111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US 20180110093Al
`
`(19) United States
`c12) Patent Application Publication
`Deros et al.
`
`(10) Pub. No.: US 2018/0110093 A1
`Apr. 19, 2018
`(43) Pub. Date:
`
`(54) SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR
`CONSERVING GUEST ROOM RESOURCES
`AND UTILITIES USING INTERNET OF
`THINGS DEVICES
`
`(71) Applicant: ATOM, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ (US)
`
`(72)
`
`Inventors: Yani Deros, Phoenix, AZ (US); Jodi
`Deros, Phoenix, AZ (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 15/793,982
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Oct. 25, 2017
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(2009.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`Int. Cl.
`H04W84/12
`H01R 31106
`HOJR 27/00
`HOJR 13/66
`U.S. Cl.
`CPC .......... H04W 84112 (2013.01); H01R 311065
`(2013.01); HOJR 13/6675 (2013.01); H02J
`50/20 (2016.02); HOJR 27/00 (2013.01); H02J
`50180 (2016.02)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 15/636,546,
`filed on Jun. 28, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part
`of application No. 15/586,191, filed on May 3, 2017,
`which is a continuation of application No. 14/622,
`850, filed on Feb. 14, 2015, which is a continuation-
`in-part of application No. 61/940,160, filed on Feb.
`14, 2014.
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An lOT module includes a thermostat controller operable by
`the user to remotely (e.g., wirelessly) control the state of the
`relay which, in tum, operates the PTAC/HVAC unit in much
`the same way (typically a wired connection) as the wall
`monnted thermostat previously did so before being replaced
`(or augmented) by the relay.
`
`---------------- --
`
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`
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`iApartments Ex. 1007
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`Page 1 of 26
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`iApartments Ex. 1007
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`Page 2 of 26
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`Patent Application Publication Apr. 19, 2018 Sheet 2 of 16
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`Page 9 of 26
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`Patent Application Publication Apr. 19, 2018 Sheet 9 of 16
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`Patent Application Publication Apr. 19, 2018 Sheet 12 of 16 US 2018/0110093 A1
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`iApartments Ex. 1007
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`Patent Application Publication Apr. 19, 2018 Sheet 14 of 16 US 2018/0110093 A1
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`iApartments Ex. 1007
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`Patent Application Publication Apr. 19, 2018 Sheet 15 of 16 US 2018/0110093 A1
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`Page 17 of 26
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`

`

`US 2018/0110093 AI
`
`1
`
`Apr. 19, 2018
`
`SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR
`CONSERVING GUEST ROOM RESOURCES
`AND UTILITIES USING INTERNET OF
`THINGS DEVICES
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`[0001] This application claims priority to and is a con-
`tinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/636,
`546 filed Jun. 28, 2017, which claims priority to and is a
`continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
`15/586,191 filed May 3, 2017, published as US2017/
`0238436, which claims priority to and is a continuation of
`U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/622,850 filed Feb. 14,
`2015, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.
`provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/940,160 filed Feb.
`14, 2014, the entire contents of all the above mentioned
`applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`[0002] The present invention relates, generally, to a Plat-
`form as a Service (PaaS) solution that includes a modular
`electronics system for interfacing with and controlling inter-
`net-of-things (lOT) devices in a hotel room, timeshare or
`rental property to improve guest experiences while reducing
`energy and resource consumption. More particularly, the
`invention provides an associated mobile application (re-
`ferred to herein as an "app") running on a mobile device to
`motivate guests to permit the mobile app to track guest
`location, habits, routines, patterns and behavior, both on and
`off the premises to thereby facilitate customizing the user
`experience and developing targeted and customized market-
`ing and messaging programs with contextual awareness of
`the guest's activities. In this context, services, energy and
`resource consumption includes utilities such as water, elec-
`tricity, natural gas, geothermal or other energy sources,
`labor, consumable products, reusable products such as lin-
`ens, towels, toiletries, and other amenities.
