The Hendrick – Where Style Meets Substance!

Hendrick Hotel, Dublin, is a hotel that offers a unique experience to its guests, settled right in the heart of a vibrant neighbourhood that is located within walking distance of Dublin’s most famous attractions. This hotel is focused on how it can act today to create a sustainable future.

The Hendrick Smithfield was the First accommodation provider in Ireland to achieve Gold in Leading Energy and Efficiency Design and was awarded the country’s first LEED Gold certification, the highest LEED rating given to any accommodation provider operating on the island of Ireland.

Developed by the Dublin Loft Company in consultation with LEED advisors Meehan Green, the Hendrick was recognised for its innovative design which allows it to operate with low utility costs and provide guests with a high-quality indoor environment while also helping to preserve the environment for future generations. The hotel’s infrastructure was designed to such high-level energy standards that natural signals would not permeate through the materials used in the structure.

Challenges

The focus on achieving a highly sustainable and energy-efficient hotel meant that the materials used in its construction would act as a barrier to natural mobile phone signals from “leaking” into the building. The designers correctly identified that once the building would reach completion the natural signal levels that did exist would be greatly reduced and would immediately create connectivity issues for residents and staff, call connection, call quality and mobile data would be severely impacted and this is where Novatel was able to provide a solution.

Solution

Novatel provided a comprehensive solution to the Hendrick Hotel’s mobile signal and mobile internet connection problems. Firstly, we conducted a thorough analysis of the hotel’s infrastructure and identified the areas where signal strength would be most affected. We liaised with the client and gained an understanding of what they wanted to achieve. We listened to their vision for the hotel, its staff, and its guests in terms of connectivity. The lounge and bar area was to become a hub for all residents where they could work, rest and connect to the world with ease and reliability. Using this information, we designed a complete building solution, using professional design software from an Irish Manufacturer of World renowned Cellular Repeaters, Stella Doradus. Following on from meetings with the construction team and management, Novatel’s expert services were engaged and we set about planning for a Turnkey solution which included full system design, cabling, first fix, second fix & finally Commissioning.

Novatel installed a Cellular Repeater and Distributed Antenna System (DAS), including a complete cabling system throughout the 7-story building. To begin, we conducted signal testing on the roof, we tested signal levels on each surrounding cell tower, to do so we used professional RF signal analyser tools, and we tested each frequency on each mobile carrier network. When our Engineer was satisfied with the results, he securely installed some high-performance donor antennas on the roof. The external donor antennae are carefully directed to communicate to & receive signals from the surrounding Network operator base stations. Once in place, our engineers begin the cabling system which initially connects onto the donor antennae on the roof, the cable is professionally terminated and is brought into the building.

The cable was carefully brought down into the risers and laid along cable trays to designated points where connections were terminated to feed a number of internal cellular repeaters. The cellular repeaters, which require power (all other components are passive), process and amplify the signals that are being received from the cell towers at the roof level. The intelligent technology of the ComReg-approved Stella Doradus enterprise repeaters, adds amplification to each of the frequencies and it is these frequencies that carry the call & data services that will eventually allow you to have a full user experience on your mobile phone. The repeaters were installed within the risers and electrical cupboards on each level.

We then continued the cable runs from each repeater along the cable trays to strategically placed internal antennas. The internal antennas then broadcast the amplified signal out into the building facilitating instant connectivity for mobile data and for uninterrupted calls on all networks, with a capacity of unlimited users at any one time.

Results: Immediate Connectivity For Calls And Data Throughout The Hotel

Reference Image: The Hendric Hotel, Dublin - Boosted Mobile Signal

The results of Novatel’s solution were immediate and impressive.

The signal strength in the hotel improved significantly, which meant that once the hotel would open its doors guests could make calls and access mobile data services without interruption, the guests were guaranteed satisfaction regardless of what phone or network they relied on. The hotel’s staff and management team also benefit from the level of solution and service provided by Novatel, the system provides support for health and safety policies as people can use their mobile phones in the case of emergency, and safety is also increased on internal wifi systems as visitors have the option of simply logging onto their own personal mobile data as opposed to joining the hotels wifi network and of course the team can now easily communicate to each other as required as they move through the 7 levels of the building.

Conclusion

The Hendrick Hotel, Dublin, had they not employed the services of Novatel, would have faced a significant challenge with their mobile phone signal and mobile data connections. This would have severely impacted on and negatively affected their guests’ experience. However, by partnering with Novatel, they were able to find a comprehensive and effective solution to their problem. Novatel’s expertise in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of robust and reliable mobile phone signals solutions and internet connectivity improved the hotel’s communications infrastructure and enhanced the guest experience.

The Hendrick Hotel, Dublin, is now better equipped to handle the increasing demand for mobile data and internet services, thanks to Novatel’s innovative solutions.