Case Study: Rowhill Grange Hotel
Rowhill Grange is a luxury hotel located in the Kent countryside in the village of Wilmington. Originally a family home dating back to the early 20th century, the building was turned into a hotel in the 1980s. Since becoming part of the Alexander Group of hotels in the 1990s, the site has expanded with the addition of a luxury spa and award-winning restaurant.
Having identified that action was needed to improve the fire alarm system, Rowhill Grange’s Manager James Perry contacted Jackson Fire and Security’s Bromley branch to discuss how they could help. He explains more about his experience of working with the team to complete a major wireless fire alarm installation.
What initially prompted you to get in touch with Jackson Fire and Security?
Towards the back end of 2023, we were reviewing our options for the hotel’s fire alarm system. We were at the point where we were concerned that we could end up with an unstable fire alarm across the site. We had a mixture of wired and wireless options making up our overall system and had reached a point where essentially it wasn’t serviceable as manufacturers were no longer replacing parts. We recognised we needed to go out into the market and see what other options were available to us.
We initially spoke to our existing supplier at the time for advice. But because it was going to be a large-scale project – circa £100K – we also looked at other suppliers on the market. That included some big names we were already familiar with as they were operating at some of our other sites. But then we came across Jackson Fire and Security through a contact we had within the hotel. We asked them to come along and quote for the work as well.
What were your initial thoughts once you’d met the team?
Bromley branch director Sam Bradley came to meet us to understand our requirements. We did a full walk around of the site and explained the intricacies of what we do here and the challenges that we had. Initially our focus was on finding remedies to those challenges. But from a safety and commercial perspective it soon became clear we needed a full system upgrade.
I think what we were most impressed with is that Sam is professional but also approachable. He talked in a language that we understood, which made everything very easy to follow. It certainly instilled confidence in us that Jackson Fire and Security knew what they were doing and that a fully wireless solution would be the ideal fit.
“…Sam is professional but also approachable.”
What was your experience of the design phase?
Shifting from our current system to a fully wireless system was going to be quite a big change for us. Our insurers had to be part of the process as well and satisfied that everything we were doing complied with what they were looking for. As it was a large and complex project, the Jackson team brought in expertise from their head office. Together they undertook a full survey of all three buildings that made up the site and then designed a bespoke wireless solution to meet our needs precisely.
How did the installation go?
From a risk assessment point of view, having one system still in situ while the other one was being installed was a fairly big consideration.
And the installation had to be completed while the hotel remained open to guests. It’s never easy in a property like this – especially a hotel where you can’t do this type of work outside of “standard opening hours”. We don’t shut at 5.00 p.m.; we’re open in the evenings and operating 24 hours a day. It had to be done as unobtrusively and with as little disruption as possible.
It was always going to be tricky but there was very good communication with the Jackson team. They’ve been very accommodating in terms of any days we couldn’t have them in for installation because of major meetings or large-scale events. They have been very, very flexible with their programme. Sam and John, the engineer responsible for installing the system, have been extremely helpful. They kept us up to date on a daily basis throughout the installation then came in to deliver support training to our team.
“They have been very, very flexible…”
What are your thoughts now the installation is complete?
Jackson Fire and Security has provided us with a first-class service. They’re not the cheapest on the market but they’ve given us full confidence that we have a robust, stable and reliable system: confidence which we didn’t always have before. That peace of mind is a real standout for me. They’ll continue to be our routine service and maintenance partner, visiting us every six months to carry out regular checks. And we have the reassurance of their 24-hour call out service if it was ever needed. I really like the fact that they’re local too. They know our team and the setup here. You don’t get that from many other companies.
I have already recommended them to colleagues within our group, and other hoteliers that I speak to. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
“Jackson Fire and Security has provided us with a first-class service.”
To find out more about Rowhill Grange, please visit: alexanderhotels.co.uk/rowhill-grange
