Rethinking hospitality: why ecosystems, not silos, deliver the best guest experience

By Lucy Han, Business Line Leader Building Automation in ABB’s Electrification Smart Buildings Division

Of all the sectors we support with our technology solutions, hospitality is the most deceptive. When done well, hospitality looks effortless. But behind the scenes lies a level of complexity that few fully appreciate.

What struck me most during a recent hotel stay wasn’t the lighting, the view, or the service. It was the way everything just…worked. The room temperature adjusted itself to my preferences. The lights responded to movement without a second thought. Even the hallway seemed to anticipate my next step.

Invisible tech doing visible magic. That’s what hospitality is meant to be – and it’s what so many still miss.

Hospitality is an ecosystem. And most only see the parts.

Too often, the hospitality industry treats its challenges in silos: energy consumption here, guest experience there, staff shortages somewhere else. But the truth is, hospitality is an ecosystem. Comfort, sustainability, operational efficiency, and even brand identity must work in harmony.

Everything is connected:

The Guest Experience: Custom comfort, seamless access and advanced controls, housed in beautifully designed, easy-to-use panels
Hotel Operations: Energy efficiency, predictive maintenance and peak operational performance
Strategic Priorities: Sustainability compliance, future-proof investments, long-term returns

And the numbers support this:

73% of guests¹ now prefer hotels with sustainable practices (UNWTO)
Integrated hotel systems can free up to 30% of staff time², eliminating workflow friction
61% of guests³ are willing to spend more on personalized experiences
New 2025 regulations⁴ mean hotels in regions accounting for 57% of global GDP must report both financial and sustainability metrics
The UN World Tourism Organization estimates the industry contributes 3% of global CO₂ and must cut emissions by 90% by 2050⁵

This isn’t just about guest expectations. It’s about the very foundations of how modern hotels need to be built, powered, and run. When tech doesn’t talk to tech, people feel it – guests and staff alike. Fragmented operations undermine even the most beautiful hotel.

Where most hotels go wrong: Fragmentation

From my experience working with hotel developers and operators, the same pain point comes up again and again: fragmentation. One vendor manages Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and another manages lighting. A separate platform tracks energy use. Guest-facing features are bolted on top, rather than integrated from the start.

The result? Inefficiencies, inconsistent experiences, and missed opportunities.

A guest notices when a room feels clunky. Staff feel it when systems don’t work together. And management pays the price – both financially and in sustainability performance.

ABB’s approach: One ecosystem, fully integrated

ABB delivers a full envelope of smart solutions that work as one, from the plant room to the penthouse.

KNX-based building control networks lighting, HVAC, and shading systems so they act together
ABB Tacteo® gives guests elegant, intuitive control of their environment
ClimaECO simplifies building automation by integrating HVAC, lighting, and shading via KNX
ABB Cylon® BMS unifies multiple protocols into one intelligent system

Together, these systems cut energy consumption by up to 30%, enable predictive maintenance, and support certifications like LEED, Estidama and BREEAM.

Today’s smart hotel isn’t just energy efficient. It’s emotionally intelligent, operationally streamlined, and strategically sustainable.

DAS EDELWEISS resort in Austria
DAS EDELWEISS resort in Austria
Living Tomorrow's Innovation Campus in Belgium
Panorama Landscape Hotel in Finland
Panorama Landscape Hotel in Finland

Where it’s working: Smart hospitality in action

At the DAS EDELWEISS resort in Austria, ABB’s KNX system seamlessly integrates lighting, climate control, and shading into one platform, ensuring guests experience comfort without even thinking about it. Meanwhile, staff manage the entire building system via mobile app, from anywhere.

At Living Tomorrow’s Innovation Campus in Belgium, the future of smart hospitality is put into practice with a 92-room hotel designed as part of the campus’s showcase of sustainable smart living. Here, ABB technologies – including KNX-based automation, intelligent energy management, and interactive guest controls – create a living demonstration of how hotels can deliver superior comfort, energy efficiency, and operational performance, all underpinned by data-driven insights and sustainable design.

And at the stunning Panorama Landscape Hotel in Finland, ABB’s KNX automation elevates not only energy efficiency but also ambiance. Smart room control, daylight-tuned lighting, and bespoke design elements come together to deliver a luxury guest experience that feels both high-end and highly intuitive.

These projects are proof that the hotel of the future is already here.

The road ahead: From net-zero to net-positive

We’re entering a new era. Hospitality is no longer about doing less harm; it’s about doing more good.

Hotels are beginning to invest in regenerative practices: funding reforestation, using renewable energy, and offering sustainability experiences that guests can participate in. At the same time, data-driven ESG reporting is becoming the norm. In 2025, new standards⁶ set by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and IFRS Sustainability Standards mandate that hospitality businesses in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and more than 30 other countries require standardized, auditable sustainability metrics – and energy regulation is only tightening.

Electrification, cloud-based automation, and intelligent infrastructure aren’t just trends. They’re the backbone of hospitality leadership and those who truly ‘get’ hospitality understand that it’s not just about tech – or people – it’s about the system that connects them.

A final thought

If hospitality is the art of making people feel cared for, then technology is the canvas on which that art is painted. But to deliver a masterpiece, everything – from lighting to load management, from aesthetics to automation – must work in harmony; seamlessly, intentionally, beautifully.

About the author

Lu Han (Lucy) is Business Line Leader Building Automation in ABB’s Electrification Smart Buildings Division. As a member of the Division Management team for Smart Buildings, Lucy is responsible for driving the ambitious strategic growth plan for the Building Automation business worldwide. Leading a global team supporting customers, the business is core to the Division’s innovation strategy. Its digitally led portfolio drives customer value by enabling the more efficient use of energy, making homes and buildings safer, smarter, more sustainable and people’s lives more comfortable.

Lucy has over 20 years’ experience in the building automation industry, with her career to date spanning across China and Switzerland. Her focus has been on sales, strategy, and product management. She joined ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings division from Siemens, where she held the position of Senior Vice President for the connected devices business segment. In this role, she led global teams for six product lines and was involved in developing new Internet of Things (IoT) offerings. Lucy is based in Switzerland. Lucy holds a master’s degree in Management Technology & Economics from ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, as well as an MBA with the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.