World's tallest hotel communicates with Motorola digital radios

The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is a five-star twin-tower complex in the heart of Dubai's business district. With 72 floors, it’s the world’s tallest dedicated hotel building and includes 1,608 guest rooms, nine restaurants, five bars and lounges, a spa, swimming pool and health club. The hotel attracts major conventions to the region with meeting facilities across 7,500 sq m, and can accommodate up to 1,200 people in its largest ballroom.

Before its launch, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai sourced for a communications system that would help staff provide superior customer service while supporting efficient, productive and cost-effective operations. The hotel decided to work with Motorola Solutions partner, Safeer Integrated Systems (SIS), an expert in digital radio communications in the region. 

SIS recommended the deployment of a MOTOTRBO professional mobile radio system. The proposed implementation included Motorola’s SL4000 radios, MTR3000 repeaters, and Bluetooth accessories. Running on a standard IP network, the system delivers all the benefits of digital radio technology, including instant, uninterrupted communication between staff and departments, increased capacity for talk groups, and excellent coverage throughout the hotel’s vast premises.

The MOTOTRBO solution also has the advantage of compatibility with other technology infrastructure. It allowed the hotel to use its Guestware application on the radio devices, for instance. Guestware is responsible for creating, processing and tracking the status of individual guest requests. By making it available on the radio devices, the hotel can manage guest requests or emergencies more efficiently. For example, if an issue crops up at the pool, the hotel can use the system to quickly send the closest maintenance staff, speeding response times, improving the guest experience, and minimising costs associated with theft or damage. The system was also integrated with the hotel’s telephony system, so staff can use the hotel’s landline phones to speak to radio users.

In keeping with the luxury positioning of the hotel, the Motorola SL4000 digital portable radios weigh less than the average smartphone, and are designed to be rugged and reliable for intense and continuous periods of usage. The devices provide discreet communication through the support of text messaging, and Motorola’s Intelligent Audio feature, automatically adjusts the radio’s volume to fit surrounding noise levels.

Each device was preprogrammed with specific actions regarding job tickets, such as accepting, processing, completing, declining or transferring requests. This saves time and eliminates the need to scroll through screens. Another feature ensures jobs don’t get delayed. Job tickets which have not been accepted or processed within a five-minute timeframe are escalated to the next level of management.

The MOTOTRBO solution has virtually eliminated communication costs associated with the Guestware system. Rapid response systems in many hotels are managed by mobile phones and text messages that can be expensive and prone to error. By processing thousands of messages through the radio network, the hotel has enjoyed estimated annual savings of US$60,000 in GSM communication costs.

"From the sleek, stylish design of the Motorola SL4000 radios to the smooth integration of our guest response system, MOTOTRBO is a scalable and cost-effective solution that has helped us achieve technology and service milestones that are unmatched in the region’s hospitality industry. The system provides us with a critical communication tool that is quick, reliable and easy to use where the right people are connected at the right time and guests are provided with the levels of service they come to expect from the JW Marriott Marquis brand,” said Rupprecht Queitsch, GM, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.

*Pictures from Motorola Solutions.