A piece of Ibiza is brought into the 21st Century
We often write of and have seen the impact of change within the hospitality and leisure industry within the past 18 months which can especially be said around the use and embrace of technology. Many agree that the speed of change in technology adoption in the hospitality and hotel worlds have moved ahead by 5 years during the pandemic and continues to grow in innovation and opportunity. One such hotel example is the Six Senses resort in Ibiza where Zennio was welcomed as their control partner for their hotel in Cala Xarraca, in the north of the island. The resort, which opened last July, is the first Six Senses property to open in Spain and one of the most ambitious projects in 2021.
From conception, this resort aimed to enhance the islands’ values; sustainability, comfort and harmony with the unique environment surrounding the hotel always being at the top of the priority list. With over 100 rooms, suites, caves and villas, the impact on the island layout is minimal, which has led the hotel becoming the first resort and residential community to become BREEAM certified in the Balearic Islands which is the best evidence to confirm the environmental sustainability of the whole development.
Zennio has also played a major role in achieving this certification, as we have been in charge of the most energy-consuming element in a hotel, HVAC. Room temperature is managed based on room occupancy and room status (whether the room is sold or not) but allowing the guest to have full control when in the room for a maximum comfort. Lighting control and “Do not disturb”/”Make up my room” are also integrated within the system to optimise cleaning processes and reduce energy waste to an absolute minimum, further assisting towards the certification. The whole building becomes an astonishing but subtle technology experience, where those who are more “techy” are amazed and the more traditional traveller have the feeling that everything is just working as it should.
The Six Senses in-room-app is also integrated in the system so guests can easily control their rooms and within common areas, it allows the hotel staff to remotely control those areas from their mobile phones and tablets via a remote app, locally through the touch panel and also centrally from the BMS, which also manages the room automation policies.
This project is another great example of the change in trend we’ve been seeing throughout the pandemic. The hospitality industry has experienced over the last 18 months an unbelievable level of update and technology is now an essential part of every new build, refurbishment or face wash. Whether it’s a guest app to order food in-room, a cleaning robot or an automation system that speaks with the PMS to enhance energy savings, solutions that seemed fantasy only 5 years ago are now part of most hotels day to day.
What technology will achieve 5 years from now no one can tell, but at least now it seems clear that end to end collaboration is required. From our side (the “tech” guys) we’ve learned to listen a bit more to the actual demands of the sectors we aim to work in while hospitality has opened its doors (and hopefully won’t have to close them again for a long time) and let us in, so we can shape together the hospitality of the future.
Javier Aguirre holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Technologies Engineering and a Master in Financial Management and has committed his entire professional career to the building automation industry. He joined Zennio in 2019 with the mission to support the UK market and is currently one of Zennio’s UK branch directors.
