The balance between customer comfort and energy efficiency exposes an inherent tension for hoteliers.
“Certain brand standards will require the room to be at a certain temperature when the guest arrives,” says David Tarsh, strategy and communications advisor, Energy and Environment Alliance.
“Sure, no one wants to be wasteful, but you’ve also got to be conscious that the guests have paid their money for a nice experience and if they get anything less, they won’t be coming back,” he adds.
The London Landmark’s chief engineer Bob Horsefield echoes the sentiment: “Our focus is guest comfort and ensuring we provide the service expected in the luxury sector. Finding a system that not only provides this, but also saves a significant amount of energy, is extremely difficult.”
The cost of comfort
In historic buildings like the Landmark, a Victorian era railway hotel dating from 1899, maintaining guest comfort comes at a steep cost, especially given the sharp rises in the price of electricity and gas in recent years.
On average, HVAC systems account for 65 percent of total energy costs in a hotel, according to Vincent Purino, director of EU business development at environment tech provider Verdant by Copeland. Historically, much of this energy consumption is wasteful.
“Your hotel might be fully booked in high season and yet 60 percent of the time your customers are not even in their rooms, but your air conditioning is on, your heating is on, and that is a big waste of energy and a big waste of money,” he says.
Horsefield met Purino at a conference and wanted to understand more about Verdant by Copeland’s technology. Purino suggested conducting a pilot study in ten of the Landmark’s bedrooms: “That way you can see, first, if our technology works, second, if there are any customer complaints and third, if the installation was invasive or not.”
Smart installation
Smart thermostats were installed in each room which utilise radio frequencies rather than Wi-Fi, eliminating the need to route wires or put holes in walls. Verdant by Copeland claims that property staff can install its thermostats in less than 20 minutes per room.
First, the thermostats measure the room’s unique heating or cooling rate. Then they determine how far the temperature can drift and still return to the original setting quickly enough that occupants never notice.
The thermostats include occupancy sensing technology that continuously scans the room for motion and body heat. When guests are present, they have full control over the room’s temperature. When guests leave the room, Verdant’s thermostats enter ‘setback mode’ allowing room temperatures to naturally drift by a few degrees.
At the Landmark, this practice reduced average HVAC runtimes by 31 percent. The payback period was 13 months, and the projected annual savings are £91,000. Following the ten-room trial, the Landmark was satisfied with the results and installed Verdant’s thermostats in all its rooms.
Plug-and-play
“In a standard hotel we will likely cut 20 percent of your energy bills,” says Purino, adding that the system gives operators full visibility of in-room temperatures in real time on a dashboard display, plus transparent and easy ESG reporting capabilities.
Verdant by Copeland’s system leverages low frequency radio waves that eliminate the need for additional networking equipment and leave the hotel’s Wi-Fi free of any interference. AI automates HVAC guest room management with minimal staff involvement required.
Purino says that Verdant by Copeland’s technology is used by 12,000 hotels across the world and the group has been active in Europe for the last two years.
“During the 2024 Summer Olympics, we installed our systems at the Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle without requiring any room closures during a period of peak demand. This installation showcased our easy-to-install, plug-and-play solution,” he says.
Global rollout
Following more installations at the Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel, Mercure Paris Le Bourget, and The Ned in London, Purino says Verdant is currently rolling out across 20 hotels owned by Amante Capital Group, 50 Louvre Group properties, in addition to signing an agreement with Accor.
“The reason they [Accor] are fast-tracking us is that they need something that’s simple to install and creates immediate results,” he says.
Verdant Environmental Technologies was founded in 2008 in Quebec, Canada as a developer of occupancy‑based energy‑management systems for hotels, student housing, and multi‑family buildings. Today, Verdant is part of Copeland, a larger climate technologies company. In 2023, private equity giant Blackstone acquired Copeland for $14b and a Copeland IPO is expected in 2026.
Various rebates are available across the US and Canada to offset the installation costs of Verdant by Copeland’s smart thermostats. For example, in Texas, one of the hottest US states, Austin Energy offers $50 off the cost of installing each thermostat. Similar savings are available in many other states.
Vincent Purino, director of EU business development, Verdant by Copeland, was speaking during an asset management session during the Annual Hospitality Conference 2025 in Manchester.