A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is a vital requirement before opening your new-build/renovated hotel. Without it, you’re subject to massive, compounding fines! Because of the necessity of this certification, you’ll want to work it into your construction plans from the very beginning to avoid any project delays.

Unfortunately, the inspection process involves multiple steps. It’s not necessarily quick or straightforward and is prone to oversights.

One area we often see overlooked within the process is telecommunications. Get familiar with specific telecom requirements and regulations in your local jurisdiction by consulting with telecommunications experts and local authorities. To help get you started, we’ve compiled a checklist of key telecom-specific items to consider that may be subject to inspection:

Infrastructure

Inspectors may assess the quality/functionality of hotel telecommunication infrastructure, including:

• Proper installation/maintenance of telephone lines
• Data cabling
• Networking equipment
• Wi-Fi access points

Data privacy and security

With increasing emphasis on data privacy, guest information absolutely must be protected above all. In addition, hoteliers must maintain compliance with data protection regulations. Their inspections may cover aspects like secure storage of guest data, proper network security measures and adherence to relevant privacy laws.

Network reliability and coverage

Ensuring consistent, reliable network connectivity is not only crucial for guest satisfaction, but more importantly, it affects safety. Inspectors may assess the reliability and coverage of the hotel’s network, including:

• WiFi availability
• Signal strength throughout the location

Accessibility for guests

It’s typically required to provide accessible telecommunication services for guests with disabilities, including but not limited to those who are hearing-impaired. This may include features like TTY/TDD devices, visual notification systems for incoming calls and accessible telecommunication equipment.

Emergency communication systems

At a minimum, hotels are required by law to have reliable emergency communication systems in place within elevators. Additional requirements may include emergency phones in common areas and guestrooms, as well as a public address (PA) system for broadcasting emergency announcements.

When it comes to elevator phones, we’ve seen these challenges:

• Telecom providers are phasing out the support of analog lines, resulting in increased costs, decreased availability and slower service for new elevator installations.
• These industry changes have resulted in limited code-compliant solutions.
• The coordination of multiple vendors to navigate the installation of necessary wiring causes delays, and elevator companies prefer not to have third parties perform any installations on elevators before inspections.

There’s a need for immediate service to make the transition from temporary line connectivity to a permanent emergency monitoring service at new construction sites. We’ve developed a code-compliant solution that circumnavigates local wiring infrastructure. This helps your elevators get through inspection, avoiding phone lines delaying your construction projects, and eventually transitioning you to our turnkey elevator phone solution.

We can get your elevator emergency phones 100% compliant in 72 hours. Once end users sign a pre-CO agreement with us, we’ll ship the required equipment, ready for quick and easy self-set-up, at a zero upfront cost.