Guest appearance

Ensuring the smooth operation of the hotel’s day-to-day running requires a not insubstantial measure of professional management, and the Renaissance – part of the Marriott Group – proactively drives the sharing of experience and a team working culture that has given rise to the Group’s acknowledged delivery of customer satisfaction.

In this respect, Aram Dhaliwal (the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel’s director of loss prevention) fits the slick Marriott Group corporate culture very well, exhibiting a distinct air of professionalism and attention to detail that the Group is proud to embrace.

Dhaliwal’s attention to detail isn’t surprising when you consider his military background. He served with the Royal Green Jackets (where he provided training in jungle and desert warfare), and was involved with bodyguard and close protection duties overseas.

After joining the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel team in December 2002, Dhaliwal’s prime objective was to begin a thorough review of the hotel’s security arrangements. Although responsible – within a wider remit – for managing risk and recovery procedures in and around the hotel, Dhaliwal also had to encompass other areas in his review, including Health and Safety, business continuity and fire safety issues.

Commenting on the hotel’s security and risk review process, Dhaliwal said: “Quite simply, I define risk as what can be seen to stand between you and the fulfilment of the prime business objectives. To operate in a secure environment, you need to identify, evaluate and overcome risk across a broad spectrum of guises. The successful management of risk will only be achievable if security managers and loss prevention specialists first clearly assess and measure every aspect of risk pertaining to their site. The communication of these measures should then be delivered across the various departments and levels of staff so that all concerned know and understand how risk management procedures can help in supporting the company’s objectives.”

In the ongoing quest for an effective implementation of security and risk strategies, even the most experienced of risk professionals needs the support of specialist knowledge. Given the time he’d previously spent working with Chris Jackson of Panasonic Premier Installer partner Acctive Systems, Dhaliwal drew on the experience of both this Surrey-based installer and the Heathrow Airport Police, whose officers were often recruited to join him for a walk around the hotel such that they could have an input during the security consultation review phase.

Surveying security needs

Conducting the review over a period of three months, Dhaliwal surveyed every aspect of the site’s existing electronic security, undertaking a thorough review of the hotel’s video surveillance and access control systems, as well as general operational practices.

The site audit survey led to the formation of an all-encompassing brief that detailed the precise requirements for the new surveillance set-up. The level of detail here highlighted the specific objectives for each CCTV camera, right down to the type of unit required (be it static, dome, PTZ or vandal-resistant).

Dhaliwal explained: “Due to the site’s nature, we wanted to strike a balance so far as the CCTV upgrade’s aesthetics were concerned, neither having too much nor too little security on show. A priority with the new system was to make our 650 space-capacity car park more secure. Acctive demonstrated an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to us, and we opted to deploy this at the car park’s entry and exit barriers. Now, the registration numbers of all vehicles entering the area are logged and, in the case of suspect vehicles, an alarm is generated to initiate a security response.”

Thanks to better quality CCTV images, in the event of a car being stolen the vehicle and driver are observed on camera and evidential quality video footage committed to a digital recording system. “Above all,” added Dhaliwal, “this system enhances our customers’ stay at Renaissance as they can feel secure that their vehicles are properly protected.”

Parking spaces made secure

The successful management of risk will only be achievable if security managers and loss prevention specialists first clearly assess and measure every aspect of risk pertaining to their site

Dhaliwal recognises the hotel’s obligation to secure its massive car parking area. Here, he acknowledges the hotel’s “special relationship” with the Heathrow Airport Police, whereupon a mutual desire for security allows the latter random access to patrol the hotel’s car park.

Since the implementation of ANPR and the new security systems, the car park has been totally secure, with not one vehicle crime to date. A rewarding testament to the robust nature of the set-up specified by Dhaliwal.

Spearheading the surveillance system’s upgrade, the original CCTV Control Room has been relocated to a new site and a separate control and monitoring facility added within Dhaliwal’s own office. The relocation presented something of an engineering challenge for installer Acctive Systems as the complex 300 metre route running along the ‘back of house’ area involved cabling through busy offices and corridors. In addition, the installation had to be scheduled around the hotel’s conference bookings so as to keep the impact of installation noise and disruption to a minimum.

The decision to invest in an upgrade encompassed a desire to capitalise on the very latest CCTV technologies. In this way, the hotel would benefit from a more effective security, Health and Safety and day-to-day operational management solution.

In reality, the detailed site audit and close liaison with Acctive has paid dividends, leading to a specification wherein intelligent CCTV coverage is now provided for key zones such as the reception area, lift lobbies, the Conference Centre, all guest and staff entrances and back-of-house areas like the safety deposit box room (thus securing the route for Cash-in-Transit operatives entering and leaving the building).

To meet Dhaliwal’s requirement for fully-integrated systems (and instant access and retrieval of high quality digital images from any camera source), the hotel makes use of two HD500 digital recorders which act as primary recording media. Although fitted with a 120 Gb hard drive as standard, each unit has been upgraded to 320 Gb for greater image resolution, storage capability and retention periods. Fully-compliant with current Data Protection legislation, a separate image download and archiving review suite has also been purpose-built to provide the right environment for system use.

The supply of high quality visual imaging across the hotel’s external day/night and internal mixed lighting conditions has been achieved by installing a combination of high resolution colour static and fully-functional PTZ domes, each programmed with pre-set tours and alarms.

In order to maintain a continually smooth security operation, surveillance system performance is now being monitored and logged by security staff on a daily basis.

Perspectives from the end user

Commenting on the system upgrade at the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel, Aram Dhaliwal told Security Management Today: “The surveillance set-up has been designed such that it might be used within a variety of operational scenarios. For instance, we can now deploy cameras intelligently during large conferences to monitor the safety of delegate’s possessions such as mobile phones and laptops in and around the lobby areas. The proactive nature of the system is invaluable, assisting us with the implementation of staff Health and Safety issues. We can keep a watchful eye on reception staff, for example, should any incidents arise late at night.”

The entire upgrade was completed in just five months with minimal disruption to the hotel’s day-to-day business.

Dhaliwal added: “The security systems installed by Acctive have provided us with a much-needed robust and seamless interface between cameras, recording, monitoring and the control of CCTV coverage. We now have a security surveillance and site management system in place that’s able to secure highly detailed colour images on a 24/7 basis.