can do
with IoT.
Another aspect, for instance,is I remember once reading some reviews
and people complaining aboutin the morning having cleaning services,
(10:16):
knocking on doors and wakingup people and so on.
Now you can have your buttonthat is a do not disturb button.
And not only you have a morecalm user experience, but then if
somebody wants to have a roomthat is cleaned now your button can
change color and all thosestatuses when you're saying, I want
(10:38):
my room to be clean, I don'twant to be disturbed, and so on.
All those statuses can also bepushed to the cloud and then talk
to your property managementsystem so that then you can optimize
the service of your cleaning crew.
While you just gave me thescenario of the entire IoT architecture
(10:58):
within the hotel area, let'sconcentrate for a second on the energy
piece of it.
What are some of the most significant.
Energy challenges that hotels,restaurants and other hospitality
businesses face today and howcan IoT help solve for them?
Yes, good question.
So hospitality is one of theprimary users of energy.
(11:19):
It's incredible how much ahotel, for instance, or a restaurant
requires in terms of energy.
So the first, first thing is,well, like on a guest room, if we
consider that, for instance,your two main loads are going to
be your H Vac and your lighting.
Now it's very simple.
(11:40):
You can have a couple ofmotion sensors, you can have a sensor
on the door, and whenever youopen the door, the sensors are going
to detect if there is motionor motion.
And this is called smart occupancy.
So in the middle of the night,if you don't move, it's not that
the sensor will think thatthere is nobody in the room.
But with these solutions, wecan know at every given time if a
(12:02):
room is occupied or not occupied.
So for instance, we've beendoing properties where, like right
now we're doing a propertyhere in Florida facing west.
Big energy, challengingbecause of course, everybody wants
to have big glass panels andbe able to see the sea and so on,
but that room most of the dayis empty.
(12:24):
So when the room is vacatedafter 20 minutes, the shades of motorized
shades automatically go down.
And that is a big factorbecause all that sun, that Florida
sun, is not going to get intothe room.
Your H Vac is going to go towhat is called a setback temperature.
So your H Vac is going to beusing less and all the powers.
(12:45):
So your lighting as well asall your, your outlets are going
to be disconnected from, fromthe grid.
So the savings, like I've seenstatistics, I've seen savings up
to 70%.
That is huge.
Typically we say, we say,well, you know, you could be saving
about 30% of, of your NHBL.
(13:05):
So the return of investment ontechnology, particularly when you
go wireless, so very littlelabor and very easy to install, is
typically 12 to 18 months.
That is amazing because after12, 18 months, you know, all those
savings go back to you.
So are there any emergingtrends in energy management that
you believe will kind.
Of shape the future of hospitality?
(13:26):
Yes, for sure.
AI, it's a big trend.
So what we are doing right nowis we take all these data points,
we push them to the cloud andthen we, we have different user interfaces
allowing you to see how muchenergy you're using, you're not using.
(13:47):
When you start correlatingenergy consumption with occupancy,
energy consumption with yourdifferent loads, the dimming levels
and so on, now you are able tosee, well, where you could address
your energy consumption.
The next thing is now that youhave multiple properties, or we can
(14:07):
compare your property withother similar properties in the same
geographical area.
We can immediately startseeing what are the outliers during
the day or the weekend of theoperation of your hotel and your
restaurant.
All these right now is done byour energy consultants.
What we're doing right now iswe are training AI agents.
(14:31):
So right now we have an AIagent that's fully trained on everything,
customer service.
We are training an AI agentfor anything that is a, let's say,
energy consultancy.
So the idea is that byplugging IoT and AI together on your
property now, you're going tohave proactive emails where there
(14:56):
will be recommendations.
If you go with this strategy,you could do this and you could do
that.
We could even get to a pointin which if a client says, well,
just get me full AI, likelet's go fully AI agentic now, it's
going to be automatic.
So the sequence of operationin your property will automatically
(15:18):
adjust to the best in class inthat geographical area for the type
of property.
So you brought up data pointsand that brings up a really important
question that I hear quite abit from IT executives.
IoT devices spit out a lot of data.
They're capturing tons of dataand spitting.
(15:39):
It out constantly back to adatabase or a data lake.
How do you handle all thatdata coming in?
Skip, that is a very important point.
What we do is we try to haveas much computing being done at the
edge as possible.
And this has two benefits.
(16:00):
First, of course, is theamount of data that you're pushing
to the cloud is a smallfraction than what really you would
have.
If, let's say, your sensorsevery second will be sending out
a message saying, the room isbusy, the room is busy, the room
is busy.
So what we do at the edge isif the room is busy until the room
is not vacated, we're notgoing to send another signal.
(16:22):
So those data points arereduced by 99%.
The other thing that is veryimportant is that we limit the bandwidth
of that information to what isvital for the analytics.
That means at least I have amic on my room because we are detecting
(16:46):
from gunshot or whatever may be.
Well, that mic is just anopen, close kind of signal.
So is there a spike on your decibels?
That is a gunshot.
So we send an alarm, but we'renot recording the content or what's
going on in the room.
