Milestone Systems is helping Hyatt Hotels to standardize a unified video security platform across all its property brands. This allows integrated security and risk management, centralized support and training, remote storage and incident management.
Hyatt Hotels owns and manages hundreds of properties worldwide. Until 2013, the company had no standardized CCTV security platform. The disparate video solutions across all the sites were not efficient or effective.
“We wanted a global standard and security system we could eventually deploy in all Hyatt properties,” said Mark Sanna, corporate vice president and head of global security, Hyatt Hotels. “We also wanted something that could adapt to a diverse, rapidly expanding enterprise. Milestone VMS made the most sense on both fronts and it’s great to have tiered solutions that meet the needs of different properties.”
Hyatt Hotels includes 10 distinct brands and more than 600 properties worldwide with almost $4.5 billion in revenue in 2014. In that year alone, Hyatt experienced rapid growth by adding nearly 100 properties.
In December 2012 Sanna commissioned Hyatt’s global security standards project. He reached out to Wade Pinnell, owner of Virtual Software Equipment & Consulting (VSEC) Services, to assist in choosing Hyatt’s new platform and then implementing the rollout.
In addition to Milestone VMS, Hyatt wanted preferred component partners in other aspects of the installation. After careful deliberation, Hyatt chose Axis Communications as its camera provider, Anixter as the distributor and HP/BCDVideo as the server system of choice.
“This is going to be a long and complex process because each Hyatt property is unique. But what’s great is that at the core, tying everything together, is Milestone VMS,” Pinnell said.
Sanna estimates that Hyatt has saved tens of thousands of dollars based on the fact that there are significant cost differences in camera licenses between the tiers. In addition, the ability to use the Customer Dashboard and Milestone Interconnect to monitor all the sites from a central location are critical, cost-effective tools for Hyatt.