Hotel · Monitoring and control
Monitoring and control in hotel: what the SRI measures
Monitoring and control is the building's nervous system: the building management system that coordinates installations, detects faults, reports energy use and can respond to occupancy and to grid signals.
In short
- 1This page shows how the monitoring and control domain is assessed for hotels.
- 2In a hotel, room occupancy, hot water, and presence detection strongly influence the score.
- 3This domain carries the maximum weighting of 3 out of 3 within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for hotels.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run time management of HVAC systems MC-3 · 4 levels | Manual setting | Heating and cooling plant on/off control based on predictive control or grid signals | – |
| Detecting faults of technical building systems and providing support to the diagnosis of these faults MC-4 · 4 levels | No central indication of detected faults and alarms | With central indication of detected faults and alarms for all relevant TBS, including diagnosing functions | – |
| Occupancy detection: connected services MC-9 · 3 levels | None | Centralised occupant detection which feeds in to several TBS such as lighting and heating | – |
| Central reporting of TBS performance and energy use MC-13 · A · 4 levels | None | Central or remote reporting of realtime energy use per energy carrier, combining TBS of all main domains in one interface | highest level |
| Smart Grid Integration MC-25 · A · 3 levels | None - No harmonization between grid and TBS; building is operated independently from the grid load | Coordinated demand side management of multiple TBS | highest level |
| Reporting information regarding demand side management performance and operation MC-28 · 3 levels | None | Reporting information on current, historical and predicted DSM status, including managed energy flows | – |
| Override of DSM control MC-29 · 5 levels | No DSM control | Scheduled override of DSM control and reactivation with optimised control | – |
| Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals MC-30 · A · 4 levels | None | Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals | highest level |
Worked example
If everything in this domain is at level 0, the domain contributes nothing. At the highest level for all services, the indicative total score for this building type rises by about 20 percentage points (from 26 to 46 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does monitoring and control carry such weight for a hotel?
A hotel experiences varying occupancy per room and per hour. The building management system (BMS) must track those changes and respond to them. For this reason, the monitoring and control (MC) domain receives the highest weighting within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for this building type: 3 out of 3 points.
Reservation systems already know when a room is occupied. If this information is linked to heating, cooling, and lighting, the functionality level of multiple smart-ready services in this domain increases.
Which smart-ready services are included?
This domain assesses eight services. Operating hours management of climate systems (MC-3) and presence detection (MC-9) are directly relevant for rooms where guests come and go. Fault detection (MC-4) and central reporting of energy consumption (MC-13) show whether technical building systems are managed clearly.
In addition, there are services related to the electricity grid: integration with the smart grid (MC-25), demand response reporting (MC-28), and the ability for building occupants to override demand response (MC-29). The service for a single central control platform (MC-30) assesses whether all technical systems are coordinated together, including presence and weather information.
Each service has functionality levels from 0 to 4. A higher level means more automation and greater system integration, not necessarily more equipment.
What does this mean for the score in practice?
Hot water demand in hotels often peaks in the morning when guests prepare themselves. A system that recognizes this pattern and prepares for it scores better on operating hours management than a system with a fixed schedule.
Guests also expect individual control of their room. Presence detection linked to lighting and heating supports this and delivers a higher level than separate, function-specific sensors.
For hotels above 290 kW of climate system capacity, a building automation obligation now applies under Article 13 of the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive). This domain aligns with that requirement, even though the SRI itself remains voluntary.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As a hotel owner, it pays to link your reservation system to the building management system so that room control automatically adjusts with occupancy. This raises not only guest comfort but also the score on multiple smart-ready services within this domain.
- Tenant
- As a guest, you will notice this mainly in how quickly your room adjusts upon check-in and whether heating or cooling automatically switches off when you are away. A well-integrated system feels like personal service, not technology.
- Advisor
- When assessing, focus on the actual integration between reservation system and technical building systems, not merely the presence of separate sensors. Also check whether demand response toward the electricity grid is already in place, given the expected growth of charging points and the upcoming delegated act for larger utility buildings.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?