Hospitality

Two Way Radios in Hospitality

Hospitality

Two Way Radios are very popular within the hospitality industry. From large hotels to small bars, Two Way radios always provide a reliable form of communication.

In today’s era when customers are more informed than ever before, the hospitality industry is under great pressure to provide an outstanding service. Professional communication is, therefore, a necessity.

Larger hotels use two way radios for many different purposes and between different departments. The front of the house or reception can instantly inform housekeeping to provide extra towels, toiletries, or emergency cleaning. Radios are also used between porters and the reception to speed up communication and service. If the hotel has multiple restaurants and bars they also can communicate together simultaneously. Furthermore, Two Way Radios in hotels are also used to enhance safety and security.

In our client portfolio from the hospitality industry, you can find different sized hotels including Hilton, Premier Inns, Copthorne Hotels, Marriott Hotels, The Chester Residence…  Some of the restaurants, bars, and hospitality venues include JD Wetherspoons, Apartment Group, Sodexo Prestige at Newcastle United FC, Newcastle Racing and Events…

Benefits of Two Way Radios for Hospitality:

• Cost-effective communication solution
• Improve guest experience
• Inter department communication
• Improves security
• Discreet and simple accessories
Improvement on stock control

Types of Two Way Radios for Hospitality:

A UHF licensed 5-watt radio would usually be the best choice in which any hotel is concerned. This is particularly because the majority of hotels contain a lot of structure and the UHF signals are able to penetrate through steel and concrete making them ideal. Another advantage of licensed radios is that they enable you to have the ability to communicate with others across a variety of channels.
This is particularly useful for a hotel as there are many different departments – such as housekeeping, reception, management and security etc. A small/medium hotel would be fully covered by this
type of radio, however, if your hotel is any larger and has between 15-20 floors, a repeater may be required.

Unique features of Two Way Radios for Hospitality:

With the increasing challenge of offering the best customer service to every customer, the hospitality industry needs quick and discreet communications between all staff from reception to chefs.

Security is vital in all industries however, the hospitality industry needs to offer security for guests and staff. Some radios have inbuilt security features such as Lone Worker and Location tracking.

Another great feature of Two Way Radios is the push to talk earpieces making communication between staff discreet. This means customer
complaints can be dealt with in a timely and discreet manner.

Licensed or Licensed Free in Hospitality:

Licence Free

When you purchase your license-free radios you are all ready to use them. However, before you start using your license-free Two Way Radios please follow the instructions in the manual, also you usually need to charge the battery first. The pairing of these devices is simple, please see radio manual

Licensed

What is a radio licence? A Radio licence provides you with a unique frequency on which you can operate your radios legally and securely. This licence is obtained from Ofcom in the UK. The basic and most common Ofcom licence starts from £75 for 5 years. However, different types of licenses are available. For instance, there is a special nationwide licence to ensure that large systems or premises throughout the UK operate on legal frequencies.

When you obtain your licence Ofcom will provide you with the unique frequency on which your radios will transmit. With a Site-Specific Licence, there are no legal ways other parties can listen to your conversations and all critical information is safe. With UK general licence you may have shared frequencies but the tones can be configured to ensure minimal interference occurs. Apex can provide this service at a small admin fee, please contact us for more details.

Hospitality

Digital or Analogue in Hospitality

Analogue

These have been in the market for some time now (according to BearCom paper from 2010: “Analogue two-way radios have been used for business applications as far back as 1933, and they were originally placed into service by the U.S. military 20 years before then” ). So it is clear that this product has a strong history and position on the market and is widely used around the world. Analogue radios are traditional walkie talkies operating on analogue modes and using frequency modulation. They are transmitting natural voice. Mostly, only one conversation can take place while using analogue radio. They also require hardware receivers and transmitters. Furthermore, while using analogue radio in the broader area, the voice might get lower and signal lost completely when the user is further away from the transmitter.

Digital

Digital radios, on the other hand, are operating in digital mode, which means they are using a mathematic system represented by binary numbers 1 or 0 to transmit the voice, which becomes digital. Therefore, the transmitted voice is much clearer. Furthermore, digital radios can recognise the background noise and simply not transmit it. Using digital radios in the broader area is more efficient and if users stay within limits of the coverage, the voice will stay the same and clear. Digital radios may also come with applications such as GPS, data tracking, more conversations at the same time, text messaging, emergency alarm and many more.

Accessories

earpiece

Audio

Audio accessories such as earpieces for radios are specifically designed for radio communications to complement your radios and their function. We supply a wide range of Two Way Radio audio accessories available to fit your requirements and to enhance your radio performance. For instance for loud environments such as construction, ships, airports etc. we provide 3M Peltor and Sordin noise-cancelling Two Way Radio headsets

Bodycam

Body worn camera

Communication continues to become more and more vital in allowing organisations to operate efficiently and safely; however, there has been a significant shift towards the importance of deterring crime and collecting evidence. Until recently, the lack of suitable products in the PMR market has left a gap which many end-users have been unable to fill. However, body-worn cameras can be set to help deter crime and record important details which can either be used to help to identify criminals or help to prevent further criminal activity in the future.

carry case

Carry Case

Apex Radio Systems holds a large stock of carry cases and belt clips suitable for a wide range of Two Way Radio models including our best selling Motorola radio cases. Walkie talkie cases which we offer are predominantly made of leather to ensure the best quality. We recommend them with your radio equipment as they offer additional protection to your radios in cases of drops and falls. Cases can be used with a belt clip, carry strap or can be provided with a belt loop for extra security. For quick release, there is the Klick Fast system of cases which works in a similar way to a press stud. Klick Fast system fastens cases to overalls and outerwear and allows for quick access and release of the radio. If you require hands-free operation carry cases are perfect for you. Many different options exist to suit your needs, requirements, and comfort. We also sell ATEX approved carry cases for your intrinsically safe radio equipment.

batteries

Batteries

We hold a very large stock of most manufacturers’ walkie talkie batteries including Icom and Motorola Radio Batteries. Our stock includes accessories for brand new radios as well as discontinued models. There are generally two types of batteries available for two way radios: NiMH (nickel-metal hydride battery) and Li-ion battery which is a lithium-ion battery. Li-ion battery has a longer lifespan and provides longer operation, however, it is slightly more expensive than traditional NiMH.We hold a stock of genuine batteries which are made by the radio manufacturer and the more cost-effective type-approved 3rd party versions. We can also environmentally dispose of your old battery in lines with WEEE Regulations.