`
`BACKGROUND
`[0003] Most major hotel chains, property brokers, time-
`share companies and aggregators offer a proprietary rewards
`mobile application (referred to herein as a mobile app) to
`their members, including loyalty programs promoted by
`Wyndham Rewards™, Marriott™, Choice™ Hotels, Hotels.
`com, the Ritz-Carlton™, Hilton Honors™, Hotels.com™,
`InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG™), Hyatt™, and Star-
`wood Preferred Guest (SPG™). However, adoption has been
`sluggish because downloading and configuring the app is
`perceived to be cumbersome and time consuming. User
`engagement is further limited due to consumer resistance to
`location services arising out of privacy concerns. Succinctly,
`current value propositions are insufficient to persuade con-
`sumers to enable location services running on loyalty pro-
`gram mobile apps.
`[0004] GPS and other tracking/location services capable
`of being implemented on laptop computers, tablets, smart
`phones, headsets, wearable devices and accessories have
`achieved wide acceptance, particularly when used to provide
`driving directions and other travel related navigation assis-
`tance. Additionally implantable electronic sensing devices
`will become integrated into humanity and the application of
`use. However, the aggregate location data is difficult to
`
`effectively harness for marketing purposes because it typi-
`cally lacks context; that is, simply knowing where a person
`is or has been is of limited value unless the system also has
`a sense of why that person is there.
`[0005] Systems and methods are thus needed which over-
`come these limitations.
`
`BRIEF SUMMARY
`In particular, there is a need for a PaaS solution
`[0006]
`combined with (or including) an in-room lOT control sys-
`tem which may be controlled by a loyalty mobile app or
`service campaign, and which tracks guest location, interests,
`feedback and needs to thereby enable customized guest
`experiences and targeted marketing programs informed by
`contextual awareness, such as whether the guest is travelling
`for business or pleasure as well as personal preferences that
`can be migrated from property to property.
`[0007] To achieve the foregoing and other objectives in
`accordance with the present invention as broadly described
`herein, various embodiments comprise: i) a hotel-wide or
`enterprise-wide PaaS system; ii) a room based lOT network
`including a base module configured to control a plurality of
`peripheral network devices (e. g., lights, television, router,
`radio, telephone, shades, water, thermostat) or embedded
`building infrastructure sensor solution; iii) a mobile app
`which is separately downloadable or embedded within an
`existing hotel brand app running on the guest's mobile
`device, the app configured to interface with and control the
`lOT network and coordinate hotel services; iv) a location
`tracking service managed by the app and configured to
`monitor the location of the guest on and/or off the hotel
`property; and v) an analytics and/or machine learning engine
`configured to augment the location data with contextual
`awareness, to thereby facilitate enhanced customization of
`the guest experience and transmit targeted marketing mes-
`sages to the guest (e.g., in in real time) to generate additional
`revenue channels for the property; vii) configuring the PaaS
`system to deliver an Application Program Interface (API)
`allowing the hotel property manager to monitor and control
`the lOT devices to reduce power and water usage within
`each hotel room independently or within a select property
`space conveniently and effectively to yield additional cost
`savings for utilities throughout the facility; viii) wirelessly
`controlling room temperature through a controller posi-
`tioned within a bedside module; ix) thermal mapping and
`motion mapping using multiple sensors within a guest room;
`x) promoting conservation through gamification coupled
`with a loyalty rewards component; xi) migration of guest
`personal preferences that can move from property to prop-
`erty and xii) configuring the API to offer hotel managers the
`ability to set thresholds or limits to thereby track and manage
`utility usage within each hotel room and other areas on the
`property.
`In an embodiment, the lOT control system com-
`[0008]
`prises a base nnit adapted for electrical communication with
`a high voltage power source, and a plurality of stacked
`electronic modules adapted for wirelessly receiving com-
`munications from the base including high voltage power,
`low voltage DC power, data, and control signals.
