Seamless access control system enhances guest and staff experience at The Hotel Britomart

Sitting atop a single storey of glazed storefronts, the brick-clad The Hotel Britomart appears as if it’s floating roughly 14-feet in the air — and yet, its atmosphere is entirely grounded. As with much of the Britomart precinct, the hotel has been carefully crafted by Cheshire Architects as an invitation into a more intimate experience of Auckland City. From the plant-lined laneway entrance, to the multi-technology card readers on each door, every element holds the fingerprint of this intention.

Crucial to the hotel’s function, and key contributor to guest comfort and safety, is the access control system. Provided by New Zealand access control and security system manufacturers, Integrated Control Technology (ICT), and installed by ICT partner Vision Systems, the system is actually connected to a wider Britomart system that runs about 60% of the buildings in the precinct. 

Originally, the buildings in the Britomart precinct ran on a range of different security systems, however, this approach lacked cohesion and functionality, making it difficult for management to get a clear picture of what was going on. To solve this problem, the decision was made to unify the system on one platform using ICT.

Since it were founded in 2003, ICT has secured tens of thousands of buildings and people across the globe. Combining security alarms, access control, and building automation, ICT’s Protege systems create safe, streamlined environments for everyone, regardless of business size.

“The Hotel Britomart is using Protege GX, which is our enterprise system. It’s server software based, and designed to be scaled anywhere from a single access control door to multiple sites globally. The hotel is just an addition to the existing Britomart system; it’s got its own controller and its own local network, but the management is coordinated by the main server in the admin building,” ICT Regional Sales Manager, Shaun Gardner, says. 

“The system runs on the server software that contains schedules, lists of users, and operators that can interact with the system. That is then controlled by little controller modules, which are pieces of hardware that are usually installed in electrical cabinets, and the end user interfaces, card readers, and alarm keypads that are installed on the wall.”

With the Protege GX system, the entire Britomart precinct is accessible using a single card. As a mixed-use site, with restaurants, retail stores, and office tenancies filling the surrounding heritage buildings, this seamless connectivity allows hotel staff, guests, retailers, and tenants easy access wherever they need to go. 

“Each access control card has information on it that identifies a user, so when you present it at a reader, that information is transferred through and validated by the software sitting behind it to confirm you have access to that particular door at that particular time,” Gardner explains.

For a building designed around intimacy and connection, this modern approach to access answers the brief, providing a comfortable, frictionless, and secure experience for guests and staff alike. 

Learn more about Integrated Control Technology.