Smart technology for holiday lets: five useful solutions
To improve a holiday let’s profitability, specialists recommend adapting to tourism trends, making management more efficient and improving the guest experience. One way to support these aims is through holiday let technology, which can benefit managers and guests alike.
Home automation can simplify specific tasks, but not every property needs it. Prioritise equipment compatible with the building and the service you can maintain.
Lighting, heating and cooling controls, and access are areas where smart technology can help. Its usefulness depends on the property, maintenance and whether guests understand how to use it.
What can these devices do? They can help you:
- Manage check-in and check-out more effectively.
- Improve comfort in the property.
- Automate processes to save time.
- Reduce unnecessary consumption where installation, settings and use allow.
These five solutions address different accommodation needs. Choose those that solve a real problem and that you can maintain.
Five smart home solutions and when they make sense
1. Smart locks
Smart locks can make granting and withdrawing access easier. Before choosing one, check compatibility, maintenance, battery life and what happens if the connection fails. There must be a safe alternative for entering and leaving.
These locks let you authorise guest access without being there, offering more flexible arrival and departure times and greater freedom for managers.
The devices allow guests to enter the apartment while managers control arrivals and departures remotely. As well as convenience, they offer security.
They are also a useful holiday let technology for giving cleaners access after each check-out without having to travel to the property yourself.
2. Smart thermostats
Heating and cooling are often a significant source of problems in holiday accommodation. Continuous operation and misuse by guests can cause faults, more repairs and higher electricity bills.
A heating and cooling control device lets managers control air conditioning or heating equipment, automating certain processes and preventing inappropriate use.
It can also reduce electricity bills, save journeys, control the property’s temperature, lower its carbon footprint and extend equipment life.
A connected controller can help schedule temperatures and avoid unnecessary consumption. Set reasonable limits and allow guests to adjust their comfort within the disclosed settings. Include simple instructions and a procedure for equipment failures.
Simple operation, a comfortable temperature at check-in and automatic switching off when guests leave are some of the benefits for visitors.
If you are interested in your holiday accommodation’s energy efficiency, read this article.
3. Noise sensors
Noise sensors help monitor excessive noise or identify a potential problem in the apartment.
A sound-level sensor can flag an incident, but does not guarantee there will be no disturbance. Choose equipment that does not record conversations, minimise data and check disclosure obligations and channel rules before installation.
4. Smart light bulbs
In a holiday apartment, lighting should be practical and comfortable for guests. Smart lighting systems can help save energy and improve the traveller’s experience.
Automatic switching on and off is an especially useful feature: it prevents lights being left on, reduces electricity bills and also saves managers time by removing the need to visit simply to check everything is off after check-out.
5. Voice assistants
A voice assistant can make some functions easier, but you must explain how it works and allow guests to disconnect it. Consider privacy, settings and deleting data between stays.
These devices offer guests a distinctive experience and let them control other smart devices using their voice.
What are the benefits of smart technology for holiday apartments?
In an increasingly complex market, technology is gradually becoming a necessity. Different smart devices can make management more efficient, with benefits for managers and guests alike.
They can save time and money, prevent problems, improve the guest experience and support more sustainable practices. Smart control of heating, lighting and appliances can make a holiday let more environmentally friendly, reducing costs and avoiding wasted natural resources.
More and more travellers consider the environmental impact of tourism and value accommodation with sustainable initiatives.
Choose according to usefulness, maintenance and cost
Before investing, identify the problem you want to solve and how you will measure improvement. Connected equipment only adds value if your service can maintain it and respond when it fails.
Assess each investment against the problem it solves and its total cost. Adding technology does not guarantee increased profitability.
Technology can reduce consumption or simplify management tasks when it meets a real accommodation need. Assess installation, maintenance and failure response, and check the results before claiming savings.
Its usefulness to guests depends on devices working reliably and being easy to use. Check whether they reduce incidents or improve specific aspects of the stay.
Introduce appropriate technology to develop your holiday apartment business.
Ultimately, holiday let technology can create a better guest experience and help maintain a good reputation.
Automating processes and resolving problems remotely can benefit managers and travellers alike.
In future, home automation will be an important part of holiday lets, with a focus on personalisation, automation and sustainability. Adopting holiday let technology is an important step towards staying competitive in a growing market.
If you have any questions, contact us with no obligation. At Alehost, we will help with whatever you need.
A checklist before buying
- A real problem: lost keys, avoidable consumption or leak detection, for example.
- Total cost: purchase, installation, subscription, batteries and maintenance.
- Backup: operation without internet, during a power cut or if the provider fails.
- Use: clear instructions and someone able to resolve problems.
- Privacy: data collected, access, retention and guest information.
Compare consumption or incidents before and after under equivalent conditions; do not attribute every change to the device. For security equipment, remember that Airbnb prohibits indoor cameras and imposes conditions on other permitted devices.
