R2R: over 300 properties, eight thermostat brands and not a single new device

R2R is one of the largest accommodation operators in northern Spain: over 300 properties under management.

And it had the classic problem of an operator that grew fast: the estate is a patchwork. Smart thermostats from around eight different brands, bought at different times, and spread across several customer accounts on top of that. Each brand with its own app, its own logic and its own way of doing things.

On paper that already counted as "having automation". In practice it did not help much: nobody is going to open eight apps to check whether the flat on X street is heating an empty room.

What did not have to happen

That is the headline of this case: nothing was installed.

No new device, no cabling, no site visits. Everything already in place was used and connected to the platform. The booking calendar was integrated over iCal.

From first connection to running: under 24 hours.

What it integrates with

R2R's estate runs on mixed brands today, and they all live in the same dashboard:

• Netatmo
• Google Nest
• Tado
• Smart Life

And several more. Different brands and different accounts, in a single view, with the same automations applying across all of them.

What got automated

The same as in a hotel with its own installation, but on someone else's heterogeneous hardware:

• Switch-on before check-in, with whatever lead time the operator chooses, driven by the booking.
• Standby when unbooked, so an empty flat is not being conditioned.
• Daily programs, so a unit does not idle on low all day long.
• Temperature limits, cutting the extremes without locking the guest out of the thermostat.
• Alerts when a property drops offline, so you find out before the guest calls.
• Alerts when a unit is not reaching temperature, even though it shows as on.

What changes day to day

The big difference is not a savings figure: it is that the operator stops driving out.

Before, any question about a property's climate meant opening that specific brand's app or, more often, sending someone over. Across 300-plus scattered properties, that is trips, hours and fuel.

Now the state of every property is on one screen, the automations apply themselves, and the alerts speak up before the problem reaches the guest. Fewer journeys, less energy burned in empty flats, fewer climate complaints and better reviews.

Why this case matters

Because it answers the objection of every operator with a mixed estate: "mine is a mess, I've got a bit of everything, it won't work for me."

Exactly the opposite. The bigger and more mixed the estate, the more a single layer on top that talks to everything is worth. And nothing already installed needs to change.