How Hilton Saved Thousands of Litres and Turned Water Management Into a Strategic Advantage

“Since installing the system, the results have been outstanding. We have detected approximately 45 leaks to date – including 5 particularly challenging cases, which would have gone completely unnoticed”

It’s a common understanding that sustainability is not simply optional – but a fundamental business component. Rising utility costs, stricter ESG reporting requirements, and growing pressure to reduce environmental impact mean owners will struggle to have portfolio liquidity, and profitable assets. Operators today are looking for innovative ways to improve efficiency to preserve margins and remain competitive.

For hotels, where water consumption is among the highest of any property type, the ability to monitor and control water usage in real time can deliver both cost savings and sustainability gains. Hilton Reading implemented a solution to address this challenge and achieved measurable results. 

The Hidden Water Crisis Hotels Overlook

Hotels face unique water challenges. Water accounts for a significant share of utility costs, with thousands of litres flowing daily through guest rooms, kitchens, laundry facilities, and landscaping. Even small, hidden leaks can waste enormous amounts of water, quietly inflating bills and straining infrastructure.

At Hilton Reading, the issue was particularly acute in laundry machinery, where internal leaks often went unnoticed for long periods. By the time they were discovered, significant water had already been lost, operating costs had risen, and maintenance teams were left reacting to problems rather than preventing them.

Water Management as a Mechanism for Asset Value Increase

• Direct NOI impact: 40% cuts in water can mean six-figure opex savings.
• Risk reduction: Leak detection avoids catastrophic repairs ($50k–$250k+) and downtime that hurt cash flow.
• Future-proofing: ESG reporting increasingly requires water data; being ahead of the curve helps maintain liquidity and investor demand.
• Cap-rate defensibility: Assets with stronger ESG credentials and reduced OpEx risk often trade at tighter cap rates, further boosting valuations.
  
  

Partnership with Smartvatten

Hilton Reading sought a way to monitor its water systems more effectively, capture reliable data, and address problems before they escalated into expensive repairs or wasted resources.

The hotel introduced Smartvatten’s real-time water monitoring system, which converts standard water meters into smart devices capable of sending live data, detecting irregularities, and triggering alerts when issues arise.

This step gave Hilton Reading continuous insight into its water usage, allowing the team to spot leaks early, reduce unnecessary consumption, and advance its sustainability efforts.

Fernando Filho, Chief Engineer at Hilton Reading, shares: “Since installing the Smartvatten system, the results have been outstanding. We have detected approximately 45 leaks to date, including five particularly challenging internal leaks in our laundry machinery, which would have gone completely unnoticed without Smartvatten.”

Moving from Reactive to Proactive Management

The shift to real-time monitoring has fundamentally changed how Hilton Reading approaches water management:

• Early detection: 45 leaks found and fixed, including hidden internal ones
• Lower consumption: measurable reductions in water use, cutting costs
• Immediate action: alerts that flag issues even in unused rooms
• Operational focus: freeing staff from manual checks to prioritize guest experience
• ESG alignment: stronger contribution to Hilton’s sustainability targets
  
  

This has shifted Hilton Reading’s approach to facilities management, enabling the team to anticipate and resolve issues swiftly, often before they disrupt operations or are even noticed by guests or staff.

What This Means For Real Estate Leaders

Hilton Reading’s success highlights the growing importance of real-time resource monitoring in commercial real estate. As utility costs rise and ESG expectations increase, having reliable data and early insight into potential issues is becoming an important part of managing properties effectively.

For real estate leaders, investing in this kind of technology is instrumental to maximising asset value. Risk mitigation and reducing wasted spend are modern low hanging fruit drivers to ensure you have a profitable building that other owners want to buy.

The most successful owner operators today future-proof operations, protecting margins, and stay ahead of tightening sustainability requirements. This naturally translates to elite financial performance.