Videoconsult, an Axis partner, proposed a simple system of five networked cameras to monitor the entrance, lobby and bar, areas with frequent traffic that may receive more than 100 people a day. The system is accessed from stationary computers (PC and Mac), smartphones (iPhone) or tablets (Android and iPad), thus allowing the manager to check the images no matter where he is.
One year after taking over management of the 3-star Princesse Caroline hotel, a 53-room establishment in Paris, Marc Lascaux started renovation work. Mr. Lascaux used this as an opportunity to modernize the hotel's surveillance system. He wanted it to be mobile, upgradeable and efficient.
Solution
Videoconsult, an Axis partner, proposed a simple system of five networked cameras to monitor the entrance, lobby and bar, areas with frequent traffic that may receive more than 100 people a day. The system is accessed from stationary computers (PC and Mac), smartphones (iPhone) or tablets (Android and iPad), thus allowing the manager to check the images no matter where he is.
Result
Mr. Lascaux is very satisfied with this turnkey solution and with the services of the company that provides it. The cameras' impeccable image quality allows him to identify people and analyze situations in real time. He can also use the software's intelligent search capabilities later to instantly retrieve an incident based on the date and place where it happened. This gives him reliable information for faster decisions.
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Remote access and intelligent searching
Opened in 1982, the Princesse Caroline hotel is a 3-star establishment located 100 meters from the Arc de Triomphe. Named after Napoleon's sister, it offers impressive Empire style and refinement. A year ago, Marc Lascaux took over the hotel, hoping to modernize its facilities. All of the rooms were refurbished, and the air conditioning and video surveillance systems were replaced. The hotel originally had analog cameras and a recorder that was digital but didn't allow remote access or intelligent searching. When the police wanted to access images of a suspect who had arrived five days previously, it took three hours to retrieve the exact moment of the incident.
Mr. Lascaux was won over by the expertise of Videoconsult, a specialist in video surveillance for businesses and hotels in France. When they first visited to provide an estimate, Mr. Lascaux told him what he needed: an intuitive system, remotely accessible by smartphone, that would directly visualize what was happening in the hotel and could quickly retrieve an event so that images could easily be provided to the police. Mr. Lascaux also wanted an upgradable system that would allow cameras to be added over time without replacing the whole system.
Discrete design
Videoconsult proposed four AXIS M3004-V Network Cameras, small, discreet fixed domes with HDTV quality for monitoring the lobby, bar and elevator, complemented by an AXIS P3354 Network Camera, a fixed, wide-angle HDTV dome to keep an eye on the hotel entrance. Thanks to their resolution, the five network cameras have replaced 10 previous analog cameras. “I never imagined that image quality had advanced so much,” Marc Lascaux explains. “The cameras blend into the decor, and our guests don't even notice them.” The cameras' installation took two and a half days and didn't disturb the hotel's activity. It took two days to install the cables, which were placed throughout the hotel in anticipation of future additions. Just one morning was enough for installing and adjusting the cameras.
“Videoconsult was there for us throughout the project. They advised us on placing and choosing cameras based on lighting conditions. They made sure our declaration to the prefecture and the supervisory authorities was compliant. They trained our personnel to use the software, and they called us back 10 days after installation to make sure things were running right,” says Mr. Lascaux. “In a 53-room hotel, the manager wears a lot of hats. So I have very little time to devote to each system, and I need the support of suppliers who are quick to respond. With their flexible structure and targeted expertise, Videoconsult met the specifications very well.”
Multiple scope of use
Cameras have several uses in the hotel business. They identify robbers and “hotel rats”, burglars who get into hotels by posing as guests. They also provide night vision for spotting people trying to enter the hotel in the evening when the glass entry door is closed.