Hotel Room Automation: Makel KNX, PMS and Energy Analysis

Hotel room automation should reduce unnecessary consumption while the room is vacant without compromising the guest's comfort. A card holder alone cannot reliably establish occupancy. Door events, room and bathroom sensors, PMS status and climate-control logic have to be designed together. Makel's hotel-solutions presentation compares card-based and sensor-based approaches that can be selected according to the project.

Card-based energy saving or true occupancy detection?

A card-based energy saver can turn off selected electrical loads when the guest removes the card. Makel's presentation describes both KNX/Modbus-connected card holders with DND/MUR and master controls and conventional card holders that can be integrated into automation. Yet when a guest leaves a second card in the slot, card presence may not reflect whether anyone remains in the room.

A sensor-based scheme combines door-contact information with presence detection in both the room and bathroom. After a door event, the system reassesses whether someone remains inside over a defined period. Its success depends on sensor coverage, timing and, especially, avoiding a false “vacant” decision while a guest sleeps. No sensor scheme should be described as guaranteeing savings or uninterrupted comfort until it has been tested in a mock-up room.

How hotel room automation works step by step

From check-in to check-out, the room's state is determined by combining PMS information with door and presence-sensor signals. The sequence below is a design example that must be adapted and tested in a mock-up room for each hotel.

1. Check-in prepares the room

When reception completes check-in, the PMS sends the relevant room-state event to automation. HVAC moves gradually from standby towards a comfort temperature, while lights and selected socket loads are not left running before the guest arrives.

2. First entry starts the welcome scene

A door contact or suitable electronic-lock event signals first entry. If the room was vacant, welcome lighting and the hotel's defined comfort scene may start. An open door alone does not establish lasting occupancy.

3. Room and bathroom sensors verify occupancy

After the door closes, the room and bathroom are evaluated as separate detection zones. Presence in either zone keeps the room occupied. The system must not shut down solely because one guest is still or because another guest leaves while someone remains inside.

4. Guest comfort and service requests are managed

While occupied, bedside switches and suitable panels control lighting, shading, temperature and defined scenes. Do Not Disturb or Make Up Room (DND/MUR) requests can reach the indoor and corridor units and, where specified, the housekeeping interface. Avoiding a false vacancy decision during sleep, rest or work is a key mock-up test.

5. Verified departure starts economy mode

After the door closes again, if neither the room nor bathroom confirms presence during the configured period, selected lights and socket loads turn off. HVAC moves to the hotel's economy or protection setpoint. Safety and mandatory circuits remain powered; comfort is maintained if another guest is still inside.

6. Check-out resets the room for the next guest

A PMS check-out event resets guest-specific scenes, moves the room into its housekeeping state and prepares it for the next stay. ARET's hotel room automation sequence likewise considers door, sensor and central-operations information together. Room types, HVAC safeguards, delays and PMS data points must still be defined for each project.

Where do Makel products fit into the guest experience?

The Makel hotel glass bedside touch series can provide an accessible interface for lighting, shading and room scenes. Its hotel warning indoor and outdoor units can communicate Do Not Disturb and Make Up Room (DND/MUR) states between the room and corridor. Depending on the integration scope, these states can also reach a housekeeping interface.

Behind the interface, sensors, suitable KNX actuators, input/output modules, line components and a power supply are selected together. Makel's presentation shows a 640 mA supply, a line coupler and a 12-input/12-output module as example room-panel components; they are not a fixed bill of materials for every room. Circuit count, load type, HVAC interface and existing infrastructure determine the final device selection. PMS and BMS connections should be designed only after the other system's interface, licensing and data points have been verified.

What does the illustrative 506-room energy calculation show?

Our earlier cost study is neither a measured hotel outcome nor a current quotation. It compares two assumed durations. Both use 506 rooms, 60% average annual occupancy, an assumed 2 kW lighting and HVAC load that could be avoided per room, 365 days per year and the study's assumed electricity rate of TRY 4.5/kWh. Four or six hours per day represent hypothetical periods when a sold room is temporarily vacant and all of that load could be avoided.

1. Four hours per day: 506 × 60% × 2 kW × 4 hours × 365 = 886,512 kWh/year; at TRY 4.5/kWh, an illustrative gross energy value of TRY 3,989,304/year.
2. Six hours per day: 506 × 60% × 2 kW × 6 hours × 365 = 1,329,768 kWh/year; at the same rate, an illustrative gross energy value of TRY 5,983,956/year.

The same study assumes an investment of EUR 150,000, converted at its assumed TRY 53.27/EUR exchange rate to TRY 7,990,500. If every assumption held, simple payback would be approximately 24 months and 16 months, respectively. This excludes maintenance, software/licensing, tax, financing, seasonality, actual HVAC part-load behaviour, tariff changes and loads that must remain on for comfort. In particular, 2 kW is not a continuously measured saving on site. The amounts and payback periods are therefore scenarios to test against measurements, not guarantees.

What should be measured before an investment decision?

A credible business case requires actual consumption by room type, hourly profiles, occupancy, HVAC operation, time spent outside the room and the behaviour of existing card holders. A mock-up room should first test the door-room-bathroom sensor sequence, a sleeping guest, two guests staying together, DND/MUR, window contacts and PMS check-in/check-out. A controlled comparison against a baseline for the same room type should then account for weather and differences in occupancy.

ARET's Rixos Tersane Istanbul reference is a real example of KNX room automation using PMS and sensor information with Makel panel modules across 450 rooms. Its system architecture or savings cannot, however, be transferred automatically to another hotel's budget.

Comfort-led efficiency starts with the right design

Good hotel automation recognises true vacancy without leaving the guest in the dark or discomfort, while giving engineering teams clear operational visibility. Room types, sensor placement, Makel device selection, PMS/BMS integration and a measurement-led cost model should be developed together. Contact ARET Engineering to define a mock-up room and a scope based on your hotel's actual consumption data.