Luxury Resort Turns to IntelliStation 2 for Improved Operations

What the Client Needed

The Grandover Resort, a luxury Wyndham hotel owned by the Khoury Corporation in Greensboro, North Carolina, prides itself on an exceptional guest experience. With amenities that include 36 holes of championship golf, a spa, on-site fine dining, and extensive event spaces, the resort is passionate that every detail of a guest's stay be impeccable. However, the property was facing persistent challenges with water pressure and temperature consistency on its upper floors, particularly during peak usage times, leading to disappointed guests- a major issue for a property of the Grandover’s caliber.

The resort’s Director of Engineering recalled in frustration, “I used to not have pressure on my upper floors.” The Grandover’s water system, which pumps water to all floors was hampered by outdated water heating and aged thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs). Even after installing two new on-demand water heaters, the old TMVs struggled to maintain proper temperature and pressure, even occasionally requiring an engineer to manually free locked pistons. The result? Frustrated guests and a maintenance team stretched thin.

Sloan Plumbing, who holds a service contract with the Grandover, explained the technical challenge: “The tempering valves just couldn’t keep up with hot water demand with the flow characteristics of the building being so dynamic.”

Solution

To resolve these issues, the Grandover Resort turned to the IntelliStation 2 with Nexa. An advanced digital mixing valve designed to meet the specific demands of modern facilities, the IntelliStation 2 boasted a straightforward integration that wouldn’t cause any disruption to the building’s operations. Nexa’s intelligent water management software would give the team insight into the mixing valve’s performance, allowing them to remotely adjust settings and anticipate any service needs.

When Sloan finished the install, the Director of Engineering was shocked to find he’d gained nearly 6 pounds of pressure to the line, effectively solving the issues on the Grandover’s upper floors. The team was thrilled that the IntelliStation 2 immediately began providing consistent, safely tempered hot water to all areas of the hotel.

“It can keep up with my instant hot water heaters like nothing I’ve ever seen. This thing just regulates. I can tell you; it’s been in here for almost three months, and I haven’t had one issue with hot water on my upper floors,” said the Director of Engineering, shaking his head in disbelief.

What’s more, the IntelliStation 2’s design brought a newfound efficiency to the building’s water system, reducing energy waste by ensuring that the valve opened and closed only when required. The system’s ease of use coupled with its monitoring capabilities, both on-site and remotely via the Nexa platform, were significant advantages. Sloan Plumbing highlighted the impact on the maintenance team: “It feels great to go from something you’re having to babysit and take care of and literally beat on to make work, to something that’s just flawless. It’s literally changed some of these maintenance guys’ lives cause they’re not here all the time dealing with hot water issues (anymore).” Both the plumbing contractor and the engineering team were ecstatic that with Nexa’s intuitive dashboard, accessible via mobile or desktop, they could easily monitor and control the IntelliStation 2 and receive real-time performance metrics/notifications of potential issues.

Results

The IntelliStation 2 with Nexa far exceeded the Grandover team’s expectations. From the very first day of operation, it eliminated guest complaints related to hot water and pressure, allowing the maintenance team to focus on other critical areas of the hotel.

The Executive Vice President of Hospitality for the Khoury Group remarked on the system's impact: “Our guests come in and are looking for a luxury experience here. There are aspects of their stay that we don’t want them to have to worry about. Obviously, hot water, water in general, is one of those things… and this has been one of the best things that we’ve done for this hotel—more than any of us thought that it would… it comes with my highest recommendation.”

The IntelliStation 2 has also strengthened staff morale, he explained; “From a leadership perspective, you don’t want your engineers thinking we’re just not fixing their problems. Now they see that we invest in a product not only to help our guests but to help them as well,” adding, “It’s one less thing that we have to worry about.”

The IntelliStation 2 with Nexa has not only improved guest and employee satisfaction but has also translated into significant cost savings by reducing the need for room compensations while simultaneously improving the overall efficiency of the hotel’s water system. The IntelliStation 2 install at the Grandover Resort showcases the tangible benefits of investing in intelligent water management technology for ideal hotel operations.