Enhancing security in hospitality through innovation

The hospitality industry thrives on guest experiences, with hotels putting in a lot of effort into offering guests a comfortable and relaxing stay. But when guests are busy enjoying the offerings at these hotels, who ensures their belongings are safe? This is where Godrej & Boyce steps in with its innovative security systems. Seamlessly blending with the hotel’s design and fittings, architectural fittings from the company ensure guests face minimal inconvenience and enjoy maximum privacy.

Enhancing security and aesthetic appeal in hotels
Interiors and aesthetics in hotels play an important role in guest experience and satisfaction. However, the same could be said for safety, as it contributes immensely towards a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Shyam Motwani, Business Head, Locks and Architectural Fittings and Systems Business of Godrej & Boyce, Godrej Enterprises Group, elaborates on how the company enhances security while maintaining the aesthetic appeal in hotels. “We have developed an innovative product range of locks and architectural fittings that boost the safety quotient of luxury hotels whilst enhancing their aesthetic appeal. By combining high functionality with stylish design, we ensure that your guests enjoy a luxurious experience while maintaining the highest safety standards,” he informs.

Motwani further discloses how hotels can customise the locks according to their needs and blend them with the interiors. “Locks by Godrej & Boyce present excellent customisation for the differing concepts put forth by interior designers for any major hotel chain. Our solutions are designed to blend effortlessly with a wide range of styles, including both modern and traditional ones and even distinctive brand styles,” he says.

Catering to unique requirements
The utility of locks in luxury hotels is not limited to security but also caters to various needs of the guests. Explaining more on the topic, Motwani comments, “We offer reliable and safer solutions. The digital locks give access through a mobile application, which transmits the digital keys directly to the guest’s phone for convenience, thereby minimising or avoiding any contact with the reception desk. It provides many methods of access, including RFID cards and NFC-enabled phones, to match different guest preferences. It also ensures that encrypted data storage in the cloud is located within India to conform to local regulations and protect the privacy of guest information.”

Integration with existing security systems
Compatibility with already existing security systems is integral to upgrades, as most manufacturers ignore compatibility and integration. Godrej & Boyce has a special focus on integrating their systems with pre-existing ones for efficient and smooth operations. “The digital lock solutions are easily adaptable for hotels' use by synchronising with their current management systems. Thus, smooth operation is guaranteed, and guest access control as well as remote monitoring features can work together with the existing infrastructure. Such integration by our locks serves to improve the hotels' efficiency while meeting high safety standards and designs,” he notes.

Technological advancements
One of the major pillars of the hospitality industry is technological advancement. “We are pioneering an IoT-based digital access control solution going commercial in Q2 FY2025 that interfaces with Hotel Property Management Systems (PMS) to ensure advanced analytics on guest behaviour and operational efficiency, further improving operational efficiency through reduced dependence on a variety of software providers, designed focusing on usefulness and aesthetics,” he adds.

Support and maintenance services
In a service-based industry, especially one such as hospitality, maintenance takes priority. Motwani shares his insight into the management services provided by Godrej & Boyce to ensure high customer satisfaction and enhanced guest experiences. He says, “We acknowledge the utmost significance of sustaining and maintaining our products in a 24/7 working environment like a hotel. We provide all-comprehensive assistance for all our products. Additionally, we provide training sessions for hotel staff on our systems and troubleshooting basic problems with them. With such solid support and maintenance provisions, hotels can count on our solutions for smooth operation and heightened safety, ensuring an uninterrupted operational environment.”

Minimal disruption
Godrej & Boyce places special importance on ensuring guests at hotels don’t face any inconveniences during their stay. Motwani explains, “We prioritise minimising disturbances when fitting or upgrading our lock and safety systems in a hotel environment. We begin with thorough plans and scheduling consultations with the hotel management that allow us to perform our operations during off-peak periods so as not to affect the guests. We ensure that our installations and upgrades are performed smoothly with minimal disruption to the hotels' operations and guests' experiences.”

Sustainability, durability, and life cycle
The business head explains how the brand incorporates sustainable practices, referring to the durability and lifecycle of their products. “We believe sustainability should guide every step of the production process and lifecycle of any product we develop, especially ones found in hotels that are long-standing in nature. Our products are manufactured using long-lasting materials, which help avoid frequent replacements while supporting eco-friendliness. We also offer programmes for recycling them, ensuring that the materials used are disposed of appropriately or reused if possible. In this way, we help hotels reduce their carbon footprint,” he informs, adding that the company develops durable locks to endure long-term use and safeguard guests. “Our locks are made with sturdy, exceptional-quality materials that stand firm against wear and tear while performing their function effectively,” says Motwani.

Innovation and adaptability
For businesses, innovation and adaptation hold key importance as they ensure the product is unique and diverse to fulfil the requirements of consumers. Innovation drives growth, and adaptability ensures survival. Motwani comments, “Innovation is one of the core principles of our growth strategy. The latest technologies, including face detection and image processing, are being developed by our Design and Innovation team to further enhance our smart locks. These locks learn from patterns of life and can predict imminent threats through behaviour while also triggering alarms for unusual actions.”

Future trends
Architectural fittings have evolved remarkably over time. With the introduction of smart technologies such as AI, they promise to evolve even further, providing better solutions for consumers and guests. “Smart technologies and connectivity will continue to be central, with more efforts being put into combining Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide guests with personalised and seamless experiences. Sustainability will be important due to the need for greener materials and energy-efficient designs. A lot more focus is likely to be placed on touchless and contactless solutions to improve hygiene, safety, and user-friendliness,” states Motwani.