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http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=23926

http://www.www.lodgingmagazine.com/Resources/InnovationShowcase/2011-Innovators-Evolve-AI-Evolve-Guest-Controls-30.aspx

http://sandvillahotel.com/greenhotel/

Evolve will be showing its newly redesigned suite of products at BITAC Purchasing and Design West

Evolve will be showing its newly redesigned suite of products at IHMRS from 11/12 to 11/15.

Evolve will be showing it’s Z-Wave products at CEDIA Expo 2011 in Indianapolis, IN 9/7-9/10.

Evolve shows it’s energy efficient suite of products at the 2011 Starwood Room and Engineering Conference in San Diego, CA.

Evolve Guest Controls is honored to help Wynn Las Vegas win an IES Illumination Award of Merit, for its implementation of over 2,670 integrated lighting and automation control systems in Wynn’s guest rooms and suites.  Each of Wynn’s guest rooms and suites were tailored to the exact specifications of Wynn’s designers via custom programming and implementation of personalized lighting scenes.  All of Evolve’s systems communicate wirelessly, creating the most flexible and customizable in-room control system on the market.  For more information on this award please visit:  http://www.iesla.org/index-4.html

http://www.commercialintegrator.com/photos/inside_6_high_tech_hotels/0?utm_source=CIWeeklyNewsletter&utm_medium=email

Of the 6 High Tech hotels listed, Evolve systems are installed in 2 of them.

The Inn at Penn, a Hilton Hotel on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, has introduced technology and interior design updates to enhance the guest experience, slash energy consumption by nearly 30 percent, and reduce both operational costs and the hotel’s carbon footprint. The price tag for all the property updates is in excess of $10 million.

“Most of our clientele is directly or indirectly affiliated with some aspect of the University of Pennsylvania, a leading-edge Ivy League institution,” said Greg Stafford, the property’s GM. “Our primary customers are heavy users of technology, concerned about environmental and sustainability issues, and appreciative of a bit more contemporary design.”

Operationally, Stafford said the updates would save on electric and natural gas heating bills, as well as help with maintenance and housekeeping efficiencies.

“But the big thing is the energy,” he said.

The 243-room Inn at Penn received a $100,000 government energy conservation improvement grant to help with the cost.

Completed earlier this year, the retrofit project entailed installation of a customized automatic temperature control and lighting system from Evolve Guest Controls. Hotel rooms were retrofitted with special keycard readers, radio frequency-enabled light switches, smart thermostats and switching wall outlets. Each component communicates with the other using Z-Wave technology.

After the electronic keycard opens the guestroom door, the guest places it in an interior, wall-mounted slot adjacent to the door. This triggers “comfort mode” action that controls the lighting and heating/cooling system. Immediately, two lights – one in the entry, another in the room – come on, as does the heating or air conditioning.

The hotel presets the guestroom temperature so it never rises or falls above a certain level, even when unoccupied.

That prevents a guest from arriving in August in the heat of a summer to a hot room. After the guest enters, the system further cools the room an additional 5 degrees. A similar process occurs in winter for heating. Guests may override the system if they prefer the room a bit cooler or warmer.

As guests enter the bathroom, they’ll see a wall-mounted liquid crystal display five-button controller that they can use to turn on the bathroom’s nightlights, as well as vanity and shower lighting. The guest can turn on certain lights individually or easily push “all on” or “all off.”

That same controller is also customized by Evolve for hotel use. Property management can use free-form text and program such adjustments as lighting, service or privacy alerts for housekeeping, control of individual devices, temperature levels and so on.

“It has a lot of flexibility depending on how you program it,” Stafford said.

When the guest leaves the room, lights and televisions are turned off and the heating/air conditioning system returns to “energy efficient” mode, again a difference of 5 degrees from the “comfort mode” temperature. However, since guests bring smartphones, iPads and laptop computers that require charging, appropriate electrical outlets remain on after the guest has left the room.

For guests ready to check out, a 10-second delay also is built into the system so the departing guest may remove the key card, gather his or her luggage and still have a lighted pathway out the door.

Founded in 2008, Evolve Guest Controls sprang from Mason Contract Products LLC, a manufacturer of bedding, window treatments and motorization for the hospitality industry. Evolve’s technology platform is expandable should the property desire such other features as a centralized management system to save energy on hotel floors not in use.

A return-on-investment analysis is under way to see if that system makes sense, and, while no decision has been yet made, Stafford said “it probably does.” He said the Inn at Penn is also looking at a potential bedside application that would reside on new Apple iPads provided to guests for hotel information and guest services. That type of app would allow guests to control lighting and heating/air conditioning from the comfort of their bed.

Other newly installed technology enhancements? Guests can play their own music and movies through TeleAdapt MediaHubs; those connect electronic devices and laptops directly to high definition LCD televisions. New 55-inch flatscreen televisions were installed in all suites, and all rooms will receive flat screen televisions by 2012. Guests also now enjoy free wireless Internet access.

Interior design firm RD Jones & Associates shepherded the updates. Hallways boast new carpeting, wallcoverings and sconces. Guestrooms now reflect a more contemporary look and the hotel added new desks, ergonomic chairs, chaise lounges and artwork depicting the Philadelphia area. New spa-like bathrooms feature backlit electric mirrors, glass-enclosed showers and European-style shower heads.

The Hilton’s recent upgrades have a strong sustainability focus. Guestroom fabrics, wall coverings and bathroom tiling contain recycled content. Blackout shades and fluorescent lighting support energy efficiency. Front-desk employees wear new eco-friendly uniforms manufactured from recycled plastic bottles.