How Security Integrators Can Break Into the Hospitality Vertical
Thinking about a long-term stay in the hospitality vertical? We welcome integration guests to the budgetary concerns, technology opportunities, cabling challenges and other requests to meet being this market’s technology concierge.
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Technologies Communicating Together
Security and associated technologies are huge issues for hotels to stay current on, Mrowczynski says. While some of the smaller group hotels always looked at locks as a commodity, say for an in-room safe or minibar, even those minor technologies have changed in recent years and may need to be addressed.
For integrating technologies ZigBee used to be the wireless buzzword, but of late there seems to be an expanding use of Bluetooth, he says. Users want wireless communications, Mrowczynski suggests, and they want to know who’s opening any given door or lock.
Tips to Get in the Casino Game
If you’re planning on adding casinos to your hospitality portfolio, you’ll need to also add some certifications.
To play to win in the gaming arena, you need to be well acquainted with the gaming environment and the requirements dictated by the federal authorities.
For integrators looking to do work in Native American gaming casinos operating on Indian reservations or other tribal lands in the United States, there are also regulations put forth by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).
In casino environments, it’s an essential part of the integrator’s job to keep customers in compliance and their systems up and running. Todd Flowers, president of California-based integrator Surveillance Systems Inc., recommends working with manufacturers that produce enterprise-level products and earning their certifications for selling, installing and servicing them.
Casinos are mission-critical environments, he cautions, and project managers need to have a thorough understanding of the gami
ng market and meet the manufacturer requirements needed to survive in that high-stakes world. Certifications not only must be maintained, but also upgraded over time, especially as technologies evolve.
Different levels of certification are required at the installation level, another for the project manager and another for the network and sales professionals, Flowers notes.
“Technology and security are very much tied together. In terms of video surveillance, it’s a matter of sharing your software development kits [SDKs],” he notes. “For a hospitality project, we know Salto isn’t going to be doing the entire hotel install. So, as a manufacturer, we can’t limit the systems we tie into. We have to be able to share our software with all the other integrators and be very versatile in our communications and adoption.”
Regardless of which manufacturers’ products security integrators specify, Flowers emphasizes the importance of manufacturer training. He advises that you need to understand a product’s technical capabilities, and make sure that your estimators, engineers and installers are all trained and certified on what you’re selling.
He cautions that, when responding to a bid for a hotel project, if you have little or no experience with the products being specified, you will be at a disadvantage among the competition or technically in over your head.
“It’s key to have strong relationships with your manufacturer partners,” he says. “We all want that big sale, but chasing something you have no experience in can be very dangerous.”
Getting Started, Getting Paid
So how can an integrator who has never done a hotel install earn the trust of a decision maker and win a job? Flowers points out that there’s typically a proposal process and advises that, as with any market, they should start out simple and seek out hotels and motels in their geographic region.
“If they start local and start small, they can grow into the market and steer clear of a situation they can’t handle,” he says. “There’s nothing better than experience and unfortunately, many times the experience we gain comes at a cost. Don’t rush into anything. Take time to under-stand the project, the pain points for the owner, and their budget.”
That trust can be established by educating the customers on the changing technologies and what features are available in today’s surveillance camera and access control offerings, for example. Keep in mind budget, but also those potential installation pitfalls that can impact your own bottom line.
“Many times people don’t have a good grasp of the reality of the products. Manage the customer’s expectations and, if they want cameras in the parking lot or garage, make sure there’s power or cable. It’s really smart to start small and grow into it, so you don’t get into a situation that can be devastating or expensive to your company,” Flowers says.
It’s good to know what to expect with the billing process in the hospitality sector, too, which can vary between retrofit and new construction work. This often depends, Flowers says, on whether you’re working for the owner or a general contractor.
New construction means everything is progress building, which could slow down cash flow with a general contractor, he says. Owners tend to be more flexible with start-up costs to cover getting your guys onsite and purchasing products.
“If your milestone payments are accurate and you meet your timeline, you’re going to be OK,” he says.
Beyond that, you should also explore opportunities for RMR – these can sometimes be found in selling video monitoring services, for instance, if there’s no security team at the hotel or motel at night, he adds.
READ NEXT: How Dealer Programs Can Give Security Professionals the Upper Hand
ERIN HARRINGTON has 20+ years of editorial, marketing and PR experience within the security industry. Contact her at [email protected].
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