Welcome to the first all-digital hotel

A visit to The Sinclair, Autograph Collection in Fort Worth is a step back in time.

With the green marble entryway, the original elevator doors and the cigar boxes on display, it’s 1929 again and this is a new office building.

On check-in, the experience is anything but vintage.

Using a smartphone app, a hotel guest at The Sinclair can adjust the temperature of the room, the light settings in the bedroom and bathroom, the window shades, and even the shower temperature to the exact degree.

And once the technology is added in hotels around the world, guests can count on their preferred settings personalising their next hotel room before they ever step foot into it.

Intel’s internet of things (IoT) technology weaves through the DNA of The Sinclair, which markets itself as the first all-digital hotel.

Intel-based technologies enable the hotel from the smart features to the reservation systems, point of sale, networking infrastructure back office, and guest services, such as mobile key and wireless charging.

“We are great ecosystem builders and connectors, and so when we engage in a project like this, we bring that level of expertise to the table around who’s the best partner to bring in to solve your business problem,” said Stacey Shulman, chief innovation officer at Intel’s IoT retail solutions division.

High-tech interactions with hotel guests don’t end in the room.

Cisco’s Meraki smart Wi-Fi cloud networking solution with SAS data analytics integration offers location-based analytics and personalised guest messaging.

Guests who opt-in receive location-based text messages as they move around the hotel. For example, when a guest passes the bar, he may be sent a coupon for a free drink.

This technology also has the potential to make the hotel staff more efficient and improves the guest’s quality of service. Mobile devices allow hotel staff to connect to reservation and property management software, so guests can check-in or get their questions answered anywhere on the premises.

Guests can also order food and drinks anywhere on the property through wireless point-of-sale systems. And for the meeting rooms, Intel Unite wireless collaboration technology allows guests and meeting attendees to collaborate on content from any of their devices.