The present subject matter relates to managing hospitality services and, more particularly to managing hospitality services in hotels.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Hotels nowadays provide their guests with various hospitality services, luxuries, and amenities. For example, hotels provide their guests with restaurant services, cleaning services, cab services, room services, laundry services, gym, spa, clothing stores, gift stores, swimming pool, centralized air conditioning, in-room air conditioning, and entertainment services, such as television (TV), music, media streaming services, and the like.
Typically, when a guest checks in to a hotel and seeks to avail a particular service/luxury/amenity, the guest has to either make a phone call to a designated operator or scout for controllers of the service. For instance, for ordering food from a restaurant of the hotel, the guest needs to locate the number of the restaurant and subsequently, get in touch with a personnel to place an order. Owing to the dependency on personnel and increased inter-personal interactions, such an experience can often become tedious for the guest. As an example, it may happen that the guest's original food preference is not available. On learning of this, the guest then again has to go through the menu and enquire about other food options. The experience is further prolonged where a menu is not available in the room. In such a case, the guest needs to enquire about food options over the phone and then place the order.
In another example, for controlling the in-room air conditioning, the guest may use a remote control or may control it through a control panel provided in the room. In cases where

the remote control cannot be spotted easily or is low on battery, hindrance or discomfort is caused in the guest's experience. Similarly, in cases of control panel, the guest has to make efforts every time he wishes to change temperature, as the control is often located away from the bed/sofa.
Thus, as may be gathered from above, current methods and systems often result in low satisfaction levels of the guest when it comes to availing such services.
Summary of the invention:
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for managing hospitality services provided to a guest is disclosed. The method comprises receiving sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. The method further comprises determining fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. Further, the method comprises querying a service database based on the pre-defined condition. The method further comprises obtaining a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying. Further, the method comprises performing the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service. The service database comprises a mapping between a plurality of hospitality services, one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services and one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for managing hospitality services provided to a guest is disclosed. The system comprises a processor, a receiving unit coupled to the processor, and a service management unit coupled to the processor. In an example, the receiving unit is to receive sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. In an example, the service management unit is to determine fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. The service management unit further is to query a service database communicatively coupled to the system based on the pre-defined condition. Further, the service management unit is to obtain a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying. Further, the service management unit is to perform the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service. In an example, the service database comprises a mapping between a plurality of hospitality services, one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services and one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions.
Brief Description of the drawings:
To further clarify advantages and aspects of the invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings, wherein:
Figure l(a)-(b) illustrates an environment implementing a hospitality services management server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates details of the hospitality services management server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 illustrates a method for managing hospitality services, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
It may be noted that to the extent possible, like reference numerals have been used to represent like elements in the drawings. Further, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of aspects of the invention. Furthermore, the one or more elements may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.
Detailed Description of the invention:
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
Reference throughout this specification to "an aspect", "another aspect" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection

with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1(a) illustrates an environment 100 implementing a hospitality services management server 102, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. The hospitality services management server 102, hereinafter, is interchangeably referred to as system 102. In an example, the system 102 may be implemented by a hotel for managing various services, amenities, luxuries, and the like to its guests. As may be noted, the terms service, luxury, and amenity, may be used interchangeably in various examples throughout the description. Furthermore, the term “hospitality service(s)”, as described herein, may include at least one or all of the terms services, luxuries, and amenities.
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In an example, the environment 100 includes the system 102 and a plurality of computing devices 104 communicatively coupled to the system 102 through a communication network 106. Examples of the system 102 may include, but are not limited to, a server, a cloud server, a workstation computer, a laptop, a desktop, and the like. Further, in an example, the system 102 may include a combination of such aforementioned computing devices communicatively coupled with each other to perform the functionalities of the system 102, as described herein. For instance, the system 102 may include a distributed network of various computing devices interacting and sharing data amongst themselves to perform the functionalities described herein.
