2026 IHG Smart Thermostat Mandate
Anacove is the preferred smart thermostat vendor on the IHG Marketplace. We'll get your property compliant well ahead of the deadline, without disrupting operations.
IHG® selects Anacove as its preferred vendor
At Anacove, we're fully dedicated to upholding IHG's brand standards, focusing on both operational excellence and sustainability goals.
What the 2026 IHG Mandate Requires
The guest-room thermostat must detect whether a guest is present and adjust the climate setting automatically, not just be programmable on a schedule.
The brand standard applies property-wide. There's no pilot floor or partial installation option under the brand standard.
Compliance is due December 2026. There's no phased extension, so lead time for ordering and installation matters.

Why IHG Hotels Choose Anacove
IHG properties are choosing Anacove because we are a premium system that lowers energy costs and improvs the guest experience at the same time, instead of trading one for the other.
Rather than relying on motion sensors, which can misread a sleeping guest as an empty room, Anacove combines multiple sensor types with AI to detect occupancy accurately, so climate control adjusts intelligently without ever disturbing guests overnight.
The system also integrates directly with your PMS, pre-conditioning rooms ahead of check-in so guests walk into a comfortable room from the first minute, while automatically setting back HVAC in unrented rooms to cut wasted energy spend. The result is a property that runs leaner without guests ever feeling it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will guests notice the HVAC shutting off overnight?
No. Unlike motion sensors used by competitors, the Anacove thermostat uses multiple sensors and PMS information so it never relies on a single trigger to judge occupancy. This keeps HVAC running at night, so guests never wake up to a stuffy or overheated room.
How reliable is the wireless connection between the thermostat and the HVAC unit?
Anacove's robust wireless connection is built for high density systems like hotels, maintaining a 100% connection rate. Dropped connections are rare and the system automatically reconnects without impacting the guest or requiring your staff's attention.
How long do the batteries last, and how will engineering know when to replace them?
Anacove thermostats last 5 years on a single battery, well beyond the 12-18 month cycle of other smart thermostats. Per-room battery life is visible on the dashboard, and engineering gets advance notice before a unit dies, so replacements happen during routine PM rounds, not as emergency fixes.
What humidity level should a guest room be held at?
Anacove targets 55% humidity or below whenever conditions allow, continuously adjusting as humidity load shifts with the season and occupancy.
What happens when a guest walks into a room that had been in setback?
Occupancy sensing picks up the guest immediately and the room begins recovering toward the occupied set point. Guests are always free to adjust the set point themselves at any time. Since Anacove is integrated with the PMS, the system can also pre-condition a room ahead of a scheduled arrival, so recovery time in practice is often much shorter.
Does the Anacove system rely on a balcony or terrace door sensor?
Anacove offers optional balcony door and window sensors for maximal energy savings and humidity control. The system also works without them, using our multi-sensor occupancy sensing to fill the gap.
Does the recovery period from setback compromise guest comfort?
No. The HVAC system quickly recovers to the guest set point. Anacove properties have not seen a dip in guest satisfaction scores tied to setback recovery.
What set points does Anacove recommend for occupied rooms?
Anacove recommends 65-69°F for heating and 72-77°F for cooling in occupied rooms as a starting point. These ranges are configured centrally through the dashboard, and can be adjusted as needed by the property.
Can hotel staff adjust thermostats remotely, or only from inside the room?
Every Anacove thermostat is networked to the central dashboard, letting staff adjust set points property-wide or room-by-room (VIP mode), confirm occupancy, and manage alerts, all from one screen, with no need to walk the floor.
How does Anacove fit into a broader guest room management systems or building management systems (GRMS/BMS)?
Deploying Anacove thermostats gives your property more than climate control — you're deploying an IoT network that integrates with your PMS to support broader guest room automation, including lighting, shades, TVs, smoking detection, leak detection, staff alerts buttons, and luggage cart finders.
Delivers payback in 18 months or less
Increases savings as energy rates go up
Delivers more savings than other sustainability efforts
Optimizes comfort, ensuring a great guest experience
Individually Smart, Collectively Genius
Guests never enter a room that’s too hot or too cold
Maintains pre set temperatures to ensure a welcoming guest experience
Maximizes guest comfort
Optimizes performance so guests never worry about temperature or air quality
Provides home-like simple operation
Gives guests easy temperature control, minimizing support calls
Learns from guest behavior and room attributes
We use proprietary algorithms and machine learning to enhance the guest experience