(17:07):
Similarly, all these sensors,we just extract the information that
is needed for the purpose of a client.
So the client can also filterat the device level on the configuration
of the devices.
What kind of information orhow granular or how intense needs
(17:27):
to be this data flow to notonly minimize the data usage at the
cloud, but also you need toconsider all that information needs
to go through WI Fi.
So it's not that nowproperties need to readdress all
their WI fi system justbecause now they want to go IOT and
they want to have all this monitoring.
So you really want to have adata band that is minimal comparing
(17:51):
to what is going to be the usefrom your guest for streaming video
and so on.
Fabio, you bring up a verygood point about implementation.
We are going to take a little.
Bit of a break, but I think.
That'S a perfect segue.
After the break, we're goingto come.
Back and talk more aboutimplementation, the ROI of IoT and
some of the challenges andopportunities that exist out there
(18:13):
within hospitality.
So everybody hold on.
We'll be right back.
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(18:34):
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Fabio, before the break, weare talking.
About implementation and youtouched on it with WI FI and infrastructure.
(18:56):
How do IoT solutions integratewith existing infrastructure in hotels
or resorts to improve energy efficiency?
Well, our systems areprimarily wireless and our commitment
to the industry is we're goingto have the most vast surface in
(19:16):
terms of integration.
So we integrate pretty muchwith any of the standard wide protocols
like BACNET that are typicallyused for BMSS.
We have APIs, either localAPIs and cloud APIs, and then we
use a lot of other productsprotocols from Rs232 to MQTT and
so on.
(19:37):
So what is very important ismany properties are not in the position
in which they can remove theirlegacy controls and put brand new
controls that would be reallytoo disrupting for the operations.
So being able to either adaptor or complement a legacy system
(20:02):
with these new technologies is vital.
That's why we've beendeveloping all these capabilities
in terms of integration.
So we integrate with AVsystems without mentioning brands
and names.
But most of the AV companiesintegrate fully with our system as
well as most of the bms.
(20:24):
We can work with propertymanagement systems that are either
local or PMSS, that are cloudbased because we have APIs for both
sides.
So the beauty here is thatwithout touching your walls, without
having to pull Cat 6 all overthe place, you can start adding these
(20:45):
elements in order to get moreinformation or deliver a better experience
with a minimal impact.
There's many projects where wego in and out of a guest room in
two hours.
So in two hours is what youneed to remodel here and there.
(21:05):
There could be a few scratchesor a few smears to clear, but it's
not that you need to open thewalls and put extra cabinets and
so on.
So it's very, very importantwhenever you decide, yes, I want
to start implementing IoT.
I want to start implementingall the things that we discussed,
defining and determining whichtechnology to use in order not to
(21:28):
have a physical impact in youroperations and an impact on your
current infrastructure.
What you do with wireless isyou have a parallel infrastructure
that is a totally wirelessinfrastructure and you use that highway
instead of having to gothrough your routers and your wi
fi and your legacyinfrastructure on your premises.
(21:53):
When we were talking beforethe show, I was explaining or telling
you.
I was at CES recently in Vegasand the amount of IoT exposure there
was pretty impressive,probably a more significant presence
than I've seen in the past.
And I know we've been talkingabout energy savings here most of
the conversation, but myquestion to you is, how are IoT devices
(22:14):
contributing to like a broadersustainability goal within hospitality,
for instance, waste reductionor maybe water conservation?
I would say that IoT isgetting a new life for two aspects.
One, of course, is the adventof AI that will decouplicate the
(22:37):
power of IoT.
And the other is thecontinuous reduction of the cost
of an IoT device, of a tag, ofa beacon, and so on.
So we're getting to a point inwhich you can start controlling.
For instance, you werementioning about reducing waste.
You can control thetemperature at which certain supplies
(22:58):
are being stored.
And that allows you also toknow what kind of life you have on
the shelf of differentproducts or different producers and
so on.
But you can also startcontrolling your water flow, your
waste, your sewer.
(23:19):
You can really control allaspects of inputs and outputs of
your property with IoT and itreally costs a fraction.
Nowadays you can have aSilicon Labs or a Nordic chip that
10 years ago was a fullcomputer in terms of computing power
(23:40):
for $5, $6.
And that shows you howeconomically it's becoming implementing
IoT into a hotel or a restaurant.
So we've talked about some ofthe more common aspects of ROI within
hospitality, using IoT devicesand monitoring.
(24:02):
Obviously, energy savings iscertainly impactful.
I just want to make sure I'mnot missing anything.
How are these systemstranslating into tangible cost savings
or ROI for hotel operators?
Yes.
So of course the mostimmediate is that power bill or those
different bills that are goingto go down.
(24:22):
But it's not a secondaryeffect of IoT.
The type of operational costsavings that you can have, like by
monitoring, we were mentioningearlier, the status of different
guest rooms or the status ofdifferent equipment and supplies
and so on.
(24:45):
The amount of time that can besaved on personal is extraordinary.
There is the fact that havinga clear picture of what's going on
on your property reducesstress on management and operators
big time.
Because you know exactlywhat's going on.
