From Lobby to Laundry: Which Hotel Areas Consume the Most Energy

Hotel energy consumption by area varies far more than most operators expect.
While guest rooms receive the most attention, some of the highest energy usage often comes from shared and operational spaces that run continuously, regardless of occupancy.

Understanding where energy is actually consumed is the first step toward controlling it without affecting guest comfort.

Guest Rooms Are Only Part of the Picture

Guest rooms are the most visible energy consumers. Heating, cooling, lighting, and hot water all operate around the guest stay cycle.

However, room-level energy use is already relatively well understood in many hotels. What often goes unnoticed is how long rooms remain in comfort mode before arrival or after checkout, especially during low occupancy periods.

This is one reason room-related energy waste continues even when rooms are marked as vacant
https://www.jobelhome.com/blog/reduce-hotel-room-energy-costs

Still, guest rooms alone rarely explain the full energy bill.

Lobbies and Public Areas Run All Day

Hotel lobbies, corridors, lounges, and reception areas are designed to feel welcoming at all times. Lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation often run from early morning until late at night.

Unlike guest rooms, these areas rarely switch into energy-saving modes. Even when occupancy is low, systems continue operating at full comfort level.

Because public spaces don’t follow booking cycles, their energy usage becomes a fixed cost rather than a flexible one. Over time, this significantly increases hotel energy consumption by area without offering proportional guest value.

Restaurants, Wellness, and Common Facilities

Restaurants, breakfast areas, gyms, spas, and wellness zones are some of the most energy-intensive spaces in a hotel.

Kitchen equipment, ventilation systems, water heating, and climate control often operate for extended periods, even outside peak usage times. In many cases, these systems are manually controlled or left running to avoid disruptions.

Without automation, it becomes difficult to scale energy usage up and down based on actual demand. Energy is consumed in anticipation, not in response.

Back-of-House Areas Are Constant Consumers

Laundry rooms, storage areas, technical rooms, and staff spaces quietly consume energy around the clock.

Laundry operations in particular require significant electricity and hot water. When schedules are not aligned with occupancy levels, these systems run inefficiently.

Because guests never see these areas, inefficiencies are rarely questioned. Yet collectively, they contribute heavily to overall energy usage.

This hidden consumption is part of the broader challenge of reducing hotel energy costs
https://www.jobelhome.com/blog/reduce-hotel-energy-costs

Why Manual Energy Control Falls Short

Managing hotel energy consumption by area manually is nearly impossible at scale.

Different areas have different usage patterns. Staff cannot realistically adjust settings across dozens of zones every day. Engineering teams focus on system stability, not booking-level optimisation.

As a result, most areas default to “always on” logic. Energy usage becomes predictable but inefficient.

Aligning Energy Usage With Real Activity

Automation changes how hotels manage energy across all areas.

With JobelHome, energy management is connected to operational signals such as occupancy, bookings, and room status. Guest rooms follow stay cycles. Public areas can adapt to usage patterns. Back-of-house systems operate more efficiently based on real demand.

This approach is part of JobelHome’s energy management solution for hotels
https://www.jobelhome.com/energy-management-hotels

Energy is no longer controlled by fixed schedules alone. It responds to how the hotel is actually used.

Turning Awareness Into Control

Hotel energy consumption by area doesn’t need to be a mystery.

Once hotels understand where energy is used and why, automation allows them to reduce waste without compromising comfort or operations. Shared spaces stay welcoming. Guest rooms remain comfortable. Behind-the-scenes systems work more efficiently.

If you want to see how area-based and occupancy-based energy control work together in real hotel environments, explore JobelHome’s energy management solution for hotels:
https://www.jobelhome.com/energy-management-hotels

Or, if you’re reviewing which areas of your hotel consume energy continuously regardless of occupancy, this is often where automation delivers the fastest operational gains.

Who We Are

JobelHome is a hospitality automation platform helping hotels and holiday homes reduce operational effort, energy waste, and guest friction through smart, connected systems.

Website:https://www.jobelhome.com/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jobelhomeplatform/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/105750936/admin/dashboard/

Email: hello@jobelhome.com

Phone: +49 7125 9393778 / +36 20 456 9590