Background
The changing landscape within the hospitality industry creates a significant shift in priorities for hotel owners and security leaders. Evolving risks, including those related to cybersecurity, liability, compliance, and guest safety, propel the need for security strategies that should be integrated with a hotel’s overall business strategy.
Hospitality operators are resourcing creative solutions that allow them to, on the one hand, increase security in their facilities while keeping guests safe and, on the other hand, minimize overhead costs. This last point is particularly significant for small facilities. Outsourcing security surveillance is becoming an effective and affordable alternative.
Hospitality Resources, a surveillance system integrator based in Saint Charles, IL, has supported the hospitality industry for many years. It has installed IDIS surveillance systems and offers remote surveillance services to more than 125 facilities across the USA. Very well-known names such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and many more rely on Hospitality Resources services.
Challenges
The fact that the hospitality environment faces more challenges than ever requires innovators to make the extra effort to understand this market’s needs better. At the same time, it’s essential to understand today’s hotel security professionals’ challenges and how technology adoption and use can best address them.
These challenges are more evident in hotels with minimum hospitality amenities, with no restaurants, bars, or conference centers, or with staff reductions after business hours.
- Aging or non-existent surveillance systems in some facilities
- Ensure hotel guests’ safety while respecting their privacy
- Need for a non-intrusive but highly efficient surveillance system
- Provide a safe working environment for staff and hotel employees
- Requirement for a real-time surveillance system to comprehensively cover public areas (restaurants, front desk/ reception, hallways, parking, outdoor spaces, etc.)
- A scalable system that would allow expansion across the facilities as needed
- Flexibility to access remote surveillance and monitoring services provided by a third party
Solution
IDIS and Hospitality Resources are partnering to provide hotel owners and operators with the most efficient and affordable solution. On average, the hotel’s surveillance system includes one 32-channel NVR with plenty of storage capacity and combines digital cameras, mostly bullet and dome cameras. This basic system allows the SI to meet the facility’s surveillance requirements while providing a seamless interoperability system thanks to IDIS DirectIP true plug-and-play connectivity between NVRs, IP cameras, and network accessories.
- IDIS Provides a Total Solution (No Mixing and Pseudo-Matching)
- No Hidden Licensing Fee’s
- Cost Effective Analytics with no Ongoing Licensing Fees
- Long-Term Product Warranties
- No Hidden Cost with Encryption and Cybersecurity
- Built-In Smart Failover, Add-on System Failover
- Meets and Exceeds National Defense Act
"Virtual guarding saves hotels the expense of hiring security guards onsite. Because they’re human beings, guards can become distracted, miss something outside their range of view, and only be in one place at one time. AI-powered deep learning analytics, on the other hand, can spot all kinds of suspicious behavior, be it the loitering of people or cars, an unusual object, or a questionable package, even if the luggage is blocking a fire exit. Virtual lines can be set up to alert if one of these lines is crossed and can be customized to meet the specific needs of the individual hotel based on the location, risks, operational requirements, and more."
Martin Kwitschau
CEO, Virtual Management Presence (VMP),
a division of Hospitality Resources
Results and Benefits
Remote guarding, IDIS solutions, and a powerful VMS provide 24/7 surveillance coverage, increasing guests’ safety.
"An area where deep learning analytics is especially beneficial for hotels is their remote monitoring and virtual guarding capabilities. AIsupported remote surveillance, including business operations monitoring, expands video surveillance capabilities by leveraging AI and deep learning algorithms to perform previously labor-intensive and costly onsite guarding and monitoring tasks at an unmatched accuracy rate."
"These [surveillance] systems are not limited to big box hotels. Advanced, remote video monitoring is becoming much more attractive for mid-sized and smaller hotels, thanks to developments in AI analytics that are transforming the quality of service they can provide to remain competitive. These video solutions are helping hotels reduce risks, streamline operations, and create the best guest experience possible, affordably and seamlessly."
Martin Kwitschau
CEO, Virtual Management Presence (VMP),
a division of Hospitality Resources
The IDIS and Hospitality Resources solution offers flexibility since surveillance can be done onsite or remotely. Additionally, IDIS DirectIP provides room to expand the surveillance system as the facility requirements evolve. IDIS’s IDLA (Powerful AI Deep Learning Analytics) offers additional tools to expand surveillance tools and forensic review and analysis.