Relay allows management to track productivity and respond to emergencies quickly

Please share an overview of your property.

The Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo, Michigan is a 340 room, full-service hotel just steps from downtown.

What were you using for communication before Relay?

We utilized radios to communicate among departments, but we needed a better solution for communication with our Room Attendants. Previously, we relied on a combination of radio communication and in-person communication to pass along information to our Room Attendants. If a leader needed to pass along information to a Room Attendant, they would radio a Houseperson, who would then find the Room Attendant and pass along the message. Last year, we also implemented a team cell phone; if a Room Attendant needed to contact a leader, they could dial an extension from the guest room phone that would ring to the cell phone, so that even if we were in the office they could still contact a leader. If the Room Attendant needed a Laundry pickup, they would have to dial the Laundry Room phone extension and hope to get in contact with someone.

While these methods worked, they were often time consuming and there was a lot of room for error, especially if a Room Attendant couldn’t be easily located. The Relay devices allow us to directly reach out to the person we are trying to contact. Now Room Attendants can easily reach out to their Houseperson, Laundry Attendant or leader as needed.

What jobs does Relay help your teams perform?

First, Relay allows us to communicate with team members who did not traditionally carry radios. The leaders, Laundry team, and Housepersons can now all communicate with the Room Attendants, which keeps operations moving smoothly throughout the day.

Second, the Relay device services as a “panic button” for our team – once the Bluetooth beacons are installed in all of our guest rooms we will know where a Room Attendant is if they activate the panic button feature so that we can quickly respond to emergencies.

Lastly, the indoor tracking & Bluetooth beacons will allow us to track productivity of our Room Attendants.

What can Relay do that a standard walkie-talkie or cell phone cannot?

Relay is much more compact and can clip directly onto the Room Attendants uniform. This allows them to carry the device without it being at risk of falling or physically weighing them down while they work.

While our other radios did technically have a panic button feature, it only alerted our security team, not the Housekeeping leaders. And it did not feature any tracking info, so the security team is only notified of the alert – not where the team member is located. The location tracking on the Relay panic feature was really important for the overall safety of our team.

Relay is also more affordable than outfitting the entire staff with traditional radios.

What features on Relay do you use besides two-way communication?

We are utilizing indoor location tracking, daily reporting and the panic button feature.

What have been the benefits you and your team have experienced from using Relay?

The major benefit has been the ability to easily communicate among the team. There are no longer multiple steps that a team member has to go through to reach the right person. The Room Attendant is no longer on an island up on the guest floors; they are able to remain connected throughout their shift and communicate their needs to the rest of the team. This allows us to move more productively each day with less frustration.

Any other thoughts on Relay you’d like to share?

I love that Relay allows my team to remain connected in a convenient way so that we can provide the best possible service to our hotel guests.