Smart District – Al Madinah Smart City

العربية

Smart City Playbook

Tourism

Usecases

Explore All Usecases

Smart District

The Smart District will become an essential part of the competitive hospitality landscape in KSA and the region, as service providers in the sector would embark on a tech race to offer unique experiences to customers. By leveraging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), immersive screens, data and AI, visitors will enjoy a new smooth and convenient experience.

The ability to automate, personalize and streamline the visitors’ touchpoints with the city, including checking in/out, ordering room service, and interacting with other businesses will become key to the smart district experience. Such technologies play a key role in empowering hotel operation teams and other participating businesses to foster a more sustainable and efficient management approach to operations.

KEY

CHALLENGES

Visitors have limited access to high-quality, scalable, and flexible city resources and services

Visitors lack smart navigation tools, accessible tour guiding, and effective communication

Authorities are not empowered with the necessary tools and capabilities to devise tourism plans, promote the city sites, and respond to visitors’ needs

KEY EXPECTED BENEFITS

Fast and Easy

Smart hotels will create personalized, automated and seamless experiences that allow the visitor to better focus on their trip

Increased Sustainability

Smart technologies in hotel rooms will enable better management of resources such as water, electricity and cooling, allowing the adoption of more sustainable practices

Less Costs

Automation will increase efficiency and reduce management overhead requirements, allowing hotels to operate at lower costs

ALIGNMENT TO SMART CITY OBJECTIVES

Welcoming

Personalized

Pleasant

TARGET USERS

Tourist

Business Traveler

Travelers with Special Need

Pilgrim

Explorer Pilgrim

Hospitality Business Owner

USE CASE

JOURNEY

Amr is an Egyptian business owner who is visiting Al Madinah for a conference. After hearing about a new smart hotel at Al Madinah, he decides to spend his time there.

Upon arrival at the hotel, he is welcomed by a robot receptionist. The autonomous robot guides him through self-check in and directly downloads the “smart hotel app” on Amr’s phone. The app contains all services offered by the hotel such as laundry and room service, among others. The app is also used as a smart key to his room and has a feature to control the lights and temperature in the room through the phone. Amr can also directly request a robot concierge to carry his luggage to his room.

For dinner, using the app, he points his phone at a wall mounted map in his room and sees all the restaurant options.

After booking the restaurant, he calls a taxi in his native dialect through Alexa, the in-room voice control system. Within a few minutes, Alexa notifies Amr that his taxi arrived, and he leaves to enjoy the rest of his evening.

POTENTIAL SERVICE FEATURES

Smart hotel application

Concierge and room service robots

Contactless payment

Disinfectant UVC light

•Smart occupancy sensors

KEY TOUCH POINTS

Mobile app

Website

Smart Wearables

Robotics70

Tablet

Smart Lighting

Voice Control

Implementation
Timeline

Within 6 months

12 – 18 months

Within 6 months

Technology Commercial Viability

Currently commercialized

1 – 3 years to commercialize

5+ years to
commercialize

Regulatory Conduciveness

No New Policies and
Standards

Some Policies &
Standards to be
Introduced

Complex Policies to be
Introduced

Investment Requirement

Low

Medium

High

Use Case Ownership

Government Driven

Piloted by Gov. & Transitioned to Private Sector

Private Sector

Startups & Entrepreneurs

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

Internet network coverage and connectivity across the city

Policies and standards for data collection, data privacy and data sharing

Integration and participation of diversified data sources (e.g., hotels, transportation services, airports)

POTENTIAL TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

IN THE MARKET

Tourism

Use Cases

City Living Museum

Advanced
Wayfinder App

“Al Madinah Explorer” Digital Platform

City B2B Tourism Marketplace

Smart Airport

Smart District

Platform for Connecting City Residents with Visitors “Diyafah Al Madinah”

Digitally
Augmented Hosts

Rapid Deployable Accommodation System “Hayyak” Initiative

Responsive Crowd Management