In the fast-moving world of hospitality, guest expectations are no longer as simple as satisfactory amenities and friendly customer service. People are actively seeking more seamless and personalized digital experiences at hotels, bars, restaurants and other venues.
Behind the scenes, wireless connectivity and intelligent sensing systems enable venues to deliver immersive guest services while streamlining back-of-house operations. Wireless technologies—including Bluetooth LE and other low power protocols, IoT beacons, smart sensors, and internal monitoring systems—are underpinning the modern hospitality sector in unprecedented ways.
Bluetooth LE is increasingly powering guest-centric innovations in hospitality, especially through app-based self check-in and secure mobile access. With Bluetooth LE–enabled smart locks, a hotel can assign a digital key directly to a guest’s smartphone at the time of booking or arrival, allowing them to bypass reception and unlock their room simply by approaching the door with the app open. The connection is encrypted, proximity-based, and fast, ensuring only the authorized device can gain entry while eliminating the friction of physical keycards.
Looking ahead, emerging Bluetooth Channel Sounding capabilities may further elevate both convenience and security by enabling more precise distance measurements and stronger protection against relay attacks – promising an even smoother and more trustworthy access-control experience for guests.
Wireless connectivity also supports personalized digital services on the other side of the door. Once a guest enters their room, the lighting, climate, blinds or entertainment system can automatically adjust based on their past preferences. In communal areas, interactive wireless games or augmented activities can engage visitors, from motion-powered LED installations to connected fitness classes. In each case, the guest experience is elevated by technology that fades into the background, creating a sense of customized exclusivity.
Bluetooth LE specifically is a key enabler for such digital services. Because Bluetooth LE draws very low power, can operate reliably indoors, and supports rapid setup, it is ideal for guest-facing services such as wireless game controllers, location beacons in hospitality venues, mobile check-in kiosks, and interactive experiences that integrate with guests’ mobile devices. These wireless solutions let venues offer richer experiences – such as live scoring of a game, digital leaderboards in an entertainment space, or interactive room controls.
Extending this ecosystem, LE Audio and Auracast open new possibilities in shared hospitality environments. For example, in a lounge, lobby or sports bar with multiple TVs, guests can use LE Audio–enabled earbuds to tune into the specific screen they want to hear, creating a more flexible and inclusive audio experience.
While guest-facing wireless services grab attention, the operational side of hospitality stands to benefit perhaps even more from connected sensors and wireless networks. For example, a bar can deploy sensors on tap handles in beer or beverage lines that wirelessly transmit pour-duration, flow volumes, and usage patterns to a central dashboard. In this scenario, venue managers could measure relative market-share of different drinks, identify waste or spillage, and optimise ordering and inventory.
Similarly, inventory and stock levels can be tracked using wireless tags and beacons. Real-time monitoring of when a minibar is opened, when supplies of toiletries run low, or when a room’s consumables need replenishment allows staff to be proactive rather than reactive. That translates into reduced waste, fewer guest complaints, and smoother operations.
In tandem, environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, occupancy) connected via wireless networks—including Bluetooth Mesh and Bluetooth Networked Lighting Control (NLC), as well as Thread—can drive energy-saving programmes and predictive maintenance of HVAC or lighting systems, ensuring sustainability goals are met alongside guest comfort. Robust wireless connectivity is critical for improving the efficiency and user experience of smart HVAC and lighting systems.
In all these situations, the wireless standardized connectivity means fewer cables, flexible deployment, and quicker scaling across multiple outlets. For example, the whole room layout can be flexible, and the location of switches easily changed without deploying any cables.
For developers aiming to create new solutions across hospitality, Nordic Semiconductor’s products provide a powerful foundation. The next generation nRF54L Series multiprotocol SoCs deliver high-performance processing alongside Bluetooth 6.0 support and ultra-low power consumption, enabling wireless applications in guest rooms, game venues, wearables and sensor tags.
A striking example of wireless tech in hospitality entertainment is gaming and hospitality franchise Puttshack’s Nordic-powered smart golf ball tracking solution. The Trackaball system enables enhanced gameplay for 9-hole mini-golf experiences at Puttshack venues across the United States.
Each smart golf ball is embedded with Nordic’s nRF54L15 SoC, which supervises movement and acceleration sensors and uses Bluetooth LE connectivity to transmit detailed gameplay data in real time from the device to a digital scoreboard. Information on the state of the ball is tied to a player’s profile and feeds into the live scoreboard and mobile app interface. The result is a highly interactive, personalized guest experience that also runs with minimal maintenance overhead.
In addition, the integration of the Nordic nPM2100 Power Management IC (PMIC)—a groundbreaking addition to Nordic’s nPM Family of PMICs—delivers ultra-low-power regulation, enabling a battery life of over 7.5 years on a single CR2447 cell, according to the company.
Using these technologies, venue managers, system integrators and hospitality tech providers can now build everything from interactive guest-facing experiences to internal operational tools with wireless connectivity, efficient power management and modern development ecosystems. Application examples include smart door tags, guest movement beacons for location-based offers, and occupancy sensors linked to an AI analytics platform for demand forecasting.
The latest research underlines how the hospitality industry is shifting towards connected ecosystems. A 2024 study on IoT in hotels shows that deploying connected sensors and smart controls can reduce stock-outs and overstocks by about 20 percent in inventory-sensitive settings, while IoT features increase guest satisfaction by 75 percent for smart room controls and 70 percent for personalized services1.
Wireless connectivity is no longer an optional add-on for hospitality. Developers and venue operators now have the building blocks to bring bold new experiences and smarter operations into a sector that has always relied on combining innovation with efficiency.