`[0009] Each stacked electronic module may be configured
`to communicate with, monitor, embody, interface with and/
`or control one or more of the following lOT devices:
`computing and communication devices for facilitating hotel
`services such as room service and concierge services, elec-
`
`iApartments Ex. 1007
`
`Page 18 of 26
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`

`

`US 2018/0110093 AI
`
`2
`
`Apr. 19, 2018
`
`tronic card readers, hard drives, lamps, batteries, speakers,
`clocks, fans, pencil sharpeners, cup holders, staplers, mug
`warmers, stock tickers, displays, personal computers, elec-
`tric staplers, tape dispensers, pencil holders, game control-
`lers, wireless chargers, post-it note dispensers, coffee mak-
`ers, refrigerators, web cameras, wireless receivers, wireless
`transmitters, Blue ray/CVD/CD/disk drives, baby monitors,
`air fresheners, mobile device stands, air ionizers, motion
`sensors, power interfaces, laptop and smart phone docking
`and charging stations, home controls, game controllers,
`thermostats, fire alarm/smoke/CO detectors, gestural inter-
`faces, numeric/calculator pads, scanners, eye tracking
`devices,
`flash drives, wireless pads/styluses wireless
`mouses, wireless keyboards, wireless charging stations, web
`cameras, wireless receivers, wireless transmitters, battery
`power sources, IO panel/instrument jack, spare plug outlets
`(similar to a power strip), wireless headphone transmitters,
`auxiliary interfaced or wireless screens/displays, credit/debit
`card chip and magnetic stripe readers, HVAC systems,
`displays, personal computers, shade, blind, and other win-
`dow covering controllers, door and window locks, faucets,
`showers, toilets, sinks, water leak detectors, and combina-
`tions thereof.
`[0010]
`In various embodiments the hotel guest may be
`incented to enable location, proximity and personalization
`services in exchange for a downloadable mobile app for
`remotely controlling the in-room lOT control module that in
`turn controls the immediate room environment, as well as
`discounts, enhanced services, gaming points, and other
`perks and rewards which may be derived from the location
`data alone or augmented with contextual awareness.
`[0011]
`In the context of this disclosure, the terms hotel and
`property may also contemplate motels, apartment com-
`plexes, timeshares, or any other type of residence.
`[0012] By way of non-limiting example, contextual
`awareness may include "knowing" that the guest is primarily
`or currently attending to business or pleasure, the guest's
`short term and/or long term itinerary, the guest's previous
`locations (conference room, restaurant, office building,
`movie theater), and unique user preferences relating to
`cuisine, entertainment, lifestyle, music, and environmental
`comfort metrics such as lighting, room temperature, mattress
`firnmess, and the like. Additional contextual awareness
`metrics may include monitoring when location data goes
`dark, and thereafter re-emerges in another city, suggesting
`that the guest has flown from one city to another.
