Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg and Leonardo Airport Hotel Hamburg guide their guests with hotel room cards and escape route plans from P.E.R. The hotel operator praises the contemporary and clear nature of the solution from the safety way guidance systems expert as well as its appealing visual design. There is a conviction at both Hamburg hotels, which are owned by the Israeli Fattal Group, that the investment in safety is also appreciated by the guests.

Sometimes we must sacrifice art for safety. "We will sacrifice a few pictures and instead provide proper escape plans", said Michael Mieding, Technical Manager at Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg. No sooner said than done. The corridors of the Hamburg hotel are now graced by large (80x100 cm) escape route plans - one next to each door to the central lift. With the advent of these new plans, Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg said goodbye to escape markings that no longer complied with statutory provisions. The original plans were not sufficiently informative and did not use the latest icons. Michael Mieding therefore considered it necessary to overhaul the plans.

P.E.R. Flucht- und Rettungsleitsysteme was recommended to the hotel's Technical Manager. The specialist provider from Ahrensburg near Hamburg then developed a safety and escape concept for the 146-room hotel. Among its tasks was to draw up new escape plans for the hotel corridors. Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg now enjoys a safety way guidance system that complies with all the statutory requirements and also provides additional information, i.e. about what to do in the event of a fire or emergency. This innovation at the 4-start hotel has been warmly welcomed, not only by the hotel operator and guests but also by the fire brigade.

Michael Mieding knows how it is: Safety way guidance systems and escape route plans are all too easily overlooked in the day-to-day running of the hotel. He is aware that it's very easy to forget tasks such as updating the plans (i.e. following renovation work) or making the necessary content and design changes to ensure they fulfil the latest requirements. However, the 43-year-old believes the very fact that escape plans are not high on the agenda is the reason why it's important to tackle them. "As well as increasing safety quite markedly, good guidance systems also significantly boost the sense of safety felt by guests, and that has a positive impact on the entire hotel." Investing in escape signage therefore delivers tangible benefits - even without the worst case scenario becoming a reality. And with his direct involvement, Mieding knows that guests look at the plans far more than you might think. Guests at Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg frequently suggest additions to escape route plans. "We implement such changes right away", says Mieding.

It's a business basic.

Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg has special requirements. "We are purely a business airport hotel", explains the Technical Manager. "Our guests attach great importance to complete safety, and as such the demands on us are considerable". The hotel also has active business links with airlines. The customer examines a hotel in minute detail before entering into any "crew business" agreements. "Without optimum signage and markings, we would have no chance in this business", says Mieding, who also reports that some foreign airlines brought 20-strong teams to inspect the potential crew hotel in Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel. Mieding adds that Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg is also subject to the stringent safety regulations imposed by its parent company - the international hotel chain Accor Hotels. As such, three years after an overhaul of the escape plans in the hotel's corridors, the room cards have also been replaced. P.E.R. has completely redesigned these plans too, and added a third language (French). The hotel has mounted the 146 DIN A4 room cards in the same way as the escape route plans. It was possible to reuse the existing brass frames. The hotel is happy with the result: "Not only are the plans clearly designed, they also look good and are a visual fit with the ambiance in the hotel room", says Hotel Manager Martin Duc Luong.

The experiences with P.E.R. products at Mercure Airport Hotel Hamburg are now benefitting a second hotel in the Fattal Group. In mid-2008, Fattal took over a former private hotel near the airport and now manages it under its proprietary brand as the "Leonardo Airport Hotel Hamburg". The hotel, with its 37 rooms, was not using escape plans at that point, so it was natural following the takeover that this shortcoming be addressed quickly. Michael Mieding, who is also responsible for Leonardo Airport Hotel Hamburg, reveals that P.E.R. was entrusted with this task its capacity as a safety way guidance systems specialist. "To date we have had only positive experiences with P.E.R.", he says. He goes on to explain that changes were implemented rapidly, revised plans were received within two days and communication in generally is very effective. Mieding was amazed at how staff at P.E.R. came up with the 37 room cards for Leonardo Airport Hotel in spite of poor original blueprints. "They did a good job".