Volume 15 - Philips Lighting

Product spotlight
Philips Dynalite’s new
Guest Room Management
System is a dedicated
control platform designed
specifically for the
hospitality industry. The
DDRC-GRMS10 Relay
Controller has all the
necessary functionality
built into the one unit,
making it cheaper to
purchase and enabling it to
come out of the factory
pre-programmed.
Philips Dynalite has launched its
new Guest Room Management
System (GRMS), designed specifically for
the hospitality industry. Unlike most of the
modular devices currently available by lighting
solutions providers in the marketplace, GRMS
offers out-of-the-box functionality aimed
squarely at hotel guest-room applications.
This delivers cost-savings to the end-user
by minimizing both hardware and set-up
installation requirements.
According to Philips Controls, Systems
& Services Hospitality Global Marketing
Manager, Peter Glasheen, the heart of the
GRMS system is the DDRC-GRMS10 Relay
“
These dedicated controller units have
all the functionality built into the one
unit, rather than spread out across
multiple products. This makes it
cheaper for the end-user to purchase
and means it can come out of the factory
pre-programmed, thereby eliminating
on site configuration for faster project
delivery and reduced cost.
”
28 | Lightnews Vol 15
GRMS: demonstrating Philips’
dedicated approach to hospitality
Philips redefines smart controls for the hospitality industry with its new, dedicated Guest Room
Management System. Supporting dedicated levels of functionality required for guest-room applications,
it provides a cost-competitive smart solution, with out-of-the-box functionality.
Controller. “These dedicated controller units
have all the functionality built into the one
unit, rather than spread out across multiple
products,” he said. “This makes it cheaper for
the end-user to purchase and means it can
come out of the factory pre-programmed,
thereby eliminating on site configuration for
faster project delivery and reduced cost.”
The DDRC-GRMS10 controller currently
available will be complemented in time
by a sister unit, which will offer extended
dedicated functionality. Where the DDRC-
GRMS10 can switch lighting, HVAC, power
outlets, room status indicators and blinds,
the next GRMS controller to be released
will offer temperature control to a finer
degree, additional curtain control, dimming
and switching lighting channels, as well as the
ability to use control DMX colored lighting.
Cost competitive
For a typical hotel room application, a
single GRMS controller will be required.
“In the past, we tended to use the
DDMC802 multipurpose controller. This
remains a highly versatile controller, but
as a modular unit we would often end
up using two per room,” said Glasheen.
“When you add up the cost of providing
two controllers, together with the cost of
the individual controller cards, plus the cost
of commissioning the system, the total cost
per room could be double or even triple
what we can now achieve with our GRMS
solution approach.”
The GRMS system can either be set up
as a networked solution or as a simple
standalone room-based system. A range of
new user networked interfaces will also be
released, designed specifically to work with
the GRMS controllers. As these will also
take the dedicated – rather than modular –
approach, they will also be cost competitive
and offer plug-and-play ease of set-up.
The final element of the GRMS portfolio will
be a choice of networked or dry-contact
DR2PA-SA Hotel Room System Actuator.
This card holder is illuminated to allow
guests to see it in the dark, and is configured
so that when a guest leaves the room and
removes the key card from the device, the
blinds will be closed and the lighting and
HVAC turned off after a time delay.
Dedicated functionality
Philips Dynalite has spent considerable
effort in developing GRMS to include only
the functionality required by guest room
applications. The dedicated approach being
taken is unique in the market and means
that functionality superfluous to the guest
room requirements is not provided. If
greater functionality is required, additional
network control panels can be added. “This
delivers the best of both worlds,” said
Glasheen. “You get a system that is ready to
be used straight from the box, but also one
that can be reprogrammed as needed, via
the network control panels.”
Philips Dynalite’s DDRC-GRMS10 Relay
Controller and DR2PA-SA Hotel Room
System Actuator are available now. The GRMS
controller with extended functionality will be
released by year-end 2012 and the range of
GRMS user interfaces, will be launched from
late 2012 into mid 2013.
“GRMS offers the hospitality industry all
the energy-saving and user functionality it
has come to expect – all at a fraction of the
cost of rival solutions,” said Glasheen. “This
redefines value for money in this sector and
opens up smart controls to a much wider
market than ever previously possible.” n