Setting the Standard for the Future of Hospitality
July 22, 2021
The Sinclair Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas is setting the standard for the guest experience in hospitality while also becoming more sustainable and profitable. In 2017, Sinclair began the move towards exploring the use of PoE power for lighting, following a failed installation of an expensive traditional lighting control system at one of their properties in 2016. The proprietary and expensive system never worked, and hotelier Farukh Aslam vowed to find a simpler way to power and control lighting that did not rely on proprietary systems or electricians. With success deploying PoE lighting in their office building remodel, Aslam started realizing the benefit of using PoE power with a DC backbone. From there, Sinclair started tackling as many devices as possible at the hotel that was within the power limitation of UPOE. To meet their goals, Sinclair turned to trusted partners, including Igor, to bring their vision to life.
Using a combination of digital electricity and Power-over-Ethernet, which are both low-voltage direct current (DC) power systems, The Sinclair Hotel is modernizing the infrastructure behind their space. With their DC structure, Sinclair Digital was able to eliminate half of the circuit panels in the building. Eliminating several panels in the 17-story hotel greatly reduced labor costs for installation all while cutting the cost of panel materials in half. Installing low voltage wiring and components is a much less labor-intensive task, and the job could be done quickly and efficiently. The implementation of their DC infrastructure in the space also reduces the hotel’s electrical service from 3000A to 2500A. Again, this decreased the number of physical materials needed in the space as well as the charge for power on hold from the utility company, increasing the savings the DC system creates for the hotel.
As a pioneer in the smart building space, The Sinclair Hotel contains the first lithium-ion battery solution for UL924 ever installed replacing a diesel generator for emergency power backup. This solution requires little to no maintenance, saving the hotel thousands every year. Should any issue arise with the system, hotel staff can be quickly alerted to the issue for a quick response and ensure everything is working properly in case of emergency.
One of the many benefits of Igor’s IoT smart building platform, Nexos, is the ability to maximize port usage by using UPOE standard technology, daisy-chaining, and connecting multiple devices per node. This maximizes energy efficiency and results in a lower total number of power sourcing equipment in the facility. Less equipment being used translates back to a lower capital cost, and less energy being used over time. The energy savings is easily monitored with the analytics capabilities of IoT technology.
The Sinclair Hotel tracked energy consumption and costs for hotel operations before and after installing DC technology including switching to VRF air conditioning from a traditional chiller- based system to measure savings. The hotel, running 24/7, saved over $4,000 per month in energy costs, a 39% decrease from its previous monthly payments as an 8-to-5 office building prior to its low-voltage transformation into a luxury hotel. Not only did using a DC infastructure as the backbone for their smart hotel save The Sinclair Hotel operational costs, but it was also less expensive to install compared to line voltage. A traditional AC infrastructure would have required a $2.265 million expenditure, but the DC system came in at $2.242 million to install, a savings of $23,000. This, in addition to the ongoing energy savings, means that PoE technology resulted in both an immediate and ongoing positive ROI story.
Installing Power-over-Ethernet in The Sinclair Hotel created many positive outcomes for the business. Using PoE as the backbone for their DC-based hotel saved Sinclair thousands on installation costs, operational costs, and the hotel can take advantage of lower energy billing rates. Selecting DC-powered lighting controls drove 16% CAPEX savings compared to a traditional lighting controls system and continues to enhance the guest experience. The Sinclair Hotel provides an innovative and one-of-a-kind digital experience for hotel guests, and the hotel is building a strong reputation as a leader in the smart building space.
Going from a line voltage office to a 24/7 hotel powered by PoE and smart technology was a revolutionary concept in the market, and The Sinclair Hotel truly brings this vision to fruition. Completed in January of 2020, the Sinclair was touted as the “most advanced DC powered building in the USA” by the head of General Services Administration.
Interested in creating your own DC building or learning more? Sinclair Group is now offering design and consulting services through their sister company Sinclair Digital Services to make DC powered buildings a reality for their clients. Contact Sinclair Digital at information@sinclair-digital.com or 940-224-5133.