Keeping a Dream High-Tech Holiday Home Online
“Aperio Audio Visual were brilliant, turning my dream holiday home into a high-tech smart home. From guiding my initial thoughts about technology, to giving advice on what brands to buy, fit out of the property at the build stage and final installation, they’ve always delivered. The property at Lower Mill Estate is occupied most of the time with new guests every week. Our Control4 system is very simple with a choice of either a touch screen or remote to use, but visitors do sometimes unplug equipment. From the perspective of a holiday homeowner who is over a hundred miles away, it’s a great relief to know Aperio Audio Visual is monitoring the system and can be there fast if we do have any problems.”
Challenge – creating a dream holiday home
When Aperio Audio Visual’s client, Dale, chose a holiday home in the Cotswolds’ Lower Mill Estate, the family fell in love instantly with the developer’s plans for the modern lakeside property. As a unique selling point to attract holiday-makers, Dale wanted a high-tech holiday home with entertainment for everyone no matter what the weather. His vision included high-speed broadband, a games room, music and TVs in every room. Dale wanted to steer the design and choose the equipment, but he knew he needed a professional installation team. With new guests visiting every week and a busy job, Dale couldn’t field calls from the holiday letting company to provide technical support or fixes – the system had to be trouble-free and easy to use.
Approach – installing the system
Dale’s search for a smart home installations team led him to Aperio Audio Visual at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre. From the very first meeting, Aperio Audio Visual gave him confidence they would design and install a simple-to-use system with the equipment racked professionally and enclosed securely. The next step was to discuss and select the specific technology for each room. Once the equipment was agreed, Aperio Audio Visual produced technical drawings for pre-wiring. As Lower Mill Estate was under construction, Aperio Audio Visual visited the site with Dale to assess the plans for installation, equipment and the space. Once installed, Dale joined Aperio Audio Visual’s Client Support Plan to benefit from:
- Remote monitoring of the system
- Telephone support
- An early warning system and diagnostics for any incidents
- An annual system health-check
“We’ve had absolutely great service from Aperio Audio Visual, and I feel I can contact them any time. They are friendly, professional and the response time is excellent. A few minor construction snags affected the installation, which they sorted out immediately.”
Impact – a luxurious holiday retreat
With the smart home system, visitors have a single remote in each room, making it convenient and enjoyable to play a movie or music anywhere. The agent for Lakeside Spa Holidays advises Neptune Lodge is very popular with guests; people book again to return. Visitor occupancy is consistently around 60-70%, which Dale attributes to the high-tech systems, well-equipped kitchen and beautiful spa location. Feedback in the guest book and reviews on TripAdvisor are overwhelmingly positive – one review comments on, “the amazing sound system and games snug.”
With the Client Support Plan in place, Aperio Audio Visual can diagnose and resolve almost any issue remotely. On rare occasions when the holiday company receives a report that something isn’t working, they can call Aperio Audio Visual to solve it or arrange a site visit. The early warning system will alert Aperio Audio Visual if the system needs re-booting. For Dale, the responsiveness of the service reassures him that his dream holiday home is in safe hands and always online.
Tech kit
- Client Support Plan
- Control4 system with portable touch screen and in-room remote controls
- 4×4 HD Video Matrix
- Blu-ray player
- Samsung TVs
- Apple TV, Sky+HD and Now TV services
- Paradigm Soundbar and Sonos players
- Sony Playstation 4 and Nintendo Wii
- Fibre broadband router and wireless access points
- Managed PDU, power protection and battery backup
- Thermostatically controlled extraction
- Benefits from our ongoing client support plan