Examples of the computing devices 104 may include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a notebook, and the like. In an example, the computing device 104-1 may be used by a guest of the hotel for accessing various amenities, services, and luxuries provided by the hotel. Another computing device 104-2 may be used by an administrator, for example, a manager, of the hotel to monitor the services being rendered. Similarly, a computing device 104-3 may be used by a service staff personnel for rendering of services to the guest.
The communication network 106 may be a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The communication network 106 can also be an individual network or a collection of many individual networks, interconnected with each other and functioning as a single large network, such as, for example, the Internet or an intranet. The communication network 106 can be implemented as one of different types of networks, such as an intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and such. Furthermore, the communication network 106 may implement various wired or wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi, for facilitating interconnection between various network devices and other devices connected through the communication network 106.
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The environment 100 further includes a data storage 108 communicatively coupled with the system 102. In an example, the data storage 108 may be directly coupled with the system 102, for example, as shown in the figure 1(a). In another example, the data storage 108 may be communicatively coupled with the system 102 through the communication network 106. In an example, the data storage 108 may include data/information related to a plurality of hospitality services offered by the hotel to its guests. Such information may be presented to the guests on their computing device 104-1. In an example, the data storage 108 may include one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the hospitality services. Further, the data storage 108 may include one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions. In an example, the hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions, and the pre-defined response actions are stored in a mapped relationship in the data storage 108.
In an example, the system 102 is configured to store guest preferences in the data storage 108. The guest preferences may be understood as preferences related to the services, amenities, and luxuries, being offered by the hotel. As an example, guest preferences related to in-room services may include, but are not limited to, options to define in-room temperature, lighting control, switch control, check-out date and time, and the like. The system 102 may provide its guests with an option to register and define guest preferences, for example, when the guest checks in to the hotel. In another example, the guest may be provided with an option of defining the guest preferences later after check in. In yet another example, the guest may be provided with an option of defining the guest preferences when the system 102 receives a request for a particular service being rendered by the hotel. For instance, when a guest may make a table reservation in a restaurant of the hotel, the guest may be provided with an option of selecting guest preferences, such as location of table in the restaurant, ambient temperature, food preferences, and the like.
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In an example, the system 102 links or maps the pre-defined conditions and the corresponding pre-defined response actions with the guest preferences of the guest. As a result, the system 102 is able to perform steps to optimize the services availed by the guest based on the guest preferences. In a further example, the system 102 may update or modify the pre-defined conditions and the corresponding pre-defined response actions based on the guest preferences of the guest.
In an example, the environment 100 further includes, one or more sensors 110-1, 110-2, …., 110-N, deployed at a geographical location of at least one service, amenity, luxury, being provided to the guest. Examples of the sensors 110 may include, but are not limited to, heat sensor, fire sensor, audio sensor, audio device, video device, luminous sensor, and the like. The sensors 110 are used to collect data related to the service, amenity, luxury, being used by the guest. The data, which is received as sensor inputs from the sensor 110, is used by the system 102 to optimize the service being rendered to the guest. For instance, consider a case where the guest has defined guest preferences for a luxury 112, say, in-room lighting. As per the guest preferences, the in-room lighting is to be maintained at a dim level (pre¬defined condition) during the day time, at moderate level during the night time (pre-defined condition), and is to be shut off after 11 p.m. (pre-defined condition). In an example, the system 102 receives sensor inputs from the sensors 110. The sensor inputs include data related to time of the day. Accordingly, the system 102 optimizes (pre-defined response action) the in-room lighting based on the time of the day, and guest preferences defined by the guest. As may be seen in this example, the pre-defined conditions and corresponding actions were modified based on the guest preferences.
In an example, the service 112 being used by the guest is present in the same environment 114 in which the guest is present. For instance, as shown in the figure 1(a) and as described in the above example, the guest seeks to optimize the control of in-room lighting
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of his room (114). In another example, as shown in figure 1(b), the service 112 sought by the guest may be present in an environment that is located at a geographic location different from the geographic location of the guest. For instance, as shown in the figure 1(b), the guest is in the environment 114, say, his room. In said case, the guest may like to avail a service 116, say, spa service, present in an environment 118. In said case, the guest may define guest preferences, for example, a temperature of the spa, related to the spa service. Accordingly, the sensors 110 collects data/information related to the temperature of the spa. The system 102 determines that the spa is at the temperature preferred by the guest (pre-defined condition) based on the sensor inputs received from the sensors 110. Accordingly, the system 102 transmits a notification (pre-defined response action) to the guest when the spa service is optimized as per the guest preferences defined by the guest.
