Hospitality

Camera retrofit becomes IT makeover

Soon after joining the company a decade ago, Distinctive Resorts CIO Chris Biggers saw major gaps in security at the different properties. The old analog security cameras that were being managed by an outside vendor were problematic-sometimes failing to record and difficult to operate and retrieve video.

"We had a security vendor using old equipment," he recalls. "The NVRs [network video recorders] were difficult to set up and use and not dependable, so we brought the function in-house as part of IT and started an RFP."

Distinctive Resorts chose Meraki MV cameras for a camera retrofit due to Biggers' positive experience with the company's products in the government sector. There he had seen newer generations of surveillance cameras in general and Meraki cameras in particular, which have advanced features like high resolution, simplified, web-based controls, and analytics for data-driven insights. He knew that these features could directly enhance not only safety but also customer experience at all of Distinctive Resorts' hotels and restaurants.

Soon, in addition to Cisco Meraki MV cameras, the company added Meraki wireless gear, switches, and network security appliances—all managed on the Meraki dashboard. The Meraki MV smart security cameras are cloud managed and feature cloud storage and analytics. Features like 360-degree coverage of areas, multiple cameras in each unit, easy setup, a user-friendly web portal to view and export footage, a single Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection to Meraki switches (instead of one for Ethernet and another for power), and single IP address management, were among the many reasons Distinctive Resorts decided to begin upgrading more of their cameras, most recently to the Meraki MV84X multi-imager camera.

"You get four cameras for the price of one," says Biggers. "A single management interface, single license, and one PoE cable instead of a separate one for power and another for networking. With four older, non-PoE cameras, that would typically require eight cables. It's also a very compact unit that is aesthetically pleasing and the 360-degree coverage is particularly useful to see everything in lobbies and hallway intersections." Additionally, there are the costs in time and money and complexity of deploying four separate cameras-drilling four holes and brackets and buying and installing separate cables.

Real-time monitoring improves operations

Simple cloud-based setup and management and the user-friendly interface are major benefits of the new cameras. The Meraki MV84X auto-configures when connected to the Meraki dashboard. Cloud storage is built in. Depending on their permissions in role-based access controls, users can view live and recorded footage on the Meraki Vision portal from anywhere, on any device with just their username and password.

"We wanted something super simple," says Biggers. "For investigations, our HR staff are typically in charge of retrieving footage. They're not IT gurus; they just need to be able to easily interact with footage. It's easy for them to just specify the camera or cameras, coverage areas, the timeframe they need, and export the footage and save it to their desktop or grab a link to share with law enforcement. The ecosystem allows other frontline employees routinely watch what's going on around the property on their phones."

A Motion Search feature lets users select a region of interest in video footage (e.g., a particular car in a hotel parking lot to see how it got scratched or a specific area to trace what happened to a lost item). Then users set filters for time and date and view results, showing only relevant motion events. Motion Search eliminates the need to scroll through hours of footage. Smart alerts can be set that send real-time notifications when motion is detected in defined areas. Attribute Search uses advanced analytics to help users quickly find specific events or individuals within video footage.

The portfolio of Meraki MV cameras provides visual insights into motion activity over time. At Distinctive Resorts, managers can see how many people are going through the hotel lobbies, checking in or out, or waiting for a table at the restaurant to better estimate where more staff is needed in real time. They deploy the cameras at hallway intersections, valet parking areas, building corners, lobbies, and other areas that can benefit from four camera angles.

"Our restaurant staff use the cameras a lot to see when an influx of customers means that more people are needed at the host station to seat parties, or to supplement bar or kitchen staff," said Biggers. "All department heads have access. Even the facilities staff use the cameras to schedule work. For example, if they see a hallway or other public area without a lot of people, they can seize the window of opportunity to complete a maintenance project so that it doesn't interfere with the guest experience."

Advanced features, myriad uses

The uses for the Meraki MV smart cameras also extend to serving as a sensor relay. Meraki MT sensors in the Distinctive Resorts—used for monitoring temperature fluctuations, water leaks, humidity, air quality, and other metrics—use the MV smart cameras as a connectivity hub by connecting to the camera's built-in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio and cloud-managed capabilities. Sensor data is relayed to the Meraki dashboard, allowing for centralized environmental monitoring alongside security footage.

Another important feature that Distinctive Resorts relies on is the Smart Retention capability in the cameras. The cameras continuously record two different streams-one in high resolution, the other in low resolution. Then, an AI algorithm trims out the high-resolution footage with no motion, which optimizes storage.

"The Smart Retention feature provides a uniform way of operating across all of the cameras, regardless of their different use cases," says Biggers. "The lower-resolution video capture also cuts down on our bandwidth usage for additional cost savings."

Chris Biggers is letting his imagination compile a growing list of other ways of using the MV84X. "Uniform compliance—making sure that staff are wearing their uniforms when they're on the property. VIP identification, so that when a VIP walks in, the cameras pull up her profile and it pops up on everyone's screen. And they can say, 'Hello, Mrs. Robinson.' Now, wouldn't that be awesome? We're not there yet, but that's where we're going with technology supporting customer experience."