How to manage capacity in a mixed-use property

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for managing the utilization capacity of a multi-purpose property having a number of reservable facilities, which can be changed as required between use as accommodation, office work facilities or conference rooms. To manage the utilization capacity, a system is provided in which reservations and reservation parameters related to each facility are determined for each point in time, the reservation parameters including the client, the client type, the reservation type according to the assigned use, the start and end times of the reservation, and the recorded actual departure times. The method calculates a forecast of the utilization periods of secondary uses that lie between the actual departure and start times of the reservations of different clients, and releases them for reservation beyond the primary use. The present invention also relates to furniture suitable for this purpose.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method as set out in the preamble of claim 1. The invention particularly relates to a method for managing the occupancy capacity of a multi-purpose property having a number of facilities that can be booked, the uses of which can be changed as required between use as accommodation, office work facilities or meeting rooms, each of which is configured with transformable furniture and / or a layout of the property, and in which features of the furniture that determine its main use can be retracted by mechanisms of the furniture and / or layout out of reach of users within walls and / or other structures. The invention also relates to transformable furniture in which features that determine its main use can be retracted by mechanisms of the furniture out of reach of users within walls and / or other structures. [Background technology]

[0002] The utilization of business facilities has undergone significant changes over the past few years, and the recent pandemic has further altered the situation. Facility utilization is inefficient, and expenses are unnecessarily high compared to the actual utilization of the facilities. Facility utilization contracts are typically occupancy-based, and fees are based not on utilization but on the occupancy of the facilities, regardless of how much the facilities are utilized. Studies on this topic have shown that the actual utilization rate of rooms in office properties is approximately 5-10%. This utilization rate also has an impact on the environment, because properties must be heated or cooled and ventilated 24 / 7, regardless of how much they are utilized.

[0003] One solution is to provide a multi-purpose facility that serves different purposes. An example is a dual-use hotel, where the facility, in this case the rooms, function as hotel rooms at night and offices during the day. Rooms are booked individually for this purpose. Capacity requirements and demand for the facility are typically different between day and night.

[0004] Traditionally, in serviced offices, facilities and offices can be rented under different types of agreements. Additional facilities must be agreed upon or provided separately. Capacity is managed on an office-by-office basis based on facility occupancy, not utilization.

[0005] Similarly, accommodation capacity can be purchased from hotels under various types of contracts. Additional facilities must be agreed upon separately or provided individually. Capacity can typically only be managed on a room-by-room basis.

[0006] Businesses may have rapidly changing requirements regarding office size, number of offices, or their use. Therefore, there is a need to increase capacity in a more cost-effective manner. Similarly, there is a need to utilize available capacity efficiently and as much as possible, as a self-service solution for users.

[0007] The aforementioned need for more efficient capacity utilization requires technical solutions that can efficiently and quickly provide multipurpose use and methods that can control capacity management so that capacity is available in the required format and at the required time. One of the required functions is a technical solution that allows for different uses. This refers to facilities with transformable furniture and / or layouts, where the features that determine the furniture's primary use can be stored inside walls and / or other structures, out of reach of users, by mechanisms in the furniture and / or layout. This refers, for example, to solutions where other uses of the furniture are not apparent to the naked eye. For example, in office facilities, it is undesirable to have visible bed linens if the other feature or form is a bed. The bed can be stored against the wall, with the bottom of the bed forming a neat, uniform wall or door-like structure, but the actual bed linens are not visible. The prior art, inter alia, discloses U.S. Patent No. 3,088,127, which discloses several dual-purpose furniture structures. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 3,088,127 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution, i.e., a method, that can improve the utilization rate of the facilities of a property. A further object is to flexibly change the facility capacity of a property equipped for multi-purpose use to different office or accommodation purposes in real time, depending on demand, easily. A further object is to enable groups of office users to work within the facility as if they were in their own property. Successful multi-purpose use and efficient utilization of the facility requires a system that can be controlled via a user interface that allows for diverse uses of the facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The object of the present invention is achieved as disclosed in more detail mainly in the independent claims and other claims. According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing the utilization capacity of a multi-purpose property, the multi-purpose property having a number of reservable facilities, the utilization of which can be changed as required between use as accommodation, office work facilities or conference rooms, each of which is configured with convertible furniture and / or layout of the property, and features of the furniture determining its primary utilization can be retracted by mechanisms of the furniture and / or layout out of reach of users behind walls and / or other structures, the utilization capacity management being provided by a system for determining reservations and reservation parameters for each of the facilities at each point in time, the reservation parameters including client, client type, reservation type according to assigned utilization, reservation start and end times, and recorded actual departure times, the method further comprising: calculating a forecast of utilization periods for secondary utilization periods lying between the actual departure and start times of reservations of different clients; and releasing the forecasted utilization periods for the secondary utilization periods for reservations other than the primary utilization periods. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The above-described method takes into account clients' actual facility usage and changes in usage habits through calculations, and then creates a model to predict freed-up capacity, allowing the same physical facility to be sold to different clients for different uses. Indeed, one advantageous embodiment is a hotel offering overnight accommodations where overnight guests leave in the morning and the next guests arrive in the evening. The time between these guests' arrival times, often equivalent to office work hours, can be exploited and sold for other uses, such as office work, conference rooms, or other similar uses. Of course, some guests stay longer in the morning and others depart earlier. By categorizing the guests by client type, statistical estimates of departure times can be calculated for each client type, thereby enabling more accurate estimation of available capacity. Any discrepancies between the forecast and actual results can be addressed within the calculated margin of error, thereby avoiding double bookings of the same facility.