`[0013] Additionally the PaaS system may be configured to
`learn guest habits, routines and preferences to intelligently
`(e.g., algorithmically) prepare the hotel room to accommo-
`date desired environmental factors including temperature,
`lighting, window shade position, entertainment, and con-
`snmable items such as beverages and food that would
`deliver an inviting and welcoming room presence to drive
`loyalty for the property and brand.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`FIGURES
`[0014] These and other features, aspects, and advantages
`of the present invention will become better understood with
`reference to the following description, appended claims, and
`accompanying drawings, where:
`[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an enterprise level
`system for providing enhanced customization to a guest
`experience using a PaaS System with an in-room lOT
`
`module and an associated mobile app and API both config-
`ured to augment tracking data with contextual awareness in
`accordance with various embodiments;
`[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hotel property
`illustrating tracking data for a hotel guest within the bound-
`ary of the hotel property in accordance with various embodi-
`ments;
`[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating tracking
`data for a hotel guest within and outside the boundary of the
`hotel property with cellular or area Wi-Fi in accordance with
`various embodiments;
`[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of
`beacons in addition to and/or in lieu of traditional GPS based
`location services in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0019] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary in
`room lOT network that is part of a unified PaaS system
`including a base module and a plurality of edge devices in
`accordance with various embodiments;
`[0020] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile
`app operating on a mobile device and controlling a plurality
`of lOT devices in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0021] FIG. 7 is a more detailed view of the base module
`in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0022] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the stackable elec-
`tronic hub modules shown in FIG. 7 in accordance with
`various embodiments;
`[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a base module
`disposed between two beds in a typical hotel, resort, or time
`share environment in accordance with various embodi-
`ments;
`[0024] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a base module
`disposed bedside, illustrating a smart phone charging station
`in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0025] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an alternative
`embodiment of a base module, illustrating a hotel employee
`addressing a guest by name based on real time location
`tracking in accordance with various embodiments delivering
`a more welcoming and personalized experience;
`[0026] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an alternative
`embodiment of a base module illustrating a self check-in and
`check-out system in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0027] FIG. 13 is a screen display of a mobile app oper-
`ating on a smart phone illustrating targeted marketing vec-
`tors in accordance with various embodiments;
`[0028] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an in-room lOT
`module configured to wirelessly communicate with a relay
`which replaces a conventional wall-mounted thermostat to
`thereby control an in-room heating, ventilation, and air
`conditioning (HVAC) unit such as a packaged terminal air
`conditioner (PTAC) in accordance with various embodi-
`ments;
`[0029] FIG. 15 is schematic diagram of an in-room lOT
`module configured to wirelessly communicate with a sec-
`ondary wireless module which wirelessly controls a PTAC
`unit in accordance with various embodiments; and
`[0030] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an in-room lOT
`module wirelessly coupled to a plurality of distributed
`sensors for monitoring motion and thermal zones in accor-
`dance with various embodiments.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
`[0031] Presently known mobile apps for controlling lOT
`devices offer a limited value proposition to the user, and are
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`typically limited to consolidating multiple end point assets
`(e.g., lighting, door locks, HVAC) into a central hub. In
`contrast, the present system offers a more robust value
`proposition to the guest user in the form of enhanced control
`of the user experience, amenity upgrades, rewards, person-
`alization preferences and targeted/push marketing messages,
`offers and notices as well as enabling features (both on and
`off property) that would otherwise be unavailable without
`location services enabled.
`[0032] Various embodiments contemplate monitoring the
`guest's location using the guest's mobile phone, wearable
`accessory, laptop, or any other GPS or location-enabled
`device. In this way, location aware (and hence context
`aware) features and services may be pushed to the guest in
`new and imaginative ways heretofore not contemplated by
`existing systems. Moreover, by incenting the guest to keep
`location services enabled even when the guest is off the hotel
`property, valuable tracking information may be collected,
`mined, and harvested to design precisely designed market-
`ing messages delivered with pinpoint accuracy. An addi-
`tional benefit of collecting aggregate location data surrounds
`the ability to conduct advanced analytics, and to offer
`customized guest benefits with guest room and property
`wide preferences based on these analytics.
`[0033] From an enterprise standpoint, the system contem-
`plates at least the following levels of value proposition: i)
`allowing the property to offer guests the ability to control
`and manage a plurality of lOT devices in the room using a
`mobile app, with low hardware and installation costs; ii)
`wirelessly controlling room temperature through a controller
`mounted within a bedside module; iii) thermal mapping and
`motion mapping using multiple sensors within a guest room;
`iv) promoting conservation through gamification coupled
`with a loyalty rewards component; v) providing the guest
`with perks and other features which leverage location ser-
`vices (tracking); vi) mining the resulting aggregate location
`data facilitates the development of enhanced targeted mar-
`keting programs; and vii) allowing the hotel property the
`ability to substantially reduce power and water usage within
`each room. Viii) the ability to migrate personal environmen-
`tal and personal preferences from property to property.