Figure 2 illustrates details of system 102, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. In an example, the system 102 includes a processor 200, a receiving unit 202 coupled to the processor 200, a service management unit 204 coupled to the processor 200, and data 206.
The processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204 may be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Further, the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204 can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise a computer, a processor, a state machine, a logic array or any other suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a general-purpose processor, which executes instructions that cause the general-purpose processor to perform required tasks, or, the processing unit can be dedicated to perform the required functions. In another example, the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the
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service management unit 204 may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities. The data 206 may be a repository/storage medium/data store, for storing data processed, received, and generated by one or more of the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204.
In an example, the service management module 204 provides a list of hospitality services on a computing device, such as the computing device 104-1 to the guest. In an example, the computing device may be provided by the hotel to the guest. In another example, the computing device may be a computing device of the guest. In said example, the guest may first have to register with the hotel. Upon successful registration, the service management module 204 provides the list of hospitality services to the guest. Further, in an example, when the guest is successfully registered, the service management module 204 may provide the guest with an option to define guest preferences related to one or more hospitality services.
Continuing with the above example, the guest may select a hospitality service, say, room stay service. That is, the guest may take up accommodation in a room of the hotel. Once the guest checks in to the room, the sensors, such as the sensors 110, present in the room get activated. Examples of the sensors may include, but are not limited to, heat sensor, fire sensor, audio sensor, audio device, video device, luminous sensor, electric sensor, and the like. The sensors, upon activation, collect data depending upon their functionality and transmit the data to the system 102 as sensor inputs. For instance, the luminous sensor may collect data related to lighting conditions of the room, the fire sensor may collect data related to smoke level in the room, the electric sensor may collect data related to activated switches and off switches of the room, so on and so forth.
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In an example, the receiving unit 202 receives sensor inputs from the sensors present at the geographic location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. Correlating with the above example, the receiving unit 202 receives the sensor inputs from the sensors present in the room in which the guest is staying. In an example, the receiving unit 202 stores the sensor input in the data 206.
In an example, the service management module 204 determines fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. In an example, for determining the fulfilment of the pre-determined condition, the service management module 204 accesses the data storage 108. As mentioned above, the data storage 108 includes the hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions associated with each of the hospitality services, and the response actions corresponding to the pre-defined conditions. Upon accessing the data storage 108, the service management module 204 may perform various tests and simulations based on the sensor inputs and the pre-defined conditions. In a case where the service management module 204 determines fulfilment of a pre-defined condition, the service management module 204 queries a service database, such as the data storage 108. In an example, the service database is communicatively coupled to the system 102.
Based on the querying, the service management module 204 may receive a pre¬defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition. Subsequently, the service management module 204 performs the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service.
In an example, the service management module 204 transmits a notification message to at least one of the guest, an administrator, and a service staff personnel. In a further example, the service management module 204 may trigger an actuator to control a feature associated with the hospitality service.
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Correlating with the above example where the guest uses the hospitality service of room accommodation, the service management module 204 receives the sensor inputs from the sensors present in the room. In an example, the guest may step out of the room and may leave the lights, the geyser, the fan ON. Further, the guest may also leave his mobile phone on charging. Now in such a case, the service management module 204 runs tests and simulations based on the sensor inputs received from the room and the pre-defined conditions related to the room accommodation service. In an example, the pre-defined conditions may include, determining lights, fan, geyser, charging slot, to be ON when the guest is not in the room. In such a case, the service management module 204 then queries the data storage 108 or the service database for response actions. In an example, the response actions may include cutting off the supply to the fan, the light, and leaving on the charging port if an electronic device is plugged in for charging. Further, the response action may include cutting off supply to geyser in a case where the user has not set a temperature preference for water supply.