[0012] Other and additional features characteristic of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying claims and the following description of the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the system calculates a statistical estimated departure time for each client according to the client type based on the realized actual departure time, and determines the overall capacity of the secondary use based on statistical probability. This allows the data contained in the system to be effectively used to predict client behavior, maximizing the use of available capacity and therefore selling capacity as accurately as possible. This function further reduces the possibility of double booking.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the system calculates a forecast of available free space until the start of each reservation, i.e., until the reservation is confirmed to be in use. Therefore, the closer the start time of a new secondary reservation, the more accurate the system becomes. Therefore, when a secondary client arrives for check-in, the system can guide the client to an already prepared facility, eliminating waiting times due to facility cleaning or facility configuration changes between clients. Changing the facility configuration refers to changing the facility's use as needed between use as accommodation, office work, or conference rooms, each of which involves changing the facility's furniture and / or layout, and allowing features of the furniture that determine its primary use to be stowed away within walls and / or other structures, out of reach of users, by mechanisms in the furniture and / or layout.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the system includes an access control function that determines the locking of each of the facilities, and physical access control tags, including key cards, mobile device NFC tags, that instruct the system to distinguish the secondary use periods between reservations, thereby enabling the facility configuration or other related technical implementations to be easily configured to accommodate each reservation.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the method is controlled by a user interface adaptable to a mobile device, allowing the client to independently make or change reservations for the facility or its use. Furthermore, according to a broader embodiment, if the client of the multi-purpose property is a user of an organization, the system manages reservations for multiple facilities and allocates the multiple facilities to multiple different users within the organization. The system may further include functionality for predicting future facility reservations based on past or previously indicated needs by users of the organization. In this manner, the method can efficiently accommodate the needs of larger organizations, as it can manage a larger group of facilities within a multi-purpose property. Similarly, an organizational user may free up capacity, or the system may suggest freeing up capacity, if utilization of facilities within the organization appears to be remaining low.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the system includes incentives for managing reservations that motivate the user to choose a course of action that allows the sale of the secondary use period or to select a reservation start time or reservation end time that differs from the user's original preference based on the capacity calculated by the system. In this way, the operator managing the property reservations is assisted in selling as many facilities as possible for secondary use. Clients will likely want to act in a manner that is desirable from the perspective of the property owner or operator. Similarly, incentives can be associated with service recommendations, allowing the client to act as a seller of services and benefit from them if they so choose.

[0018] According to yet another embodiment, when the system detects a change in demand for reservations at the facility, the system can modify the incentives to enable reservations at the facility that correspond to the changed demand, which may be based, for example, on incentives encouraging clients to start reservations later or end reservations earlier.

[0019] According to yet another embodiment, the system includes functionality to direct physical changes to the facility's use and cleaning execution within a timeframe related to client changes. This can be implemented, for example, by a cleaning service team equipped with mobile devices for operational control, allowing the team to view booking status in real time and prioritize work accordingly. Alternatively, the system may direct cleaning to be performed in a specific order, for example, to minimize walking up and down property hallways, or similar measures to increase the efficiency of maintenance services.

