Hotel Les Ottomans, which has the status of a historical building, is a 5-story wooden structure with an indoor area of 8500 sqm on 4 decares of land. Our spa area and meeting rooms are located on the lower floor, and we have specially-designed rooms including duplexes on the upper 2 floors. Although we do not provide services for the time being, we work in shifts on 24/7 basis to prevent possible risks of humidity due to its location overlooking the Bosphorus. For this reason, we continue to actively use our systems for the safety of both the precious property and the life of our employees.
I have been working here for the last 5 years, and I was not employed here at the time of the installation of the systems. I do not know the details about the choice, but the plan of this building was drafted by the British. For this reason, I can say that it is quite normal for them to select the Edwards product offered by EEC as a company implementing many major projects in Turkey.
The biggest advantage for me is, first of all, that the system operates on the basis of locations and full integration with our automation in the building. According to the Fire Regulation, it is mandatory to have dampers, doors, air conditioners and shutdown scenarios, but some hotels do not include these equipment and requirements. The system in this building was founded 20 years ago by taking all these details into consideration. The biggest benefit for me, as the technical director of an enterprise, is that such a functional system was founded in the 2000s.
During my time here, we have not experienced any risks thanks to the system, but I can say that 3 minor risks took place in the past. In addition, it is useful to be able to add devices to new locations and to expand the system.
Actually, I am a driver and I will drive whatever car is given to me. It is a great chance for me that they selected Edwards during the project process, because EEC is a domestic company and we are able to benefit from the products and experience of a global company having hundreds of years of experience. Also, there is no technical ''mistake'' here because its planning was done in the project phase. For this reason, I would like to thank our colleagues who selected EEC and Edwards during the installation period.
The Public Address and Voice Evacuation Systems that we control from the panel are operating excellently now. In fact, when I started to work here, the public address system was inactive. They experienced various problems due to user errors and canceled it, and EEC recorded this situation. After I started to work in this facility, I instructed the staff to turn on this system because it is important to have a fully-operating public address system in terms of safety of life in a facility like us that hosts high-class guests.
We use the Access Control System for the security of our rooms. Normally, an offline system is used in hotel rooms, but our system is online. All information is transmitted to the center immediately, and we have the chance to instantly view who opened which door. The ability to open all doors in case of a fire is also a great advantage. This may be a security weakness in one way, but the important factor in terms of a fire risk is human life. In this case, the access control system must bypass security, which is its main task, and give priority to safety of life.
In fact, our CCTV System was also installed by EEC. Although the devices installed at that time were replaced during the maintenances, the recorders are still the same. People can even watch the Bosphorus view, and access the instant weather details of the Bosphorus through a live broadcast provided by one camera at our website. There is also another camera that can rotate 360 degrees on the pier, which is the most-frequently used device for our security staff because it is a product that offers an excellent zooming capability and the best performance.
Clearly, I can give 10 out of 10 to both your sales team and your technical team because I can quickly reach out to them via telephone, WhatsApp or e-mail and receive support from them. That is why I do not know your on-duty telephone number because I do not need to use it.
Our maintenance contract does not include access control, only fire detection. We forgot to get the passwords from the previous staff and therefore, we cannot access it. However, the EEC technical team connected to our system remotely, found the passwords and gave them to me. This support is incredibly excellent and I would also like to thank your technical staff.
I would also like to thank your sales team. For example, our maintenance contracts could not be concluded before me. I know that if a fire breaks out, the insurance will not cover it if the maintenance of your fire detection system is missing or not available. I expressed the importance of this fact and asked for support from your team to sign the contract, they also helped us regarding the amount and strengthened my hand.
First of all, the team works based on appointment system, and they are more loyal to this plan than me. According to the maintenance contract, if the enterprise cancels the appointment, such maintenance is deemed to have been done. For example, I was alone in the office one day and it was a difficult day for me. Even though I sent the team back, they came for an appointment again and provided me with the support that I needed.
The materials used in the systems are also of very high quality and fulfill our needs. If we look at the product quality, this is a facility that is over 20 years old, and we have replaced only 2 detectors since I started to work here. They were replaced because the device was exposed to water due to the leakage from the ceiling. Apart from this, we have not had any problems so far, including the kitchens and oily areas because we view the contamination rates as an alarm, and we always get maintenance for it.
Honestly, I have no chance to comment on the prices because I have to see the performance of other companies, and I was not working here at the time of installation. However, I believe that the price was definitely assessed based on quality, and EEC was selected according to these criteria.
I highly recommend its services. For example, in case of a purchase transaction, project developers are bosses are involved in the process rather than us, so price comparison is made. However, in terms of technical perspective and services, I choose and recommend EEC.
I have the directly-accessible telephone numbers of most of your technicians and your team, and I am able to receive solutions directly from you regarding each issue. While many other companies give responses such as "we will review and get back to you'', ''let me transfer this call to an authorized person to discuss the issue'', I have never experienced such responses from EEC. It is very important that you are accessible according to your rules. I would also like to underline that even the largest international companies operating in the sector generally proceed with their core personnel, and the customers have to contact their dealers. However, EEC is not like that; in case of necessity, the relevant technical personnel arrives at our facility to solve the problem by themselves even without me.