In a further example, the response actions may include transmitting a notification message to the guest, the manager, and the service staff personnel. In one example, the manager may perform the response actions. In another example, the service staff personnel may perform the response action. In yet another example, one or more actuators are provided in the room. In such a case, the actuators are triggered based on a control input by the system 102 for performing the response actions. Accordingly, the aforementioned response actions are performed.
As can be seen, the aspects of the present subject matter, implemented using the system 102, provide for optimized way of rendering hospitality services to guests. In further examples, the system 102 can perform pre-defined response actions related to pre-defined conditions, such as emergencies. For instance, in a case where the sensors detect a fire, the system 102 may perform pre-defined actions, such as alerting the manager, the guest, and the
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staff. Further, actions may include activation of water sprinklers, transmitting help notification message to appropriate authority, and the like. According to further examples, the guest may set time and temperature for availing spa services at a desired time. Accordingly, the system 102 controls the temperature of the spa in a manner such that the spa is set to the desired temperature of the guest at the requested time. Further, notification messages are sent to the guests and/or manager. Thus, implementing the system 102 provides for optimized way of rendering hospitality services to the guests. As a further advantage, as the electricity consumption is monitored and optimized, carbon footprint is reduced.
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary method 300, according to embodiments of the present matter. The order in which the method 300 is described is not to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 300 or an alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 300 without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 300 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In an example, the steps described herein with respect to method 200 may be performed using the components of the system 102, as described in figure 2. For the sake of brevity, reference to specific components is not presented herein.
At step 302, sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by a guest are received. In an example, the user may avail a hospitality service, say, restaurant service. In said example, the user may order food from the restaurant. On placing the order, the sensors may get activated and may monitor the status of the order. For instance, time elapsed since placement of the order may be monitored.
At step 304, fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service is determined based on the sensor inputs. Correlating with the example of the above step, an example of a pre-defined condition may include, determining if the order preparation time is
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greater than a pre-defined order preparation time. The sensor inputs in such a case may include time elapsed since placing of the order. In a case when the order preparation time exceeds the pre-defined order preparation time, the method moves to step 306.
At step 306, a service database is queried based on the pre-defined condition. The service database, in an example, includes the list of hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of services, and the pre-defined response actions corresponding to the pre-defined conditions.
At step 308, a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition is obtained based on the querying. Correlating with the example of the step 304, the pre-defined response action may include notifying a manager and a service staff personnel of the restaurant. In a further example, the response action may include providing the guest with a notification about the delay, and providing the guest with an option to cancel the order. In an example, the system 102 receives the pre-defined response action.
At step 310, the pre-defined response action is performed for managing the hospitality service. Correlating with the example of the above step, the pre-defined response actions of notifying the manager, the service staff, and the guest are performed. In an example, the system 102 performs the pre-defined response actions.
While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively,
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certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.

We Claim:

1.A method for managing hospitality services provided to a guest, the method comprising:
receiving sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest;
determining fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs;
querying a service database based on the pre-defined condition, wherein the service database comprises a mapping between:
(a) a plurality of hospitality services;
(b) one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services; and
(c) one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions; and
obtaining a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying; and
performing the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the performing further comprises transmitting a notification message to at least one of the guest, an administrator, and a service-staff personnel.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the performing further comprises triggering an actuator to control a feature associated with the hospitality service.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a list of hospitality services for displaying on a computing device.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a list of hospitality services for displaying on a computing device of the guest, wherein the computing device is registered with a service provider of the hospitality services.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor inputs include information associated with one or more features associated with the hospitality service.