`[0034] The value proposition to the guest includes pro-
`viding enhanced information to the mobile device thru the
`mobile app regarding the environment within and outside
`the room. In various embodiments, this involves a cloud
`based system server (sometimes referred to herein as the
`CIRQ server) operating within the broader internet environ-
`ment to thereby integrate the immediate environment (guest
`room) with the extended environment (the resort property,
`nearby attractions, and remote attractions).
`[0035]
`In various embodiments, the in-room lOT control
`module is used to drive initial user engagement including
`downloading the mobile app and enabling location services,
`whereupon the resulting location awareness (tracking) may
`be used to drive further user engagement (e.g., on and off
`property perks, targeted and push marketing). Aggregate
`tracking data from multiple users may then be mined and
`harnessed to drive further targeted marketing notices, offers,
`messages, schemes, energy savings, and to analyze travel
`and spending trends. Indeed, the intersection among the
`PaaS System with in-room lOT control and location aware-
`ness alone has significant value in terms of energy savings
`for the property owner, as described below.
`
`[0036]
`In addition, the system may be configured to gather
`performance data for the lOT devices and appliances, failure
`modes and trends, lifetime usage, servicing cycles/predic-
`tions and duty cycles in multiple geographic locations to
`thereby reduce long term total cost of use, increasing rev-
`enue/profit for the PaaS System and driving capital equip-
`ment replacement and upgrade timetables for property own-
`ers.
`[0037] Turning now to FIG. 1, a system 100 for providing
`enhanced customization to a guest experience includes an
`in-room lOT module 102 for controlling a local lOT net-
`work 103, an associated mobile app running on a guest
`mobile device 104, an enterprise server 106 including a PaaS
`platform, and a property owner server 108 configured to
`communicate with a facilities controller 110.
`[0038] More particularly, the lOT module 102 is config-
`ured to communicate with the guest device 104 using Wi-Fi,
`Bluetooth, wired or wireless Ethernet, VPN, USB, Zippy,
`Z-Wave, cellular (3G, 4G), or any other suitable wired or
`wireless protocol. The lOT module 102 is configured to
`communicate with the devices which comprise the lOT
`network 103 using ZWave, Bluetooth, or any suitable wired
`or wireless protocol. The lOT module 102 is configured to
`communicate with the enterprise server 106 through a
`gateway 121 (such as the internet) using Wi-Fi, LoRa, 3G,
`4G, LTE, Ethernet, or any suitable wired or wireless proto-
`col. Similarly, the enterprise server 106 is configured to
`communicate with the property owner server 108 using
`Wi-Fi, LoRa, 3G, 4G, LTE, Ethernet, or any suitable wired
`or wireless protocol.
`[0039]
`In a typical use case, the guest device 104 com-
`municates directly with the lOT module 102 when the guest
`device 104 is inside or otherwise closely proximate the hotel
`room. When the guest is outside the hotel room, off the hotel
`premises, or otherwise out of range of the lOT module 102,
`the guest device 104 communicates directly with the enter-
`prise server 106 using a cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE)
`or through a suitable wired or wireless internet connection.
`[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hotel property
`200 illustrating tracking data for a hotel guest within the
`boundary of the hotel property. In the illustrated example,
`the mobile app tracks the guest's movement from a guest
`room 202 (point 251), to golf course (point 252), to a
`restaurant 206 (point 253), to a particular one of a plurality
`of cabanas 211 adjacent a pool 210 (point 254), and back to
`the room (point 251). A geo-fence 260 defines the boundary
`of the hotel, resort, or time share property.
`[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating tracking
`data 306 for a hotel guest within and outside the boundary
`302 of a hotel property as the guest visits an off premises
`location 304 (tourist attraction, restaurant, office, theater, or
`the like).
