Is this a large hotel filled with amenities?
We have 114 rooms total here. There is an indoor pool, hot tub, and exercise room. Our grounds are not that large. We have
a regular parking lot and a courtyard area. There are actually three hotels right next to each other, including us. We are
all owned by the same company, but only Marriott uses The PIPE.
Are you usually completely booked?
I would say that about 90% of the time we sell out. We might be a little slower on the weekends, but Sunday through Thursday
we are definitely sold out. It is mostly business people who stay here during the week. Usually, the same people stay here
over and over, so we actually get to know them. In the summer, we have a lot of people that stay here while they are visiting
the amusement park nearby. In the winter, we have some people that stay while they are skiing, as that is near here also.
Can you explain your use of The PIPE?
Well, it is pretty unique. We do not have any security guards. Instead, our regular staff uses The
PIPE.
That is unique! So, how is this done?
The tours, or rounds, are divided up between three areas - the front desk, the Night Houseman and Engineering. We always
have two front desk staff working at the same time. One of them will do a tour in the afternoon to evening. On the night
shift, the Night Houseman will do the tour a couple of times. Then, from early morning to late afternoon my department,
which is Engineering, will do the rounds.
Do all the employees use Guard1?
We have about 34 employees total. Each staff personnel that uses The PIPE has a button programmed
specifically for them. They activate The PIPE according to the button with their name. They
then do the rounds and download it.
Since the workers do not have a background in law enforcement, have you ever had a problem with them doing
the rounds?
No, luckily we have not. We are not really worried about security issues. We are mostly checking for facility related problems,
like if all the light bulbs are working or not. We are also checking to make sure the gates are closed, nothing has been
vandalized, and the doors are locked.
Is there a problem with guest theft?
No, there is nothing major. In fact, I have not had any thefts in the time that I have been here. I started when the hotel
opened four years ago. It is a small, quiet hotel. We might have someone say that something is missing from their room,
but they usually find it later. We have not had any actual thievery. As long as all the lights are lit up, then you are
not going to have any problems. But when you have four or five lights out, something can happen. Marriott is pretty well
lit, and that is the key.
Where do you patrol?
We are all in one building which is pretty big. There are 26 checkpoints in a round. We patrol the inside and the outside.
We have the buttons on light poles, and out by the guardhouse. We also have them on a couple of sheds. We have the buttons
in many various places. These also include the pool, exercise room, break room, front lobby, kitchen, three buttons in every
stairwell, and a button on every linen closet. They are placed anywhere I think someone could take something or do something.
How is the software used?
The General Manager downloads The PIPE weekly. He prints the reports to make sure there are
no problems. We like to make sure that the staff is out there walking around. We need to know that at night, when the day
shift is not here, someone is out there looking around.
What is the main purpose for which you use The PIPE?
The PIPE is used to make sure that the grounds are okay. We need to have someone out there
checking things. We need to know if there are lights out in the parking lot, the shed door is broken, the door on the dumpster
is not working, or the door to the courtyard is open. Luckily, none of this ever happens, but we need to make sure. That
is why we use The PIPE.
What did you do before the purchase of Guard1?
Marriott has what is called a PIC Report. That stands for Person In Charge Report. This person used to fill out a report
by hand about what was happening on the grounds. They were supposed to walk around as they do with
The PIPE, and check everything. However, they could simply sit in the back room and fill it out. No one is really
going to walk around when it is 20º below zero outside. With The PIPE, I know what time they
went out, when they were there, and what time they hit the buttons.
More User Profiles