7. A system for managing hospitality services provided to a guest, the system comprising:
a processor;
a receiving unit coupled to the processor to receive sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest;
a service management unit coupled to the processor to:
determine fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs;
query a service database communicatively coupled to the system based on the pre-defined condition, wherein the service database comprises a mapping between:
(a) a plurality of hospitality services;
(b) one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services; and
(c) one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions; and
obtain a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying; and
perform the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the service management module further is to transmit a notification message to at least one of the guest, an administrator, and a service-staff personnel.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the service management module further is to trigger an actuator to control a feature associated with the hospitality service.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the service management unit further is to provide a list of hospitality services for displaying on a computing device.

11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the service management unit further is to provide a list of hospitality services for displaying on a computing device of the guest, wherein the computing device is registered with a service provider of the hospitality services.

Dated this 28th day of March 2018

Manisha Singh
Agent for the Applicant [IN/PA-740]
LEXORBIS
, Description:HOSPITALITY SERVICES MANAGEMENT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present subject matter relates to managing hospitality services and, more particularly to managing hospitality services in hotels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Hotels nowadays provide their guests with various hospitality services, luxuries, and amenities. For example, hotels provide their guests with restaurant services, cleaning services, cab services, room services, laundry services, gym, spa, clothing stores, gift stores, swimming pool, centralized air conditioning, in-room air conditioning, and entertainment services, such as television (TV), music, media streaming services, and the like.
Typically, when a guest checks in to a hotel and seeks to avail a particular service/luxury/amenity, the guest has to either make a phone call to a designated operator or scout for controllers of the service. For instance, for ordering food from a restaurant of the hotel, the guest needs to locate the number of the restaurant and subsequently, get in touch with a personnel to place an order. Owing to the dependency on personnel and increased inter-personal interactions, such an experience can often become tedious for the guest. As an example, it may happen that the guest’s original food preference is not available. On learning of this, the guest then again has to go through the menu and enquire about other food options. The experience is further prolonged where a menu is not available in the room. In such a case, the guest needs to enquire about food options over the phone and then place the order.
In another example, for controlling the in-room air conditioning, the guest may use a remote control or may control it through a control panel provided in the room. In cases where the remote control cannot be spotted easily or is low on battery, hindrance or discomfort is caused in the guest’s experience. Similarly, in cases of control panel, the guest has to make efforts every time he wishes to change temperature, as the control is often located away from the bed/sofa.
Thus, as may be gathered from above, current methods and systems often result in low satisfaction levels of the guest when it comes to availing such services.
Summary of the invention:
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for managing hospitality services provided to a guest is disclosed. The method comprises receiving sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. The method further comprises determining fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. Further, the method comprises querying a service database based on the pre-defined condition. The method further comprises obtaining a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying. Further, the method comprises performing the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service. The service database comprises a mapping between a plurality of hospitality services, one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services and one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for managing hospitality services provided to a guest is disclosed. The system comprises a processor, a receiving unit coupled to the processor, and a service management unit coupled to the processor. In an example, the receiving unit is to receive sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. In an example, the service management unit is to determine fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. The service management unit further is to query a service database communicatively coupled to the system based on the pre-defined condition. Further, the service management unit is to obtain a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition based on the querying. Further, the service management unit is to perform the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service. In an example, the service database comprises a mapping between a plurality of hospitality services, one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of hospitality services and one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions.
Brief Description of the drawings:
To further clarify advantages and aspects of the invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings, wherein:
Figure 1(a)-(b) illustrates an environment implementing a hospitality services management server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates details of the hospitality services management server, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 3 illustrates a method for managing hospitality services, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
It may be noted that to the extent possible, like reference numerals have been used to represent like elements in the drawings. Further, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of aspects of the invention. Furthermore, the one or more elements may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

Detailed Description of the invention:
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
Reference throughout this specification to “an aspect”, “another aspect” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1(a) illustrates an environment 100 implementing a hospitality services management server 102, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. The hospitality services management server 102, hereinafter, is interchangeably referred to as system 102. In an example, the system 102 may be implemented by a hotel for managing various services, amenities, luxuries, and the like to its guests. As may be noted, the terms service, luxury, and amenity, may be used interchangeably in various examples throughout the description. Furthermore, the term “hospitality service(s)”, as described herein, may include at least one or all of the terms services, luxuries, and amenities.
