Ramada Prevents Theft with Cutting-Edge Surveillance System
The Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort is an Art Deco-style hotel in Hollywood, Florida, located only a short distance away from the beaches of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. This extensive resort complex consists of more than 240 rooms and suites,150,000 square feet of shopping areas at the Ocean Walk mall, a pool area covering more than 13,500 square feet, and a seaside bar with an affiliated restaurant. With grounds this extensive, the Ramada needed a cost effective surveillance system that would guarantee a safe environment for its guests.
A secure environment
The surveillance system used at the hotel comprises of four digital Dallmeier multi-channel recorders
and two single-channel units for simultaneous audio and video recording, as well as a PView Station for the evaluation of recordings and control of the system. The reliability and operating stability of the recorders was critical in choosing the Dallmeier products. The hotel was further convinced by the straightforward operation of the system, which even new employees were able to work with, following a brief training session.
More than 60 cameras are installed across the facilities and provide high-quality images. Owing to Dallmeier's proprietary Cam_inPIX technology, the cameras are able to deliver detailed and true-color pictures, even under the most difficult lighting conditions such as strong backlighting in front of glass facades.
Cameras monitor the hallways on all eight floors of the resort, and the entrances on the ground floor are also permanently recorded. The reception area and the security areas are recorded with both audio and video data and the recordings are used to improve the general security as well as for training purposes.
Cost savings
The video surveillance system also quickly proved cost effective. "Through installing the CCTV system, we were able to significantly reduce our insurance premium and the number of compensation claims has also fallen dramatically from around 12 to 15 per year to just one or two," says David Hess, president of the Schecher group of companies who operates the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort. "We clearly benefited from the Dallmeier video surveillance system as we have saved both time and money. Also, we are now able to ward off unsubstantiated claims and lawsuits," Hess adds.
Tony Brown, the hotel's security manager, recounts an exemplary incident: "One of our guests told us that his Rolex had allegedly been stolen from his room at around 3:15 pm. When we were looking at the recordings of the day in question, which had been recorded by a newly installed Dallmeier DDF3000AV, a vandal-resistant UWDR color dome camera, we saw the guest leaving the hotel at 5:30 pm with his Rolex around his wrist."
David Hess remembers another case: "The cameras filmed an employee opening a door to an unregistered guest and thereby allowing that person to use one of the condominiums, without authorization. The employee was dismissed and we showed him the video, which enabled the hotel to refuse payment of unemployment benefits and reject any potential claims by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC)."
Fast and friendly service
Technical service on site is provided by Peter Meller from Nimbus USA and the management of the Ramada describes it as always being quick and efficient. "Whenever we are experiencing a minor problem with our devices, Peter is on the scene, supplying us with a replacement unit until the problem is fixed," says David Hess.
Last but not least, the new system ensures that the Ramada is well-prepared for any future changes because all Dallmeier systems are modular in design. System extensions can therefore be easily carried out.
A secure environment
The surveillance system used at the hotel comprises of four digital Dallmeier multi-channel recorders
and two single-channel units for simultaneous audio and video recording, as well as a PView Station for the evaluation of recordings and control of the system. The reliability and operating stability of the recorders was critical in choosing the Dallmeier products. The hotel was further convinced by the straightforward operation of the system, which even new employees were able to work with, following a brief training session. More than 60 cameras are installed across the facilities and provide high-quality images. Owing to Dallmeier's proprietary Cam_inPIX technology, the cameras are able to deliver detailed and true-color pictures, even under the most difficult lighting conditions such as strong backlighting in front of glass facades.
Cameras monitor the hallways on all eight floors of the resort, and the entrances on the ground floor are also permanently recorded. The reception area and the security areas are recorded with both audio and video data and the recordings are used to improve the general security as well as for training purposes.
Cost savings
The video surveillance system also quickly proved cost effective. "Through installing the CCTV system, we were able to significantly reduce our insurance premium and the number of compensation claims has also fallen dramatically from around 12 to 15 per year to just one or two," says David Hess, president of the Schecher group of companies who operates the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort. "We clearly benefited from the Dallmeier video surveillance system as we have saved both time and money. Also, we are now able to ward off unsubstantiated claims and lawsuits," Hess adds.
Tony Brown, the hotel's security manager, recounts an exemplary incident: "One of our guests told us that his Rolex had allegedly been stolen from his room at around 3:15 pm. When we were looking at the recordings of the day in question, which had been recorded by a newly installed Dallmeier DDF3000AV, a vandal-resistant UWDR color dome camera, we saw the guest leaving the hotel at 5:30 pm with his Rolex around his wrist."
David Hess remembers another case: "The cameras filmed an employee opening a door to an unregistered guest and thereby allowing that person to use one of the condominiums, without authorization. The employee was dismissed and we showed him the video, which enabled the hotel to refuse payment of unemployment benefits and reject any potential claims by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC)."
Fast and friendly service
Technical service on site is provided by Peter Meller from Nimbus USA and the management of the Ramada describes it as always being quick and efficient. "Whenever we are experiencing a minor problem with our devices, Peter is on the scene, supplying us with a replacement unit until the problem is fixed," says David Hess.
Last but not least, the new system ensures that the Ramada is well-prepared for any future changes because all Dallmeier systems are modular in design. System extensions can therefore be easily carried out.