When to start planning hotel technology

The honest answer is earlier than most projects do. Technology planning on a new hotel build is typically treated as a Stage 5 task – something to sort out once the structure is up and fit-out is underway. By that point, most of the decisions that determine what's actually possible have already been made by other workstreams.

Cable routes are committed. Ceiling heights are fixed. Comms room locations are set. The M&E design doesn't include the containment runs you need. Structural elements are in positions that conflict with access point placement. What looked like an open set of technology choices is now a constrained one, and the cost of changing any of it is significant.

Technology planning needs to begin at RIBA Stage 2. That's when the spatial and structural design is still fluid, M&E coordination is happening and there's still time to integrate IT infrastructure requirements into the base build. Everything after that is progressively more expensive to change.

RIBA stage decision points

The RIBA Plan of Work provides a useful framework for mapping technology decisions to the right moment in the project lifecycle. For hotel builds, the critical stages are as follows.

Stage 0–1 (Strategic definition and preparation). Establish the hotel's technology ambition. What guest experience are you designing for? What brand standards apply? Is mobile key a requirement? Will you operate a full-service restaurant with a kitchen display system? These answers shape the scope of every subsequent technology decision.

Stage 2 (Concept design). This is the most important stage for technology. Network infrastructure, Wi-Fi design, IPTV system selection, in-room control specification, access control strategy and CCTV coverage mapping all need to be completed here, so the outputs can feed into M&E coordination and the structural design. Decisions not made at Stage 2 become problems at Stage 5.

Stage 3 (Spatial coordination). Finalise comms room locations, confirm containment routes in coordination with M&E, issue structured cabling specifications and confirm power requirements for technology equipment. Access point positions should be locked at this stage.

Stage 4 (Technical design). Detailed design of all technology systems. Equipment schedules, rack layouts, network topology diagrams, CCTV camera schedules and system integration specifications are produced at Stage 4.

Stage 5 (Manufacturing and construction). Installation of first-fix cabling – containment, backbone fibre and horizontal structured cabling to every outlet. Second-fix active equipment installation follows once the building envelope is complete.

Stage 6 (Handover). System commissioning, integration testing between PMS, door locks, POS and Wi-Fi, and snagging. Handover documentation including as-built drawings, equipment schedules and system credentials.

Network infrastructure and structured cabling

The network is the foundation everything else runs on. Get this wrong and you're dealing with the consequences for the life of the building.

The backbone connects your main distribution frame (MDF) – typically in a ground-floor comms room – to intermediate distribution frames (IDFs) on each floor via multimode or single-mode fibre risers. On larger properties, plan for a comms room on every floor. On smaller properties, a single well-located comms room may suffice, but cable length constraints still apply – horizontal copper runs have a 90-metre limit from IDF to outlet.

Horizontal cabling is Cat6A as a minimum for new builds. Cat6 is still permissible but Cat6A supports 10Gbps to the desktop and gives you headroom for the life of the building. Run Cat6A to every guest room outlet, every back-of-house position, every plant room, every retail or F&B point and every public area location.

Key checklist items for network infrastructure:

Wi-Fi design and in-room connectivity

Wi-Fi is the guest technology expectation that has the least tolerance for failure. A guest who can't connect in their room will tell people about it. The quality of your restaurant's food won't compensate.

Wi-Fi design must happen at Stage 2, before ceiling design is finalised. Access point positions need coordination with structural elements, HVAC diffusers, light fittings and fire detection – all of which compete for the same ceiling real estate. If this coordination doesn't happen before the ceiling design is issued for construction, you end up with access points in suboptimal positions or expensive remediation.

For in-room coverage, the typical design uses one wireless access point serving two or three rooms on a corridor, mounted in the ceiling of the corridor with directional coverage into the rooms on each side. This approach keeps access points out of guest rooms (reducing interference and maintenance access issues) while providing consistent coverage. Rooms with specific signal requirements – suites, meeting rooms – may need dedicated access points.

Lobby, restaurant, bar and meeting room spaces require higher-density coverage design. These areas have concentrated user populations and typically mixed device types. A predictive RF survey at Stage 2, updated with a physical survey post-construction, is the right process.