[0020] According to one embodiment, there is provided a computer program configured to perform one of the methods according to the aforementioned embodiments when executed on a computer. According to a further embodiment, there is provided a user interface for controlling the aforementioned method, which is preferably a user interface adaptable for mobile devices.

[0021] According to one embodiment, a reusable piece of furniture is provided, in which features that determine the furniture's primary use can be stored within a wall and / or other structure by a furniture mechanism, out of reach of a user. The furniture includes at least one sensor and / or switch for identifying a primary use position and a secondary use position, and an electrically controlled locking mechanism with one or more locking devices for opening and closing the use position, and the furniture is programmably controllable by a method according to the aforementioned embodiment. Depending on the object, the sensor and / or switch may be, for example, optical, capacitive, or resistive. There are many alternatives for implementing this type of use position identification. The furniture may be, for example, a bed, a table, a chair, a sofa, a room divider, or any combination of the above.

[0022] The advantages of the present invention lie in, among other things, the efficiency and simplicity of managing the capacity of a multi-use property, thereby improving its utilization rate. This method allows for the sale of nearly full capacity without clients having to wait for the facility to become available or experiencing inconvenience when the reserved facility is immediately converted to another use after they leave. Furthermore, the above-described method and its various embodiments utilize available capacity efficiently and, to the extent possible, in a self-service manner, eliminating the need for traditional functions such as a hotel front desk. End users, i.e., clients, can access the appropriate type of facility at the desired time, fully automatically. In this way, the costs of selling and operating the "wasted capacity" associated with traditional methods are not so high that the benefits of selling additional capacity are offset by the increased work. Therefore, end clients themselves do not need to take any action regarding the multi-use use or convert the facility; the system provides access to the appropriate type of facility at the appropriate time without the personal service of a traditional hotel front desk. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] The invention and its operation will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic example of the capacity of a mixed-use property over a 24-hour review period. Figure 2 shows a schematic example of the available capacity of a mixed-use property over a two-week review period. FIG. 3 illustrates the operational logic of an embodiment of the method as a flow chart. Figures 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b show schematic diagrams of some embodiments of a transformable multi-use property facility. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Figure 1 shows a schematic example of the total capacity forecast for all available multi-purpose facilities in a multi-purpose property over a 24-hour review period. This example describes a hotel whose primary use (PU) is lodging and whose secondary use (SU) is office / teamwork facilities. In Figure 1, the horizontal axis represents the 24-hour period from 0 (meaning time 00:00) to 24 (meaning time 24:00), while the vertical axis represents the occupied capacity split among different uses, totaling up to 100%, meaning the entire capacity is in use. In this example, the majority of the capacity is used for the primary use (PU), which is indicated by the lowest curve between 0% and PU on the diagram. As can be seen from Figure 1, during the period from 1:00 AM to 7:00 AM, almost the entire capacity is reserved for the primary use, i.e., hotel facilities for lodging. After 7:00 AM, guests gradually begin to leave, and the reserved capacity for that purpose reaches its lowest point at 1:00 PM. After that, the number of guests begins to increase again, especially after 3:00 PM. The proportion of secondary users, i.e., the area between curves PU and SU, begins to increase accordingly after 7:00 AM, when the facilities cleaned after the primary users become available again. In Figure 1, the capacity of the facilities during cleaning is represented by the third area, and the capacity reserved for cleaning is the portion between curves SU and CC. The remaining portion, i.e., the capacity above curve CC, is unused capacity. In a conventional hotel, the productively used capacity is 0% ~ PU. The method according to the present invention allows for the sale of additional capacity between curves PU and SU.

[0025] Figure 2 shows the 14-day review period for the reviewed hotel, illustrating how much room capacity was available for sale during the review period. Figure 2 separates two categories: available full-day capacity, corresponding to the primary use (PU) shown in Figure 1, and available partial-day capacity, corresponding to the secondary use (SU) shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2, day 1 refers to Monday, while days 6 and 7 and days 13 and 14 refer to the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). As can be seen from Figure 2, weekday days 1–5 and days 8–12 had both available full-day and partial-day capacity for sale. On weekends, there was little or no available full-day capacity, but a significant amount of partial-day capacity was available for sale. This type of review helps understand the weekly capacity fluctuations for the example hotel and where additional sales may be available with respect to the method in question. However, this method is based in part on a statistical review of historical data and simulation of realizations to calculate predictions of the secondary use periods that exist between the actual departure and start times of different client reservations, freeing up the capacity for reservations outside of the primary use.

