AT&T Debuts IoT Panic Button for Hotel Industry
AT&T announced it is deploying an integrated, wearable device that will help hotel employees to summon assistance in certain threatening situations.
Various jurisdictions across the country are requiring safety buttons for the hospitality industry in an effort to prioritize employee safety. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) along with major hotel brands, have pledged to provide hotel employees across the U.S. with employee safety devices. This is part of their program called the 5-Star Promise to help enhance the safety and security of hotel workers.
The AT&T Staff Alert Service was developed to help address this need. It includes a compact, lightweight device that activates an alert when an employee presses the button. The employee’s exact location is then transmitted to hotel security for immediate assistance.
The AT&T Staff Alert Service operates through a combination of Bluetooth, ultrasound and 4G LTE connectivity to provide micro-location data. This reduces the risk of a congested Wi-Fi network and enables for alerts in near real time. The service can be customized and is also interoperable with other IoT applications in the hotel such as building management and asset tracking.
“Employee safety solutions play a critical role in helping to prevent and respond to threatening situations,” said Chris Penrose, President of AT&T’s Advanced Enterprise Solutions organization. “We’re pleased to work with the hospitality industry to apply IoT technology to help keep their workers safe.”
“Hoteliers care deeply about the safety and security of their employees and guests,” said Kevin Carey, COO and EVP of AHLA. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of the 5-Star Promise, AHLA is proud of not only the commitment of our member companies, but also the work of companies such as AT&T to incorporate new technologies to market. Together, we will work to ensure hotels remain safe and welcoming places for all who work in and visit them.”
HTNG is an association that brings together hospitality professionals and technology providers to facilitate the development of next-generation solutions.
“We fully support AHLA and the 5-Star Promise and have aligned our organization to build on these efforts,” said HTNG’s CEO Michael Blake. “I’m excited to be able to welcome AT&T to the community of providers who are helping us address and solve this very important issue.”
AT&T’s IoT Professional Services organization[1] is working with major hotel brands to deploy the solution across the U.S.