LANGUAGE NO BARRIER

With so many students from various background sharing accommodation, the real challenge is to create an information network that has no boundaries in regards to ease-of-use and accessibility for students who speak different languages, have different customs, and observe a variety of personal faiths. The focus isn’t just on the internet or social media across a broad spectrum.

Using IoT sensors, the building networks have connections to much of the everyday information as well. For example, understanding the usage patterns of the buildings by the residents is crucial to the always evolving design, and enhancing the customer experience.

From within the user interface of an in-room TV it’s possible to check how busy the laundry might be, how many of the machines are in use, or the status of any of the communal spaces.

There is an IoT ‘bus tracker’ which monitors Scape’s own fleet of shuttle buses driving between the universities.

With students from all over the world, quite often far from home, it is crucial they feel safe and connected — and much of that security is derived from an easily accessible and detailed network of information. The Philips Hospitality TVs provides the best integration with that data, which is a primary reason why they were selected by Scape.

THE SOLUTION

For Evan Wood, Director of Technology for Scape in Australia, one overriding factor gives the Philips Hospitality TVs an edge over the competition: “It’s all about how we operate and work with the buildings’ networks and commercial model. With the Philips TVs, you don’t need any third-party software or software engineers to create and update the on-screen content. It can be internally built open, and enhanced through the Philips CMND server platform GUI and software.

“We initially used the services of a great Philips partner called Spotty Dog to essentially set up the user interface design and layouts. From there, we are now empowered to modify and build upon that ourselves, in-house and with a minimum of IT expertise. And that’s because of the Philips interface and how easy it is to work with. It allows us to experiment with new ideas, in fact, it often feels like we haven’t even touched the sides of what’s possible.

“There’s a significant saving in costs, too, because we don’t incur ongoing, outsourced operational expenses which is huge when we are supporting over 16,000 rooms.”

CHROMECAST ONBOARD

The latest generation Philips TVs ship with Chromecast onboard, which proved to be another big benefit, making it easier for students to view content via their personal smart device — a small thing, you might think, but actually very important when it came to helping the students feel at home. Scape’s IT crew needed only to add a large, obvious ‘Cast’ icon to the GUI, recognisable regardless of any language barriers, and the Philips TV did the rest. Another feature that supports easy adoption is the use of a QR code which creates a small, localised network in the room for students to cast securely within — something not easily done with hotel-style networks, but the Philips TVs are capable.

The durability of the televisions is crucial. Being Android-based, the units’ firmware is easily updated, ensuring the units purchased now are upgradable in the future. Scape recently brought up to speed almost 700 older-generation screens in one of their existing Brisbane complexes. There’s no need to frequently replace the hardware to match any advances in software management.

SCAPE ARTISTS

It goes without saying that Scape was left vulnerable by covid lockdowns, closed borders, and immigration restrictions. Through it all, Evan has plenty of praise for Westan and how well it looks after clients. “The support and sales teams at Westan are always on the other end of the phone, helping to work around tricky situations and issues beyond everyone’s control. Supply chains issues have made things difficult, but Peter Curley in Westan Brisbane always goes in swinging on our behalf, and he’ll be on the phone twice a day, if needs be, keeping us updated. You couldn’t ask for better customer service than what we get from Westan.”

When you have thousands of student beds empty due to a pandemic, the next question is obvious — and happily, Evan can answer “yes”. Two of their buildings were converted to house Afghan, and more recently Ukrainian, refugees, and that support is still in place. Likewise, a new 700-bed building was fully configured and ready to receive international students in quarantine. However, the last-minute opening of the borders made it unnecessary.

Evan explains, “In a small and positive way, it’s an indicator of how versatile the Philips TVs can be. Everything was geared up to receive hundreds of quarantined international students from all over the world, and the TV GUI was configured to support them completely — something we set up in-house and with the support of Spotty Dog. When everything changed almost overnight, we were able to instantly switch back to the student accommodation model.”

Conversely, should the need arise again, Scape can quickly switch any of its facilities into providing humanitarian support.

Scape, Westan, and Philips Hospitality televisions will continue to work together to provide the best in student accommodation.