In an example, the environment 100 includes the system 102 and a plurality of computing devices 104 communicatively coupled to the system 102 through a communication network 106. Examples of the system 102 may include, but are not limited to, a server, a cloud server, a workstation computer, a laptop, a desktop, and the like. Further, in an example, the system 102 may include a combination of such aforementioned computing devices communicatively coupled with each other to perform the functionalities of the system 102, as described herein. For instance, the system 102 may include a distributed network of various computing devices interacting and sharing data amongst themselves to perform the functionalities described herein.
Examples of the computing devices 104 may include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a notebook, and the like. In an example, the computing device 104-1 may be used by a guest of the hotel for accessing various amenities, services, and luxuries provided by the hotel. Another computing device 104-2 may be used by an administrator, for example, a manager, of the hotel to monitor the services being rendered. Similarly, a computing device 104-3 may be used by a service staff personnel for rendering of services to the guest.
The communication network 106 may be a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The communication network 106 can also be an individual network or a collection of many individual networks, interconnected with each other and functioning as a single large network, such as, for example, the Internet or an intranet. The communication network 106 can be implemented as one of different types of networks, such as an intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and such. Furthermore, the communication network 106 may implement various wired or wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi, for facilitating interconnection between various network devices and other devices connected through the communication network 106.
The environment 100 further includes a data storage 108 communicatively coupled with the system 102. In an example, the data storage 108 may be directly coupled with the system 102, for example, as shown in the figure 1(a). In another example, the data storage 108 may be communicatively coupled with the system 102 through the communication network 106. In an example, the data storage 108 may include data/information related to a plurality of hospitality services offered by the hotel to its guests. Such information may be presented to the guests on their computing device 104-1. In an example, the data storage 108 may include one or more pre-defined conditions associated with each of the hospitality services. Further, the data storage 108 may include one or more pre-defined response actions corresponding to the one or more pre-defined conditions. In an example, the hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions, and the pre-defined response actions are stored in a mapped relationship in the data storage 108.
In an example, the system 102 is configured to store guest preferences in the data storage 108. The guest preferences may be understood as preferences related to the services, amenities, and luxuries, being offered by the hotel. As an example, guest preferences related to in-room services may include, but are not limited to, options to define in-room temperature, lighting control, switch control, check-out date and time, and the like. The system 102 may provide its guests with an option to register and define guest preferences, for example, when the guest checks in to the hotel. In another example, the guest may be provided with an option of defining the guest preferences later after check in. In yet another example, the guest may be provided with an option of defining the guest preferences when the system 102 receives a request for a particular service being rendered by the hotel. For instance, when a guest may make a table reservation in a restaurant of the hotel, the guest may be provided with an option of selecting guest preferences, such as location of table in the restaurant, ambient temperature, food preferences, and the like.
In an example, the system 102 links or maps the pre-defined conditions and the corresponding pre-defined response actions with the guest preferences of the guest. As a result, the system 102 is able to perform steps to optimize the services availed by the guest based on the guest preferences. In a further example, the system 102 may update or modify the pre-defined conditions and the corresponding pre-defined response actions based on the guest preferences of the guest.
In an example, the environment 100 further includes, one or more sensors 110-1, 110-2, …., 110-N, deployed at a geographical location of at least one service, amenity, luxury, being provided to the guest. Examples of the sensors 110 may include, but are not limited to, heat sensor, fire sensor, audio sensor, audio device, video device, luminous sensor, and the like. The sensors 110 are used to collect data related to the service, amenity, luxury, being used by the guest. The data, which is received as sensor inputs from the sensor 110, is used by the system 102 to optimize the service being rendered to the guest. For instance, consider a case where the guest has defined guest preferences for a luxury 112, say, in-room lighting. As per the guest preferences, the in-room lighting is to be maintained at a dim level (pre-defined condition) during the day time, at moderate level during the night time (pre-defined condition), and is to be shut off after 11 p.m. (pre-defined condition). In an example, the system 102 receives sensor inputs from the sensors 110. The sensor inputs include data related to time of the day. Accordingly, the system 102 optimizes (pre-defined response action) the in-room lighting based on the time of the day, and guest preferences defined by the guest. As may be seen in this example, the pre-defined conditions and corresponding actions were modified based on the guest preferences.
