Modern video management systems (VMS) provide a series of opportunities in developing and enhancing hotel performance. Security is not the only benefit, as clients, which primarily operate in the customer services industry, can also improve various services, such as marketing and parking.
Technolgy for safety and customer experience
Video content analytics (VCA) can be used for a plethora of automatic services, including loitering warnings and alerts for speeding vehicles that are on the premises. The information that is provided by VCA is essential for improving the customer’s experience and safety in a hotel, among other important functions.
Automating activities and processes that relate to vehicles are made easier with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), which can help to automate access rights, parking management, logistic control, vehicle analysis and vehicle calculation opportunities, therefore increasing the efficiency in single and multisite environments. A hotel customer, for instance, can book a parking place and a hotel room simultaneously; upon arrival, they will gain direct access to the hotel’s car park based on their licence plate number.
Effective reporting describes system-level activities, as well as VCA or ANPR observations, in easy-to-read reports that also combine data from integrated systems with the VMS’s report. This information is vital for decision-making, and is available through a browser from any device, depending on access rights.
Creating a network for the VMS covers all of the hotel’s premises, and allows users to access a single and logical entity that can be used from any site or an external service provider’s centre. VMS services are, therefore, produced in the most cost-effective way – no matter if they are local, central or outsourced.
With larger VMS, the integration of different systems is the key to eliminating human errors and delays with automated functions. Access control, intruder detection, fire alarms and other integrated systems serve as sensors for the VMS, which the internet of things is being increasingly applied to. Sensors continuously provide information and, if necessary, the predefined decision chains that automatically establish a video connection to an event without any delay or error. The resulting snapshot may be one image or a set of several images that inform the decisions made by management in a problematic situation.
This information can also be stored for processing at a later stage, with the event picture being sent, either automatically or manually, to organisations that need the information; related standard operating procedures can also be opened automatically.
Added benefit with a strong user interface
A good user interface benefits from the VMS’s diversified uses, which can vary for different users. For example, receptionists may rarely use the system, while other staff that use it on a daily basis require more versatility, customisability and task automation. Mobile user interfaces provide similar access, services and user experiences, regardless of the device.
Benefits include software upgrades that are cheaper and easier; the ability to renew servers without software upgrades; applications that can be added over the course of the system’s life cycle; and being able to add and change cameras as needed. The system’s unlimited scalability, free choice of cameras, and remote and easy upgrading are other advantages alongside integration enhancements, an extended life cycle and lower ownership costs.
Decision-makers must consider maximising efficiency and reducing costs, and a well-chosen VMS not only lowers costs and strengthens performance, but also enhances customer service.