[0026] Figure 3 shows as a flowchart the operating logic of the method and the underlying functional blocks by which the method is controlled. The main blocks include a "primary use" corresponding to the primary use, such as a hotel for overnight stays, and a "secondary use" corresponding to secondary uses, such as office facilities, conference rooms, or teamwork rooms. The purpose of the main blocks is to provide an accurate forecast of the sellable capacity for either use.

[0027] In Figure 3, the main block "Primary Use" collects information about the capacity sold for that purpose in the block "Primary Use Sales on Book." The block "Primary Use Sales History" retrieves historical data about previous sales. By combining these two pieces of information, the block "Primary Use Forecast: Daily Arrival / Departure" obtains a forecast of daily departure / arrival times. The second data line, the block "Primary Use Guest Behavior History: Check-in / Check-out Times," uses the guest behavior history. It has been noted that business travelers typically leave hotels much earlier than leisure travelers. This typical behavioral characteristic is taken into account in this block. Based on the above information, the next block, "Daily Check-in / Check-out Forecast," is constructed, providing a daily forecast of guest check-ins and check-outs. The above information is then compiled and processed in the block "Primary Use Hourly Forecast" to obtain hourly capacity forecasts for each primary use (available capacity and / or used capacity and its changes).

[0028] In Figure 3, the main block "Secondary Use" is divided into different blocks corresponding to different information processing. Historical data on the occurrence of past secondary uses and their sales are stored and processed in the block "Secondary Use Sales History". The block "Secondary Use Guest Behavior History" contains historical data of existing customers, based on which individual client behavior regarding facility usage can be predicted, and on this basis a statistical analysis of occurrences can be performed. Furthermore, the block "Secondary Use Sales on Book" records and processes sales information regarding reservations that have already been made. The data from the above three blocks are combined in the block "Secondary Use Forecast" to generate a forecast of the facility's secondary uses.

[0029] Furthermore, the data processed by the main blocks mentioned above in Figure 3 are combined, and the data produced by the block "Hourly Forecast for Primary Use" and the block "Secondary Use Forecast" are processed in the block "Hourly Capacity Forecast", which results in a capacity forecast for the entire property as a function of time, for example, by hour. In addition to this, cleaning data from the block "Cleaning Capacity" is combined with data on rewrites as an optional function for other reasons from the block "Manual Rewrites". These may include, for example, larger rework work required for a particular facility, permanent reservations, repair needs, or other similar facility reservations. Finally, the above data are processed together to obtain the property's availability or capacity, as well as pricing guidance, as the final result in the block "Availability and Pricing".

[0030] Figures 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b show several possible configurations of facilities in a multi-purpose property, the use of which can be changed as needed between lodging, office work facilities, or conference rooms, each configured with transformable furniture and / or facility layouts, where features defining the primary use of the furniture can be retracted out of reach of users within walls and / or other structures by mechanisms in the furniture and / or layout. Here, Figure a in each figure shows the configuration for the primary use, and Figure b shows the version for a secondary use.

[0031] The companion figures 4a-4b show the basic configuration of a facility that can be repurposed as needed between use as lodging, office work, or conference rooms. In these uses, the facility includes transformable furniture and / or layouts. In Figure 4a, the feature that determines the furniture's primary use, namely, bed 2, can be stowed away inside the wall, out of reach of the user. Figure 4b shows how table 3 is positioned in place of bed 2 in Figure 4a, and how two chairs 4 from Figure 4a are positioned at table 3.

[0032] Paired Figures 5a-5b correspond to those shown in paired Figures 4a-4b, except that the secondary use in Figure 5b is a teamwork facility or similar living room with a sofa 5, two small tables 3, and two identical separate chairs 4. As a functional pair, a bed and table, or a bed and sofa, is a very practical pair because it involves furniture of relatively similar size and features that conceal the use of one can be relatively easily positioned in relation to the other structure.