In an example, the service 112 being used by the guest is present in the same environment 114 in which the guest is present. For instance, as shown in the figure 1(a) and as described in the above example, the guest seeks to optimize the control of in-room lighting of his room (114). In another example, as shown in figure 1(b), the service 112 sought by the guest may be present in an environment that is located at a geographic location different from the geographic location of the guest. For instance, as shown in the figure 1(b), the guest is in the environment 114, say, his room. In said case, the guest may like to avail a service 116, say, spa service, present in an environment 118. In said case, the guest may define guest preferences, for example, a temperature of the spa, related to the spa service. Accordingly, the sensors 110 collects data/information related to the temperature of the spa. The system 102 determines that the spa is at the temperature preferred by the guest (pre-defined condition) based on the sensor inputs received from the sensors 110. Accordingly, the system 102 transmits a notification (pre-defined response action) to the guest when the spa service is optimized as per the guest preferences defined by the guest.
Figure 2 illustrates details of system 102, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. In an example, the system 102 includes a processor 200, a receiving unit 202 coupled to the processor 200, a service management unit 204 coupled to the processor 200, and data 206.
The processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204 may be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Further, the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204 can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise a computer, a processor, a state machine, a logic array or any other suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a general-purpose processor, which executes instructions that cause the general-purpose processor to perform required tasks, or, the processing unit can be dedicated to perform the required functions. In another example, the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204 may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities. The data 206 may be a repository/storage medium/data store, for storing data processed, received, and generated by one or more of the processor 200, the receiving unit 202, and the service management unit 204.
In an example, the service management module 204 provides a list of hospitality services on a computing device, such as the computing device 104-1 to the guest. In an example, the computing device may be provided by the hotel to the guest. In another example, the computing device may be a computing device of the guest. In said example, the guest may first have to register with the hotel. Upon successful registration, the service management module 204 provides the list of hospitality services to the guest. Further, in an example, when the guest is successfully registered, the service management module 204 may provide the guest with an option to define guest preferences related to one or more hospitality services.
Continuing with the above example, the guest may select a hospitality service, say, room stay service. That is, the guest may take up accommodation in a room of the hotel. Once the guest checks in to the room, the sensors, such as the sensors 110, present in the room get activated. Examples of the sensors may include, but are not limited to, heat sensor, fire sensor, audio sensor, audio device, video device, luminous sensor, electric sensor, and the like. The sensors, upon activation, collect data depending upon their functionality and transmit the data to the system 102 as sensor inputs. For instance, the luminous sensor may collect data related to lighting conditions of the room, the fire sensor may collect data related to smoke level in the room, the electric sensor may collect data related to activated switches and off switches of the room, so on and so forth.
In an example, the receiving unit 202 receives sensor inputs from the sensors present at the geographic location of a hospitality service being used by the guest. Correlating with the above example, the receiving unit 202 receives the sensor inputs from the sensors present in the room in which the guest is staying. In an example, the receiving unit 202 stores the sensor input in the data 206.
In an example, the service management module 204 determines fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service based on the sensor inputs. In an example, for determining the fulfilment of the pre-determined condition, the service management module 204 accesses the data storage 108. As mentioned above, the data storage 108 includes the hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions associated with each of the hospitality services, and the response actions corresponding to the pre-defined conditions. Upon accessing the data storage 108, the service management module 204 may perform various tests and simulations based on the sensor inputs and the pre-defined conditions. In a case where the service management module 204 determines fulfilment of a pre-defined condition, the service management module 204 queries a service database, such as the data storage 108. In an example, the service database is communicatively coupled to the system 102.
Based on the querying, the service management module 204 may receive a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition. Subsequently, the service management module 204 performs the pre-defined response action for managing the hospitality service.