(25:05):
You have a grasp of what ishappening most of the time you have
prediction of what couldhappen right or wrong in the near
future or long term future.
You can have predictivemaintenance, for instance.
So imagine having now aproperty down just because your Chile
is down, or what could be theeffect on the brand just because
(25:30):
now you have an elevator thatis down.
So a lot of what IoT candeliver is that the prediction of
what can happen on thisequipment based on the sensors, are
we getting more vibrations onelevator shaft?
Are we getting moretemperature on a specific valve?
(25:50):
And by monitoring these and byusing AI, you can determine there
is a 99% chance that valve isgoing to go down.
And that valve has to do withthe West Wing hot water and now being
able to preventively correctthat valve and not having to do it
(26:13):
after the fact.
Where now you have gas withouthot water, well, that is a big.
It's still a saving, but it'sdefinitely a plus in terms of reduced
stress, a better operation,better customer service and less
disruption to the operation ofa property.
(26:34):
We've talked a lot about this technology.
I mean, it used to be a littlebit cost prohibitive in the past
for smaller properties.
How can smaller boutiquehotels or smaller properties leverage
IoT solutions without large budgets?
Yes, going wireless,definitely the best solution.
Nowadays on a guest room youcan start with a few hundred dollars
(26:59):
a key up to of course, $1,000,$2,000 a key.
On common areas you could havean investment of a dollar a square
foot.
Those are really minimal costcomparing to the savings that we've
been discussing.
The increase in productivityof employees, improve in customer
(27:24):
experience and yes, I wouldsay five, ten years ago, going iot,
going full integration on aproperty will be cost prohibitive
for a lot of particularly likehistorical buildings or buildings
that need to be just remodeledand so on.
Nowadays it makes absolutelysense and the return of investment
(27:48):
is, is totally there.
Before we finish up here, Igot a two part question.
What's the most uniqueimplementation of IoT devices you've
seen?
And number two, what is themost successful use case of implementing
an IoT device?
So very interesting topic.
The ownership wanted to have adifferent experience throughout the
(28:13):
day.
What they did is they, theyused the lighting, but they used
also the music that they werestreaming on the property.
So the designer was able tocorrelate the intensity of the light
and the brightness of thelight with the beats per minute of
(28:34):
the music streamed through the property.
So you will have a high bitsper minute music in the morning just
to get energized and then youwill have a lower bits per minute
of a music in the evening andwarmer colors, more ambery lights
in the common areas just tocreate that coziness and relaxing
(28:57):
kind of experience.
So these are very interestingaspects where the property is no
longer your typical light anda few other.
But you start having differentcomponents like fragrances being
different or increase ordecrease music beat per minute or
(29:17):
type types of music throughoutthe day.
So you are, you are reallyhaving an approach to the guest experience
that is a holy experience.
And I love that level ofcommitment from the leadership at
those properties because Ithink back to, I was recently in
Vegas and I'm always amazedwhen I go through these amazing properties
(29:38):
out there because they takewhat you just described to a whole
different level.
And the beautiful part is thatyou have this feeling but you're
not really paying attention tothe technology around it.
It's transparent, but itreally provides a complete immersive
experience in that property's environment.
So that's a fantastic best usecase scenario.
(30:01):
How about the most successfuluse case?
Well, the most successfuldefinitely is energy monitoring.
That is, it's huge in terms ofoperational cost, but also impact
on on, on the environment.
So huge.
So to boil that down, thatreally should be the driving force
(30:23):
with the initial decision tomove into iot.
Yes, absolutely.
There is also becauseconnected to energy monitoring, there
is a rebates, there is codecompliance, there is a lot of state
level and federal levelincentives to do that.
So when, when you are able towrite those incentives, everything
(30:43):
else, everything else thatwe've been talking during the podcast
comes for free because it'sreally paid by the energy side of
the equation.
Fabio, our time is up, unfortunately.
Thank you so much.
It's always a pleasure tospeak with you and to kind of sponge
some of that information inthat head of yours to figure out
(31:03):
all these amazing things thatare going out there in the hospitality
space.
So thank you once again forcoming on the show.
Skip.
It was my pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Well, there you go.
If you haven't implemented IoTdevices on your property or in your
restaurant, what are youwaiting for?
(31:25):
You will experiencesignificant cost savings.
Let's continue thisconversation online.
You can always reach out to mevia everything social, Skip Kimple
or everything Magic 8 Tech.
This includes X, Facebook,Instagram and LinkedIn.
You can always go to thewebsite@Skip Kimble.com for all of
the archived shows and you canalso hear all of these new episodes
(31:48):
on the Magic gatewebsite@magicgate.com and of course
you can email me skipmagic8.com next week is a surprise
guest.
We actually recorded him overa year ago and due to some logistic
issues, it took this long toget him on the show.
Now, much has happened sincewe first recorded our session, so
(32:12):
we decided to do it all overagain just for you.
So make sure you tune in forthe next episode.
That's it for this week and Iam so glad you took the time to join
us.
And until next Tuesday, staysafe, stay healthy and stay hungry,
my friends.
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