Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 3rd Quarter 2017 | Page 89

FIRST IMPRESSIONS – GREAT GUEST EXPERIENCE The guests’ first impression of SmarTap is when they see the sleek-designed, push-and- turn knobs with dynamic LED indicators, which replace the standard faucet in the shower. If available, they can also prepare and control their shower using a smartphone app or by voice commands using Amazon Alexa, including auto-filling the bath with the touch of a button. The entire experience is elegant, modern and high-tech, and can also be personalized. For hotels, using SmarTap can differentiate and potentially offer revenue- generating marketing ideas around bathing personalization or award programs. DURABLE, RELIABLE, AND HIGH- TECH SHERATON TEL AVIV DATA 30% reduction in water usage • Water savings: 69.7 L (18.4 gal.) per occupied room per day 8% reduction in energy usage • Energy for heating water savings: 1,200 kcal per day Savings: $105/room/year @ 70% occupancy • $57 in water (4,500 gal/ year) • $48 in energy for water heating (300,000 kcal/year) The heart of the system is the SmarTap e-Valve. About the size of a shoebox, it contains the highest-quality valves and solenoids, tailor-manufactured by German companies Flühs and A.u.K Müller. Embedded inside are proprietary sensors that measure water parameters along with software that performs sophisticated calculations to provide remote monitoring, automated alerts and control. For the hotel, this translates into new operational insights – about how showers are being used in terms of bathing frequencies, water consumption, temperature, pressure and flow. For the first time, a hotel can monitor every shower and track how water flows through the hotel’s wet system. WATER AND ENERGY SAVINGS To reduce water and energy consumption, the hotel can optimize water pressure based on actual use by room, by floor or hotel-wide. In a multi-year pilot in the Sheraton Tel Aviv, the hotel saved an average of $105 per room per year using the SmarTap shower. Hotel operators can also receive an indication of water system malfunctions or abnormalities and address the problem before it becomes more complex and expensive. They can even receive indications around possible water abuse or guest injury if showers are left on for an extended period of time. ILHA 89