Hospitality company Hyatt opened a second hotel in the Amsterdam region at the end of last year. Given the security requirements imposed by this global company, Vermeesch Installaties installed high-resolution MOBOTIX cameras along with other systems.
Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport for business travellers
Hyatt Place is a four-star hotel, strategically located in the proximity of Schiphol, and targeting the modern, international traveller. The Hyatt Place concept, which combines authentic hospitality with an exclusive service range, is one of the eleven brands of the Hyatt group, established in 1957. At the end of 2014, the company managed 587 hospitality venues worldwide. Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport is the second hotel in the Amsterdam region. The lifestyle hotel Andaz Amsterdam, on the Prinsengracht, opened back in 2012. The new Hyatt Place hotel is located about five kilometres from Schiphol, and is easily accessible via the A4 and A5. All public spaces are located on the ground floor of the low-rise part of the building, with a number of meeting rooms on the floor above. The second to the thirteenth level comprise a total of 330 large hotel rooms, each fitted with a cozy corner. The rooms as well as other facilities in each Hyatt hotel meet globally standardised quality requirements on comfort and provided services.
Camera surveillance in public spaces
Vermeesch Installaties is a MOBOTIX partner who was first asked via the Hyatt Place building contractor to supply cameras for the emergency exits on the ground floor. While discussions took place the need for these increased quickly, and several dozen have now been installed. These are mainly D15 models, with both day and night lenses. "During the discussions with Hyatt, it became evident that they needed camera surveillance in all public spaces to guarantee the safety of guests everywhere on the premises," says Jan den Brinker, Director of Vermeesch Installaties. "That is, for all hallways, elevators, main entrance, lounge, bar/restaurant, and the emergency exits mentioned above. All cameras are controlled via a single standard desktop computer coupled with a NAS storage system. This is made possible by the fact that MOBOTIX cameras are fully independent systems, including processor, memory, and software. Thanks to the decentralised concept that forms the basis of their solutions, the cameras only save images if something really happens, and only changes are sent through the network. Therefore, less bandwidth is required, and a MOBOTIX installation functions more efficiently than centralised systems of other suppliers."
In the event that the network |
Ease of use and manageability
Pim Roelink, Engineering Manager of Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, experiences other advantages of the installed cameras as well. "I joined the hotel soon after it opened, and am responsible for the IP video security system, among other things. For me, the most important advantage is the ease with which these cameras can be used and managed. A Gallery Host, without special training in the field of cameras, can easily review images if the need arises. Fortunately, this is rarely necessary, but that’s why it is important for the video management software to have an easy-to-understand user interface. Moreover, the supplied MxActivitySensor software automatically makes sure that our cameras don’t record and save unnecessary situations. For example, guests who are simply talking to each other in the lounge or in a hallway are not recorded, but someone who is moving away from the group is. From a privacy point of view, images are retrieved and viewed only in case of incidents. Furthermore, our IP video security solution is configured in such a way that, in time, previously saved recordings are overwritten automatically."
In practice
"Other benefits of these high-resolution cameras are the high resolution and software zoom-in capacity for when something really happens," continues Roelink. "At those times we can investigate after the event or even live using clear video recordings. They also have a preventative effect, which is at least as important for buildings that are publicly accessible such as hotels. Although the supplier was selected before my arrival, I am glad we use a top brand that is known all over the world. We recently found out that they are reliable as well, during a major power cut affecting nearly all of the province of Noord-Holland. This had no impact whatsoever on our cameras, because they remained functional thanks to a backup power supply. In the event that the network connections with our central computer and storage system do fail, this will not cause any problems thanks to the internal memory card in each MOBOTIX camera. This automatically stores recordings for a few days. Looking back on the construction, opening, and first months of its application, we now have an easy-to-use and easy-to-manage camera surveillance solution for the security of all guests."
