Solutions for energy management, safety and operational efficiency

How technology is transforming hospitality

In a conversation with Jeroen Coesmans, Managing Director of Vingcard Benelux, it quickly becomes clear that innovation and ease of use go hand in hand within the hotel sector. Vingcard works hard on technological solutions that make hotels more efficient, safe and sustainable. From the well-known smart door locks to integral software solutions.

Vingcard has a clear vision: technology should simplify hotel management. A key development of our time is to replace traditional card readers in the hotel room, which switch off the power when the guest leaves the room. Coesmans explains: "We have developed card readers that do not respond to random cards such as a business card or a card from the hardware store, but only to a hotel keycard. This prevents unnecessary energy consumption as guests try to be 'smart' and use other cards when they are not in their room. For example, because they want to leave the air conditioning on." But it doesn't stop there. Vingcard is introducing a system that completely replaces the classic card reader. Instead, motion sensors and door and window sensors are installed to detect guests' presence and automatically regulate energy consumption. This means that, for example, the air conditioning or heating switches off if the room is unoccupied for a longer period of time, or when the guest opens the window, leading to significant energy savings. Also, this system is a solution for door opening with a digital key, as a keycard in a reader is no longer needed. 

Pioneer

Coesmans mentions that while Vingcard is mainly known as the inventor of the first hotel room lock. But these have since been far advanced and are now part of a larger, integrated system offered by Vingcard. Coesmans: "Our Vingcard solutions have been pioneers in the hotel industry. What started as a door lock with a unique keycard, fitted with punch holes, is now an important part of a digital ecosystem that allows hotels to manage not only access, but also, for example, room occupancy and climate control. This helps hotels optimise operational processes, from assigning tasks to housekeeping to improving energy efficiency. For managing housekeeping tasks, Vingcard offers a Cloud solution equipped with a mobile app and digital dashboards. 

"These kinds of solutions not only offer convenience, but also allow hotels to better respond to changing guest needs," Coesmans explains. A concrete example is the 'Corporate' dashboard, which allows hotels to be centrally monitored and controlled at group level. This not only creates an overview, but also the ability to respond quickly to incidents or opportunities, resulting in higher guest satisfaction.

Coesmans stresses, "The great thing is that even smaller hotels can deploy this technology. The system is scalable, so even hotels with fewer rooms can use our solutions."

Connected

Vingcard today uses VConnect Property Management Systems (PMS) to link with security systems, telephony, television and other hardware in the hotel. It does not matter whether systems run in the cloud or on servers. This creates an integrated network that ensures that all processes are seamlessly connected and supports when a hotel wants a PMS change to the cloud, for example. 

Housekeeping

According to Coesmans, Vingcard is continuously investing in new technologies to further expand its offering. "We once started as a hardware company, but have since become more and more of a software developer," Coesmans said. "Our platform also offers extensive analytics capabilities that allow managers to get an overview of work to be carried out, task scheduling and process efficiency at a glance."

To add: "Collecting data and translating it into actionable insights helps hotels respond quickly to bottlenecks and make improvements where needed. Think of monitoring energy consumption, analysing occupancy rates or even predicting maintenance needs." The solutions are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing them to be easily adapted to the specific needs of each hotel, regardless of size. With this approach, Vingcard aims not only to contribute to the operational side of hotels, but also to enhance the guest experience. "We see that guests expect more and more from technology in hotels. Through our systems, hotels can not only operate more efficiently, but also respond to guests' individual needs, such as personalised room settings and easy access via mobile devices," Coesmans said.

Ecosystem

For hoteliers, this means that they not only purchase a secure and future-proof lock on the door, but gain access to a full ecosystem of solutions that improve both guest experience and operational efficiency. Coesmans concludes, "Our focus is on creating value for hotels. Whether that is through energy savings, better security or improved communication within the team. We want to show that technology, supported by the well-known Vingcard organisation, is not complicated, but can actually be an important partner in a hotel's success."