In an example, the service management module 204 transmits a notification message to at least one of the guest, an administrator, and a service staff personnel. In a further example, the service management module 204 may trigger an actuator to control a feature associated with the hospitality service.
Correlating with the above example where the guest uses the hospitality service of room accommodation, the service management module 204 receives the sensor inputs from the sensors present in the room. In an example, the guest may step out of the room and may leave the lights, the geyser, the fan ON. Further, the guest may also leave his mobile phone on charging. Now in such a case, the service management module 204 runs tests and simulations based on the sensor inputs received from the room and the pre-defined conditions related to the room accommodation service. In an example, the pre-defined conditions may include, determining lights, fan, geyser, charging slot, to be ON when the guest is not in the room. In such a case, the service management module 204 then queries the data storage 108 or the service database for response actions. In an example, the response actions may include cutting off the supply to the fan, the light, and leaving on the charging port if an electronic device is plugged in for charging. Further, the response action may include cutting off supply to geyser in a case where the user has not set a temperature preference for water supply.
In a further example, the response actions may include transmitting a notification message to the guest, the manager, and the service staff personnel. In one example, the manager may perform the response actions. In another example, the service staff personnel may perform the response action. In yet another example, one or more actuators are provided in the room. In such a case, the actuators are triggered based on a control input by the system 102 for performing the response actions. Accordingly, the aforementioned response actions are performed.
As can be seen, the aspects of the present subject matter, implemented using the system 102, provide for optimized way of rendering hospitality services to guests. In further examples, the system 102 can perform pre-defined response actions related to pre-defined conditions, such as emergencies. For instance, in a case where the sensors detect a fire, the system 102 may perform pre-defined actions, such as alerting the manager, the guest, and the staff. Further, actions may include activation of water sprinklers, transmitting help notification message to appropriate authority, and the like. According to further examples, the guest may set time and temperature for availing spa services at a desired time. Accordingly, the system 102 controls the temperature of the spa in a manner such that the spa is set to the desired temperature of the guest at the requested time. Further, notification messages are sent to the guests and/or manager. Thus, implementing the system 102 provides for optimized way of rendering hospitality services to the guests. As a further advantage, as the electricity consumption is monitored and optimized, carbon footprint is reduced.
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary method 300, according to embodiments of the present matter. The order in which the method 300 is described is not to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 300 or an alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 300 without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 300 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In an example, the steps described herein with respect to method 200 may be performed using the components of the system 102, as described in figure 2. For the sake of brevity, reference to specific components is not presented herein.
At step 302, sensor inputs from one or more sensors present at a geographical location of a hospitality service being used by a guest are received. In an example, the user may avail a hospitality service, say, restaurant service. In said example, the user may order food from the restaurant. On placing the order, the sensors may get activated and may monitor the status of the order. For instance, time elapsed since placement of the order may be monitored.
At step 304, fulfilment of a pre-defined condition related to the hospitality service is determined based on the sensor inputs. Correlating with the example of the above step, an example of a pre-defined condition may include, determining if the order preparation time is greater than a pre-defined order preparation time. The sensor inputs in such a case may include time elapsed since placing of the order. In a case when the order preparation time exceeds the pre-defined order preparation time, the method moves to step 306.
At step 306, a service database is queried based on the pre-defined condition. The service database, in an example, includes the list of hospitality services, the pre-defined conditions associated with each of the plurality of services, and the pre-defined response actions corresponding to the pre-defined conditions.
At step 308, a pre-defined response action corresponding to the pre-defined condition is obtained based on the querying. Correlating with the example of the step 304, the pre-defined response action may include notifying a manager and a service staff personnel of the restaurant. In a further example, the response action may include providing the guest with a notification about the delay, and providing the guest with an option to cancel the order. In an example, the system 102 receives the pre-defined response action.
At step 310, the pre-defined response action is performed for managing the hospitality service. Correlating with the example of the above step, the pre-defined response actions of notifying the manager, the service staff, and the guest are performed. In an example, the system 102 performs the pre-defined response actions.
While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.