ROANOKE, VA? William Fizer, president of Lodging Technology Corp., believes that saving energy saves everything? including profits. Lodging Technology is ready to carry the lodging industry into the new millennium with a line of products that Fizer promises will make any hotel more efficient and establish the property as an environmentally responsible business. Lodging Technology is the originator and widely recognized leader in infrared sensor-based hotel energy conservation. Along with a host of products, the company provides direct sales, service, installation and purchasing options which allow hotel owners and managers to reduce operating costs, improve profits and guest service. Two new features for the company?s GEM System guestroom energy management product will be introduced at this year?s HITEC show in Atlanta, GA. The company is introducing its GuestFind Remote Occupancy Indicator feature for the GEM System. This addition extends the reliable guest sensing capability of GEM System to a map-like panel at the front desk, housekeeping, security or fire control station. GuestFind provides instantaneous, real-time information on which rooms are physically occupied. The GuestFind panel in the housekeeping office can display unoccupied rooms instead of occupied rooms. The panel at the fire control station allows firemen to know exactly which rooms contain guests, so these rooms may be evacuated first. The system has battery backup capability which will hold the last known occupied status of each room in the event of building power failure. Another new feature is the GEM System/GEM Light combination. The two can be combined via a two wire connection to accurately and automatically setback HVAC and turn off overhead or bathroom lights as well as the electric cooktop in extended-stay properties. According to the company, the cooktop has become somewhat of a liability in that guests leave the cooktop on while out all day, increasing the risk of fire. Only the GEM System sensor (for HVAC) itself is visible in the guestroom while the GEM Light circuit is mounted in a concealed J-box. The GEM System senses room occupancy and each circuit then independently controls lighting, cooktop, and HVAC to reduce operating costs and increase safety. Other products include the GEM Stat, an attractive, accurate and easy-to-use digital thermostat for new or replacement applications which can directly replace old mercury bulb thermostats without requiring new wiring. According to Lodging Technology research, heating and cooling is the largest guest-room expense and usually the second highest overall cost of business in the lodging industry. The company points out that even rented rooms are empty nearly 65% of the time, but air conditioning, heating and lights continue to operate at guest selected levels. Operation of the system, which basically is centered around a ?people sensor,? is completely transparent and does not intrude on guest comfort or convenience.
