With 158 rooms, 500 square feet of indoor and outdoor event venues and meeting spaces, plus a rooftop bar and signature restaurants, Thompson Seattle, a Two Roads Hospitality boutique hotel, is fast becoming a popular urban landmark.
It takes an entire battalion to keep a high-profile hotel like Thompson running smoothly. The key is consistent communication between departments and personnel.
The Tech Decision
Thompson Seattle Hotel required a unique communications system that could seamlessly integrate wired and wireless devices across their departments.
Although one department needed to be hands-free, others required clear and secure service via a wired option, and everything had to flawlessly synthesize to maintain hotel operations at a degree suitable for a luxury venue.
However, Thompson’s needs were unique in that theirs was a hybrid environment, necessitating both wireless and wired accessories in order to support all departments. While it was important for the engineering crew to use wireless headsets to be hands free, Housekeeping, Food/Beverage, and Front Desk needed a hard-wired option in order to access dependable uninterrupted signal throughout the facility.
The Solution
The Two Roads corporate engineering group designated a software application developed by Zello as its preferred solution. Using Thompson’s existing Wi-Fi network and Zello to convert iPods into radios with multiple channels was exactly what Thompson’s IT Director, Danny Coker, was looking for.
Coker also needed an earpiece that would optimize this system and, after researching various options, he selected Pryme. Pryme was a Zello certified hardware accessory partner with a line of wireless products made specifically for this application.
Pryme Radio not only supplied a wireless PTT accessory, but also worked with Thompson Seattle to create a custom-designed wired earpiece that optimized the Zello mobile application Thompson used with all the staff’s iPods. The result was a synergistic communications system that allowed hotel employees to provide the best hospitality experience possible.
Pryme’s BTH-300 Bluetooth headset with built-in wireless push-to-talk (PTT) was ideal for Thompson Seattle Hotel’s engineers. The BTH-300 converts any Apple-compatible wired audio accessory into wireless operation while simultaneously dual-pairing with cellphones, iPads, tablets, or iPods, and two-way radios. In this case, the engineers used Apple iPod devices and employed the wireless PTT button to activate Zello.
The BTH-300 also delivers 10+ hours of talk time (50 hours standby) and securely clips almost anywhere. For the engineers, this hands-free option worked extremely well. But, a wired version for the other departments had not yet been developed.
Pryme worked with Coker to create a heavy duty, hard-wired earpiece called the SPM-1399, which was perfect for Thompson’s purposes. The SPM-1399 connects to Apple devices for uninterrupted, wired communications. It’s rugged, simple to use, cost effective, and comes with removable clear tube earphones that are easily cleaned or replaced.
Coker deployed approximately 100 iPods with Pryme’s wired earpiece to all other departments, including Housekeeping, Food/Beverage, and Front Desk.
Together, Pryme and Thompson Seattle created a communications trifecta comprised of Apple iPods, the Zello app, and Pryme Radio accessories, fulfilling all Thompson’s needs and opening the door to potentially replicating the system in other Two Roads Hospitality hotels across the country.
The Impact
The results of the wired application have been 100 percent positive and Thompson Seattle Hotel’s engineering staff are very happy with Pryme’s wireless technology as well.
Moreover, the three-part system delivers real-time communications between all departments, while also offering an Emergency All-Call Channel if any hotel-wide issues occur. The system enhances hotel security, safety, productivity, and service response time.
Pryme’s earpiece is designed to be discreet, and Thompson is particularly pleased that guests don’t even realize their staff is using it. Together with Zello, Pryme’s accessories keep staff connected, even in “dead zones,” without being restricted to range like traditional 2-way radio networks.
Additionally, team members can stay in contact from any location in the world. Oftentimes smartphones, mobile computers, iPods and tablets aren’t audible enough when utilizing Zello to communicate, especially in high-noise environments. Thus, the right accessory is paramount, plus Pryme eliminates the occurrences of missed connections.
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