`[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of
`beacons in addition to and/or in lieu of traditional GPS based
`location services. More particularly, FIG. 4 depicts a hall-
`way 402 including wall mounted beacons or embedded
`building or infrastructure sensors. Each beacon 404 is con-
`figured to send static location information to the mobile app
`using Bluetooth or similar protocols 406. In this way, even
`without enabling location services, the mobile app can
`display the locations of various hotel amenities on the
`mobile device screen 408.
`[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, an exemplary
`PaaS system with an in-room lOT network system controller
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`500 includes a control module 502 and a plurality of lOT
`devices (referred to herein as Edge devices) 508. In particu-
`lar, the control module 502 includes a base 504 and a
`plurality of stacked electronic modules 506, each of which
`is configured to communicate with, monitor, and/or control
`one or more of the edge devices.
`[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mobile
`device 602 operating a mobile app 604 for controlling an
`lOT module 601 which, in tum, coordinates a plurality of
`lOT devices such as, for example, an entertainment system
`(e.g., television) 606, a thermostat or other HVAC controller
`608, lighting 610, motorized window coverings 612, and a
`services module 614 for coordinating resort amenities (e.g.,
`room service, reservations for local restaurants and tourist
`attractions).
`[0045] FIG. 7 is a more detailed view of an exemplary lOT
`control module 702 including a base 704 having one or more
`female AC adapters 705, and a CPU module 706 including
`a Wi-Fi component, a ZigBee Multi-Band loT Mesh Net-
`work Technology component, and/or a hard drive compo-
`nent. The control module 702 further includes an audio
`module 708 including a speaker and/or microphone com-
`ponent, a sensor module 710 including a remote thermostat
`module with thermo-sensors and ultrasonic sensors and a
`motion and/or infrared sensor module, a smart LED module
`712, and a utility module 714 including a digital alarm clock,
`a radio, and an optional mobile docking/charging station. An
`alternative embodiment of a mobile docking/charging sta-
`tion 716 is shown charging a smart phone 718.
`[0046] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the stackable elec-
`tronic hub modules shown in FIG. 7, including a base
`module 804, a CPU module 806, an audio module 808, a
`remote thermostat and occupancy/thermo-sensor module
`810, a lighting module 812, and a utility module 814.
`[0047] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an lOT controller 902
`disposed between a first bed 904 and a second bed 906 in a
`typical hotel, resort, or time share room environment. In the
`illustrated embodiment, the modular stack that includes a
`remote thermostat with the motion and/or infrared sensors
`(not shown) may be positioned so that full room coverage
`may be obtained using a minimum number of sensors (e.g.,
`2). Additionally by having the remote thermostat bedside the
`guest will be able to adjust the temperature controls on the
`remote thermostat or mobile app without leaving the bed.
`[0048] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an alternative
`embodiment of an lOT control module disposed on a bed-
`side table, illustrating a smart phone charging station on a
`top surface of the lOT control module.
`[0049] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a front desk 1101
`equipped with a base module 1102 configured to commu-
`nicate with or embody a display 1104. In the illustrated
`embodiment, as a guest 1106 approaches a hotel employee
`1108, the guest's location is tracked by the system, and the
`guest's name may displayed on the screen 1104, or spoken
`to the employee through an ear piece 1110. In this way, the
`employee may address the guest by name using on real time
`location tracking data.
`[0050] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an alternative
`embodiment of a base module illustrating a self check-in and
`check-out module system allowing guests to perform self-
`registration and check-in into the property without having to
`directly interact with a property owner staff or employee,
`expediting their access to the purchased room. The illus-
`
`trated embodiment includes a user interface, a display 1202,
`and a key card maker and credit card reader 1204.
`[0051] FIG. 13 is an exemplary guest smart phone 1301
`running a mobile app configured to display a property
`specific search feature 1302 for services, searching promo-
`tions, upgrades, and incentives, a proprietary (on property)
`messaging portal 1304 for receiving notices, offers, promo-
`tions and messages, an integrated social media portal