Connected hotels guest experience

• US 10,430,710 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Mintz, Renato
• Primary Examiner(s): Wathen, Brian W
• Assistant Examiner(s): McMenemy, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US15/299,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20170115018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for providing an enhanced hotel guest experience. Disclosed methods include the actions of receiving data indicating the presence of a hotel guest from one or more sensors; generating a likelihood score that the hotel guest is going to their hotel room; determining that the generated likelihood score exceeds a likelihood threshold score; and based on determining that the generated likelihood score exceeds the likelihood threshold score, sending one or more instructions to one or more devices located within the hotel room.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more property management servers of a connected hotel system that includes (i) beacons that are each associated with different locations on a hotel premises, (ii) a guest mobile device, (iii) the property management servers, (iv) an external temperature sensor that is configured to output data indicative of a current external temperature value, and (v) in-room thermostats that are each associated with different hotel rooms on the hotel premises, data from the guest mobile device indicating a sequence of the beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device;

classifying, by the property management servers and using the data indicating the sequence of beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device, the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in one of two, defined states, including (a) an on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) an on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room; and

based on classifying the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in the one of two, defined states, including (a) the on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) the on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room, setting, by the in-room thermostat that is associated with the hotel room of the user, a temperature setting value for the hotel room to the guest preferred temperature if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, returning state, or, if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, non-returning state, to a value that (i) is different than the guest preferred temperature value, (ii) is based on the guest preferred temperature value, the current external temperature value, and an empirically derived factor that reflects energy efficiency characteristics of the hotel room of the user, and (iii) is chosen to allow a temperature of the hotel room of the user to reach the guest preferred temperature value when the user later returns to the hotel room.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the sequence of beacons comprises determining a likely path of the user of the guest mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising accessing the guest preferred temperature value from a customer profile for the user that is stored in a database associated with the one or more property management servers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of beacons is indicative of the user walking toward a restaurant or spa on the hotel premises.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the empirically derived factor is determined based on a previous temperature of the hotel room that was observed when the user or other users previously arrived in the hotel room.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the property management servers classify the sequence of beacons further based on payment information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the guest mobile device comprises a wearable device.

8. A computer-readable storage device storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by one or more property management servers of a connected hotel system that includes (i) beacons that are each associated with different locations on a hotel premises, (ii) a guest mobile device, (iii) the property management servers, (iv) an external temperature sensor that is configured to output data indicative of a current external temperature value, and (v) in-room thermostats that are each associated with different hotel rooms on the hotel premises, data from the guest mobile device indicating a sequence of the beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device;

classifying, by the property management servers and using the data indicating the sequence of beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device, the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in one of two, defined states, including (a) an on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) an on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room; and

based on classifying the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in the one of two, defined states, including (a) the on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) the on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room, setting, by the in-room thermostat that is associated with the hotel room of the user, a temperature setting value for the hotel room to the guest preferred temperature if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, returning state, or, if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, non-returning state, to a value that (i) is different than the guest preferred temperature value, (ii) is based on the guest preferred temperature value, the current external temperature value, and an empirically derived factor that reflects energy efficiency characteristics of the hotel room of the user, and (iii) is chosen to allow a temperature of the hotel room of the user to reach the guest preferred temperature value when the user later returns to the hotel room.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein classifying the sequence of beacons comprises determining a likely path of the user of the guest mobile device.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the operations comprise accessing the guest preferred temperature value from a customer profile for the user that is stored in a database associated with the one or more property management servers.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the sequence of beacons is indicative of the user walking toward a restaurant or spa on the hotel premises.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the empirically derived factor is determined based on a previous temperature of the hotel room that was observed when the user or other users previously arrived in the hotel room.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the property management servers classify the sequence of beacons further based on payment information.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the guest mobile device comprises a wearable device.

15. A connected hotel system including (i) beacons that are each associated with different locations on a hotel premises, (ii) a guest mobile device, (iii) one or more property management servers, (iv) an external temperature sensor that is configured to output data indicative of a current external temperature value, and (v) in-room thermostats that are each associated with different hotel rooms on the hotel premises, the connected hotel system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the property management servers, data from the guest mobile device indicating a sequence of the beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device;

classifying, by the property management servers and using the data indicating the sequence of beacons that have been detected by the guest mobile device, the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in one of two, defined states, including (a) an on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) an on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room; and

based on classifying the sequence of beacons as indicative of the user of the guest mobile device likely being in the one of two, defined states, including (a) the on-property, non-returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely remaining on the hotel premises away from their hotel room and not going directly to their hotel room, and (b) the on-property, returning state in which the user is indicated as on-property, moving, and likely going directly to their hotel room, setting, by the in-room thermostat that is associated with the hotel room of the user, a temperature setting value for the hotel room to the guest preferred temperature if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, returning state, or, if the user is indicated as likely being in the on-property, non-returning state, to a value that (i) is different than the guest preferred temperature value, (ii) is based on the guest preferred temperature value, the current external temperature value, and an empirically derived factor that reflects energy efficiency characteristics of the hotel room of the user, and (iii) is chosen to allow a temperature of the hotel room of the user to reach the guest preferred temperature value when the user later returns to the hotel room.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein classifying the sequence of beacons comprises determining a likely path of the user of the guest mobile device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise accessing the guest preferred temperature value from a customer profile for the user that is stored in a database associated with the one or more property management servers.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the sequence of beacons is indicative of the user walking toward a restaurant or spa on the hotel premises.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the empirically derived factor is determined based on a previous temperature of the hotel room that was observed when the user or other users previously arrived in the hotel room.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the property management servers classify the sequence of beacons further based on payment information.