Hollywood Cuts Costs and Levels Up Security with Relay

Hidden among the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah Valley is Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. Don’t be fooled by its breathtaking views, this Vegas-style casino not far from Washington, D.C. has over 1,900 slots and video poker machines, 74 table games, a live poker room, race track, and a state of the art sports betting area. To ensure visitors are able to get the most out of their casino experience, Hollywood’s security team has made safety their top concern. Having the right technology in place to monitor and communicate throughout the large casino property is essential.

Traditional Radios Aren’t Worth the High Costs

Hollywood’s security team had had enough of the high costs associated with traditional radios. Each device was costing the casino $2,000-3,000 to replace, and combined with battery and repeater prices, the amount they were spending wasn’t worth the results they were getting. The radios took weeks to replace or reassign and often had connectivity issues, making it harder for the security team to properly support other departments.

“The cost savings by going with Relay is tremendous”
– Mike Godwin, Director of Security at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races

Relay was a No-Brainer

When Hollywood discovered Relay, giving it a try seemed like a no-brainer for the security team. Not only are Relay’s costs significantly lower, but the device’s size is much smaller and lighter than traditional radios. Paul Blackman, Security Department Manager at Hollywood Casino, describes their old radios as “added weight”. He shared, “Relay is a lot less cumbersome. It’s not as bulky with the antenna poking you in the back, and all the other discomforts of carrying those bigger radios. In this environment, Relay is definitely the better option.” Having a smaller device isn’t just more practical, it can be safer too. 

Paul also appreciated the additional channels and redundancy that came with Relay’s dual connectivity to both cellular and Wi-Fi. “It makes the communication process more direct,” he shared. “With the voice activated feature, you can switch right to another channel and get a hold of someone. We’re able to make direct contact instead of having to go through control, then control sending the message back to us. So it cuts down response times and reaction time if we need someone to come from a different department.” Being able to quickly switch channels and no longer have to worry about range limitations has truly strengthened the security team’s ability to act swiftly.

Providing a More Inclusive Experience for Guests

Improved response times and lower costs are not the only benefits Hollywood has gained. Having Relay’s dashboard up while communicating with multiple departments at once over their Relays has been a game-changer for the team. It has allowed them to keep an ear out for any issues happening over the other channels, while responding to incoming communications. One capability they didn’t realize the full potential of until pushing their outdated solution aside was Relay’s power to automatically record and transcribe all communications. “One of the luxuries that we really like about Relay is now having the ability to to pull up transcripts,” stated Paul. Regardless of the department, the security team has proof of what was said and when. This has been useful in halting conflicts before they start, both internally and with casino visitors. 

The ways in which Hollywood puts their Relay devices to work doesn’t stop there. Hollywood is using Relay to better communicate with its guests across the casino floor. Paul shared, “From what I’m being told, the translator aspect is being used a good bit. It really comes in handy at the table games because there’s so many people speaking different languages.” While Hollywood hadn’t been searching for a translation device when they first approached Relay, being able to communicate better with visitors has provided a more inclusive experience for the casino’s guests. What started as a quest to cut costs, opened Hollywood’s eyes to all the possibilities a modern two-way communications device can do for its visitors.