Historic oil company buildings don’t often gain fame for sustainability and energy savings, but that’s exactly why the Sinclair Hotel is making waves. The Fort Worth, TX, hotel recently reopened its doors following extensive renovations, offering 17 floors, 164 rooms and – here’s the best part – an estimated 35 percent reduction in energy consumption using power-over-ethernet (PoE) technology.
The Sinclair Building was built during the oil boom of the early 1930s, serving as the headquarters of the Sinclair Oil Co. Richard O. Dulaney commissioned the building, which became a representation of the thriving Texas oil industry in the midst of the Great Depression.
The Sinclair Building design featured a distinct art deco style. With the Roaring ‘20s in mind, the preserved building is the stuff of dreams for any fan of The Great Gatsby. According to the hotel website, “the Sinclair Building became an icon of optimism and hope in the future of Fort Worth, standing seventeen stories tall.”
Beginning in 2015, the Sinclair Building underwent an extensive restoration process. Renovations were completed in 2019 when the building was introduced as the Sinclair Hotel and called a jewel in Marriot’s Autograph Collection.
However, there is more than meets the eye with the Sinclair Hotel. Farukh Aslam, CEO of Sinclair Holdings LLC, outfitted the oil-building-turned-hotel with cutting-edge technology encouraging sustainable practices – and expected savings on the hotel’s energy bills.
The PoE technology powers the hotel’s lights, window shades, smart mirrors and minibars. Traditionally, ethernet cables are associated with landline phones and routers. However, technology company Cisco found that ethernet could provide power to other areas, too. PoE provides electricity and a network connection to these devices. This means all the hotel’s lights, minibars, and PoE devices are linked on a single network, while also receiving power from the same cable.
Using PoE, the Sinclair Hotel will power more than 2,000 lights, each connected by their own IP address. Estimates predict PoE technology will cut the building’s energy consumption by 30 to 40 percent.
Whenever a light (or other device powered by PoE) suffers from an outage, Sinclair employees will receive an immediate notification, allowing them to quickly respond and even prepare in advance.
The hotel works with LG to manufacture air-conditioning units and televisions that run on PoE. And the energy-saving innovations may even filter into the hotel’s gym. The Sinclair Hotel reports collaboration with an exercise company to create stationary bikes that will generate electricity for the hotel when guests use them for 20 minutes or more.
The Sinclair Hotel’s appeal doesn’t end with PoE technology or energy-producing exercise equipment. The building also is home to a rooftop bar featuring views of downtown Forth Worth and Sundance Square, a surf and turf restaurant, and a lobby bar open into the late hours of the night.
Room amenities include:
The Sinclair Hotel is not the first hotel investment for Aslam. In fact, he owns a Hampton Inn & Suites and a Springhill Suites, both of which are Marriott properties. Aslam was inspired by the growing trend of converting historic structures into hotels.
“You see some amazing hotels from 150-year-old buildings that are absolutely spectacular. Whereas there’s a cookie-cutter approach you see in Hilton Garden Inn, Marriott Courtyard – they all look identical,” Aslam explained to Fort Worth Business Press.
In an interview with Architectural Digest, Hannah Walker, designer of Sinclair Holdings, explained, “It was never our [original] end goal to be sustainable. We just wanted everything we were doing to be way more efficient.”
While sustainability may not have been the driving factor behind the Sinclair Hotel’s renovations, the hotel’s energy-saving practices are expected to lower energy bills. Innovative technology, such as PoE, could have a huge economic impact on the hotel industry.
Caitlin Ritchie is a writer within the energy and power industry. Born in Georgia, she attended the University of Georgia before earning her master’s in English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
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