Key checklist items for Wi-Fi:

Guest-facing technology: TV, in-room controls and mobile

The technology a guest interacts with directly – the television, the room controls and any mobile experience – all have infrastructure requirements that must be specified before the build gets underway.

IPTV systems. The choice between IPTV systems (Samsung LYNK, LG Pro:Centric and others) needs to be made at Stage 2. Each system has specific cabling, power and network requirements. Samsung LYNK uses a dedicated LYNK server and requires specific network configuration; LG Pro:Centric has its own distribution architecture. The decision drives conduit sizing, cable type and switch configuration. Making this decision at Stage 5 means either accepting whatever can be retrofitted or paying for changes to infrastructure that's already installed.

In-room controls. If you're specifying smart room controls – guest-controlled lighting scenes, temperature, blackout curtains via a room controller or tablet – these systems require additional low-voltage cabling to every controlled device, plus a network connection for the room controller. This cabling cannot be added after first fix. Smart room control systems from suppliers like Crestron, Control4 or Lutron need to be in the Stage 2 specification so their cabling requirements are captured in the M&E design.

Mobile key and digital guest journey. If mobile check-in and mobile key are part of your guest experience design, this affects the door lock specification and the PMS selection. Not all lock hardware supports mobile key, and not all PMS platforms have robust mobile key integrations. Decide on your mobile experience at Stage 0–1 so it can cascade into the right hardware and software choices downstream.

PMS, booking and operational systems

The property management system is the operational core of the hotel. PMS selection doesn't have structural implications in the way that cabling does, but it has significant integration implications and should happen well before practical completion.

Common PMS platforms for independent and boutique hotels include Opera Cloud, Mews and Cloudbeds. Each has different integration ecosystems – the interfaces available with door lock systems, POS platforms, revenue management tools and Wi-Fi authentication vary between them. Selecting the PMS at Stage 4 or 5 allows interface testing with door locks, POS and Wi-Fi authentication to happen before the hotel opens, rather than in the first weeks of operation with paying guests present.

Key checklist items for PMS and operational systems:

Security, access control and CCTV

Access control and CCTV are areas where under-specification at the design stage creates real operational and compliance problems later.

Door locks. Lock manufacturer selection (ASSA ABLOY, Dormakaba, SALTO and others) must align with your PMS and mobile key requirements. This sounds obvious, but projects regularly arrive at Stage 5 with a lock specification that was chosen on cost without verifying PMS compatibility or mobile key capability. Retrofitting different lock hardware – or the electronic components to enable mobile key – is an expensive and disruptive exercise after the hotel has opened.

CCTV. Specify an IP-based CCTV system with a Network Video Recorder, not an analogue system. IP CCTV integrates with access control, supports remote monitoring and provides the image quality that modern safeguarding and insurance requirements demand. The camera coverage map should be agreed at Stage 2 and should include all entrances, lifts, lift lobbies, corridors, the car park and all public areas. Coverage maps agreed late in the project frequently result in blind spots that are expensive to retrospectively address.

Key checklist items for security and access control:

Back-of-house and operational technology

Technology in the back-of-house is easy to overlook because it isn't part of the guest experience directly. It's also where operational failures happen if the infrastructure isn't right.

F&B operations need kitchen display systems if you're running a restaurant kitchen – the KDS replaces paper dupe tickets and integrates with the POS. This requires Cat6A cabling and power to kitchen display positions, which need to be agreed with the kitchen designer at Stage 3. Conduit into commercial kitchens needs to account for the environment – heat, steam and cleaning regimes affect cable management choices.

Back-office areas – general manager's office, accounts, HR – need adequate network provision. It's common for back-office network provision to be scoped down during value engineering. This saves a small amount on cabling and creates years of inconvenience. Specify back-office network provision properly.

Staff communication is often treated as an afterthought. If the property requires staff radio systems, paging or a nurse call equivalent for lone worker safety, the infrastructure requirements need to be in the Stage 2 specification. Wireless systems need coverage surveys; wired systems need cabling.

Key checklist items for back-of-house technology:

Route B provides technology design and installation services for new hotel builds and major refurbishments. Get in touch to discuss your project.

Get in Touch