1. 24
LOCATED ON THE PERIMETER OF HEATHROW
Airport, the Renaissance London Heathrow
Hotel is a modern, elegant building. One of the
largest hotels in the UK, it offers a wide range of
facilities including 649 bedrooms, a 28-room
Conference Centre catering for anything up to
700 delegates, a Business Centre, Bureau de
Change, gift shop, hairdressers, Health Club,
brasserie restaurant and lounge bar.
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
TODAY’SDISCERNINGENDUSEROFSECURITYSYSTEMSISALWAYS
lookingfortheHolyGrail–aninstallerwithwell-trainedsales
andengineeringstaffthatcanofferahighlevelofserviceand
consistentlyprovideexcellentcustomercareandsupport.
Asoneoftheindustry’sleadingmanufacturers,Panasonicis
alsoonthelook-outforinstallationcompanieswithwhichitcan
workinharmony.Withthisinmind,theCCTVspecialisthassetupits
PremierInstallerScheme,accreditingonlythosesystemscontractorswhocanmeet
severaldemandingcriteria:engineersmustattendatleastthreetrainingcoursesperyear,
theinstallermustdemonstratethehigheststandardsoftechnicalserviceandsupport
(includingrepairsatcomponentlevel)andcarryampledemonstrationstockforon-site
presentationstothepurchaser.
Inreturn,PremierInstallersenjoythefullsupportofPanasonicandtheprestigeof
havingachievedastandardofexcellenceaboveallotherinstallationconcerns.
Tohighlightthebenefitsofthisscheme,SecurityManagementToday(SMT)hasteamed
upwithPanasonicinofferingaseriesofcasestudiesencompassingallmannerofdifferent
installations,fromwarehousefacilitiesthroughtohotelsandofficecomplexes.
Whatdoyouneedtolookforinaninstaller?Howshouldyouworkwiththem?Howmight
youextractthemaximumbenefitfromthatworkingrelationship?We’llattempttoanswer
theseandfurtherquestionsforthereadersofSMTaswecontinuethispopularstrandof
dedicatedenduserarticles.
GuestappearanceSecurity systems serving the four-star Renaissance
London Heathrow Hotel have undergone a significant
upgrade in the wake of an audit carried out by loss
prevention director Aram Dhaliwal.
Brian Sims examines the end result.
Photographs courtesy of Phil Surbey Photography
and Graeme Powell Marketing Loss preventiondirector Aram Dhaliwal.
06premier.qxd 02/07/2004 18:25 Page 24

2. RenaissanceLondon
HeathrowHotel:the
installer’sequipmentlist
CCTVcameras
● WV-CP474SuperDynamicIIunits
● WV-CW860Vandal-resistant
colour/monochromemini-domes
● WV-CS850SuperDynamicIImini-domes
Recordingsystems
● WV-HD500320Gbdigitalharddisk
recorders
● AG-TL35024-hourVCR
Lenses
● Avarietyoflensesareusedontheproject
Hardware
● WV-CU204systemcontrollers
Monitors
● WV-CM178017”colourmonitors
● AllequipmentsuppliedbyPanasonic(UK)
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,
P r e m i e r I n s t a l l e r s f o r E n d U s e r s |
25
Above and left: RenaissanceLondon
Heathrow Hotel’s loss prevention
director Aram Dhaliwal opted for
Automatic Number Plate Recognition
technology at the car park’s entry
and exit barriers. Left: Dedicated
dome cameras watch over the
receptionarea.
Far left: The hotel backs on to the
main runways at Heathrow Airport,
rendering security at the building’s
perimeter a prime consideration.
06premier.qxd 02/07/2004 18:28 Page 25

3. 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.
Surveyingsecurityneeds
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.”
Parkingspacesmadesecure
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.
Perspectivesfromtheenduser
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.
“Ultimately, that’s helping us to protect our
guests, staff and property. Most important of
all, we can safeguard the continuity of the
business, which is crucial for any commercial
organisation in this day and age.” ■
26
“Thesuccessful
managementofrisk
willonlybeachievable
ifsecuritymanagers
andlossprevention
specialistsfirstclearly
assessandmeasure
everyaspectofrisk
pertainingtotheirsite”
Above, top: Detail of the main reception
area. Note the positioning of the dome
camera. Above: Aram Dhaliwal monitors
CCTV images in the Control Room.
| P r e m i e r I n s t a l l e r s f o r E n d U s e r s
06premier.qxd 02/07/2004 18:29 Page 26