Hyatt Centric Levent Istanbul, which was put into service in 2017 as the first boutique hotel of the Hyatt Group in Turkey, has a total of 23 floors providing services based on the luxury concept on an area of 17.678 sqm.
Hyatt Centric Levent Istanbul has chosen EEC as a solution partner since its establishment for the installation and maintenance services of the Edwards Fire Detection and Edwards Public Address Systems. Ömer Sarıtaş, Technical Director at Hyatt Centric Levent, has shared his experience with EEC as their over 10-year business partner.
During the renovation phase of our hotel, the best suppliers and the best materials by the best brands were selected. The best brands in the world were selected for the entire facility ranging from our infrastructure to the interior decoration, our restaurant, nightclub and spa area. Therefore, the reason why EEC was chosen for the Fire Detection System is its quality as one of the best companies in its field. Naturally, we had no hesitation at the beginning of the cooperation.
I got to know about EEC during our partnership here. When I searched about the company, I found out that it is a company that has created a brand meeting special needs for various structures such as hotels, hospitals or production facilities. We have an ongoing business partnership for 10 years since I was involved and a total of 14 years since the opening. According to my observations, EEC is a company that is open to criticism, focused on improving itself and its personnel, providing quick feedbacks and, most importantly, building dialogue. Some companies are not open to criticism and stay away from communication, but I can reach a contact person from EEC whenever I need to do so.
We have great confidence in the Edwards brand and the devices that we use because they do not create any concerns about whether the panel will break down or the detectors will be able to detect the fire. Ease of use is also an important benefit. Also, it is very advantageous for us that extra features can be easily integrated into the system in case of necessity. In fact, the developments in products, such as the presence of siren and flashers in the same device, or use of ceiling-type flashers, make things easier for us.
For example, while carrying the materials in preparation for an event, the sprinkler was accidentally touched and the evacuation scenario was activated through the building announcement system. It was a situation beyond our knowledge, we were unprepared, but our system was active and we were able to take the necessary steps quickly because the system clearly indicated to us from which floor the alarm was triggered. It quickly informs us through both repeater panels and computer warnings. We have a “to do list” in case of emergency, so we could take the situation under control.
Activation of the system in case of a real fire is a situation that nobody desires, but even realizing that the system is operating in such moments of misfortune is an advantage. Apart from that, we regularly check during our own inspections that the system is operating without disturbing our customers.
Indeed, the most important benefit of receiving this service from EEC is that they can quickly take actions and eventually solve all our problems. We have never had a problem that could not be solved at all or lasted for a long time. It is very advantageous for us that we can receive support, usually within the same day, through remote connection or physically, before it turns into a serious problem, and that we can find a contact person for our urgent needs. The team of EEC does not say "don't call me, instead call another person or I'm out of working hours now". They work with dedication and loyalty to their company, which makes it distinguished and reliable as compared to other companies.
Your team also witnessed it that when we needed to install a system in a different restaurant, we specifically requested them to cooperate with EEC and integrate it into our own system to avoid any possible problems in the future. I am quite comfortable recommending EEC because I trust that there will be no problems with installation or operation.
I know that when EEC starts working on an issue, it will eventually finish its job on time, and it makes us feel that confidence. I observe that they support us with initiatives and extra team and efforts to present solutions in case of necessity. In fact, we aim to continue our cooperation for the renovations that we are planning to implement in certain areas.
The Edwards devices that we are using operate really smoothly and I can rate their quality 10 out of 10. So far, we have not encountered any extreme price increases or quotations. In terms of initial investment cost, I am aware that your products are a bit more expensive than the products of other companies. However, if you think forward, it compensates its costs for maintenance, breakdowns etc. Our experience proves that it is worth the initial purchase cost.
These products exceed our expectations and the control panels easily meet our needs. In fact, it was pre-arranged to place multiple functional buttons such as the shortcut buttons integrated into the scenarios. We consult your technicians about an issue that is difficult for us, and we become very happy when they tell us that we actually have an infrastructure making it very easy to do that job, because this reduces our workload.
I was not involved in the installation process. In terms of our general requests, for example, we had a problem in the software part and when we requested support, they quickly responded to us within the same day and solved our problems. Instead of the general standard 2-day service logic, we always get the solution within the same day if possible.
I had no difficulty reaching to your sales team. In the past, we could even continue the process through correspondence with your sales team. Then, I must indicate that our relationship with EEC has been upgraded to the next level thanks to the close follow-up of our processes by Mr. Cengiz and Ms. Selin for a while. They care about our requests and support us, even forcing us to identify our possible shortcomings and problems and helping us solve the problems before we can.
Always the same technical team members visit our facility and they know the building and we know them very well. We obtain new information every time they visit us. They know the system and the building very well and this gives us a huge advantage. The more knowledgeable the visiting team member is, the more precious the information that he will give to us. We also maintain good human relationships. For example, Mr. Engin is my favorite person on the technical side, I might even debate with him during the work, but don't get me wrong, these debates are very useful. It is important to be able to challenge each other regarding the problem, like a debate held in primary school, and eventually agree with each other in the end and tell "What you are saying is more correct."
We were one of the rare hotels that did not shut down during the pandemic, and our needs regarding our systems continued uninterruptedly. We also continue to receive services from EEC actively, and we did not experience any disruptions. For us, technical and safety issues are always important, regardless of occupancy. Even at the times when we do not have too many customers, we are always busy on technical side because our maintenance and inspections continue constantly. If you think of a building like a person, technical systems are the heart of a hotel and these processes never stop.
In fact, this system is our most crucial point in technical terms; fire detection and fire extinguishing comes at first among our maintenance and tests. These were the systems that were perhaps not taken into consideration in the past, but we should make use of the advancing technological means, and the necessary standards should be fulfilled because detecting and extinguishing a fire is something normal, rather than being mandatory. Today, most of us think that "we need to have a fire extinguisher inside our house or building." Particularly in the areas with such intense human circulation and use of systems, I can say that a fire detection system is a must.