[0033] The companion figures 6a-6b are very similar to the previous one, but the room is slightly more spacious. In the primary use, the room accommodates two beds 2. Similarly, in the secondary use, two desks 3 can be placed in the room. The chairs 4 are the same in both configurations, either placed along the wall or at the table. In companion figures 7a-7b, the two beds are similarly replaced by two desks 3. Comparable figures 8a-8b show a similar arrangement, with the bed 2 in figure 8a replaced by a table in figure 8b, which is shown as a slightly larger conference table, as shown in the figure. In fact, in conjunction with the double bed, a relatively wide and long conference table can be constructed without much difficulty in assembling the structure. In companion figures 8a-8b, the chairs 4 are shown stacked by the door or arranged around the table 3.

[0034] It should be noted that the above describes only some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it is clear that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be applied in many ways within the scope defined by the appended claims. In particular, it should be noted that, although the examples describe hotel accommodation as a primary application, this is not necessarily the only primary application of the corresponding establishment to which the methods described herein can be applied. Features described in connection with different embodiments can likewise be used in connection with other embodiments, and / or different elements can be combined from the described features, if desired and where technical possibilities exist, within the scope of the basic idea of ​​the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] PU main uses SU secondary use CC cleaning capacity 1 room (or facility) 2 beds 3 tables 4 chairs 5 sofa

Claims

1. 1. A method for managing the capacity of a multi-purpose property, the multi-purpose property having a number of facilities that can be booked, the uses of which can be changed as required between use as accommodation, office work facilities or conference rooms, each of which uses is configured with transformable furniture and / or layout of the property, and features of the furniture that determine its primary use can be stored by mechanisms of the furniture and / or layout out of reach of users within walls and / or other structures, the capacity management being provided by a system that determines reservations and reservation parameters for each of the facilities at each point in time, the reservation parameters including client, client type, reservation type according to assigned use, start and end times of reservation, and recorded actual departure time, the method comprising: calculating a forecast of the duration of secondary use that lies between the actual departure and start times of reservations of different clients; and freeing up the forecasted duration of secondary use for reservations other than the primary use.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system calculates a statistical estimated departure time for each client according to client type based on the actual departure times achieved, and determines the overall capacity of the secondary use based on statistical probability.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system calculates a forecast of available free capacity up until the start of each reservation until the reservation is confirmed as being in use.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system includes an access control function that determines the locking of each of the facilities and physical access control tags, including key cards, mobile device NFC tags, that instruct the system to distinguish the secondary use periods between reservations.

5. 10. A method according to claim 1 or any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method is controlled by a user interface adaptable to a mobile device, thereby enabling the client to make or change reservations independently for the facility or its use.

6. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein when a client of the multi-purpose property is a user of an organization, the method manages reservations for a plurality of the facilities and assigns the plurality of the facilities to a plurality of different users within the organization.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the system further includes the capability to predict future facility reservations based on past or previously expressed needs by patrons of the organization.

8. 10. The method of claim 1 or any of the preceding claims, wherein the system includes incentives for managing reservations, which motivate the user to select a course of action that allows the sale of the secondary use period or to select a reservation start time or reservation end time that differs from the user's original preference based on the capacity calculated by the system.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the system detects a change in demand for reservations at the facility, the system can modify the incentives to enable reservations at the facility that correspond to the changed demand.

10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the incentive can encourage the client to delay the start time of the reservation or to advance the end time of the reservation.

11. 10. The method of claim 1 or 8, wherein the system includes a referral program as the incentive, whereby registered users with payment transactions can recommend the property or services of the same operator to their contacts and receive rewards when new users with payment transactions are acquired.

12. 10. The method of claim 1 or any preceding claim, wherein the system includes functionality for directing physical changes to the facility's use and the execution of cleaning within a timeframe associated with the client's changes.

13. A computer program adapted to implement one of the methods according to any preceding claim when the computer program is run on a computer.

14. A user interface for controlling the method according to any preceding claim.

15. A user interface adaptable to a mobile device for controlling the method according to any preceding claim.

16. 10. A transformable piece of furniture in which features determining the primary use of the furniture are storable by mechanisms of the furniture within a wall and / or other structure out of reach of a user, the furniture including at least one sensor and / or switch for identifying a primary use position and a secondary use position, and an electrically controlled locking mechanism with one or more locking devices for opening and closing the use position, thereby enabling the furniture to be programmably controlled by the method of claim 1.

17. 17. The furniture according to claim 16, characterized in that the furniture is one or a combination of a bed (2), a table (3), a chair (4), a sofa (5), a room divider.

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