SeaSpace - Connecting hotel systems to reduce energy use
SeaSpace is a coastal aparthotel and community space in Newquay built around a different approach to hospitality, with sustainability embedded into its operation. For Data First, the opportunity was to connect the hotel’s operational data with its physical environment — using the Agilysys PMS to help identify when rooms were not in use and trigger an IoT device to reduce unnecessary heating.
- Focus
- Sustainability
- Technology
- Integrations
The Client
SeaSpace is a design-led coastal aparthotel in Porth, near Newquay, combining the flexibility of apartment living with the service, facilities and social energy of a hotel. Opened in 2024 SeaSpace has been positioned as a new type of coastal stay for Cornwall.
Sustainability is embedded into how SeaSpace was designed and operated. Its sustainability programme is part of a wider ambition to reduce its impact, and in September 2026, SeaSpace was awarded Green Tourism Gold, the highest level of the scheme, following an independent assessment of its sustainability programme
The brief
With energy efficiency already central to the SeaSpace operation, the opportunity was to make its technology work harder.
The brief was to connect the Agilysys PMS with a partner IoT device, using room status information to identify when accommodation was not in use and automatically adjust the heating.
The aim was to reduce unnecessary energy consumption without adding another manual process for the hotel team or compromising the guest experience.
Rather than introducing another standalone system, the project looked at how existing operational data could become a practical sustainability trigger.
What was built
Data First developed the integration between the Agilysys PMS and the partner IoT technology.
The PMS provides the room status information, which is passed through the integration to the connected IoT device. When a room is identified as not being in use, the system can trigger the heating to turn down or off.
When the room is required again, the connected system can respond accordingly.
This creates a direct connection between the hotel's operational technology and the physical environment — turning information already held within the PMS into an automated action.
The approach reflects the wider move towards connected hospitality systems, where PMS platforms can exchange data with third-party technologies through integrations and APIs.
What was achieved
The project created a more intelligent link between room occupancy, hotel operations and energy use.
Instead of heating rooms regardless of whether they are being used, room status can inform the heating environment automatically.
For SeaSpace, this provides another layer of control over energy consumption and supports its wider approach to monitoring and reducing resource use. The hotel states that it continually monitors its building management system to identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
For Data First, the project demonstrates how relatively simple integrations can create practical connections between hospitality data and the physical operation of a property.
The technology sits quietly in the background, doing its job without changing the guest experience.
The Takeaway
Sustainability doesn't always require a new system.
Sometimes it is about making the systems a hotel already has work together more intelligently.
By connecting Agilysys PMS data with IoT technology, Data First helped SeaSpace turn room status into an automated energy-saving action, connecting the digital operation of the hotel with what happens in the physical space.
