Comelit Video Intercom Installation at DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West

Parker Custom Security installed a Comelit video intercom at DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West, a hotel at 350 West 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan, across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The system has two main parts: a slim Comelit video door station mounted on the exposed brick column at the hotel's entrance, and a hands-free Comelit color video monitor on the front desk. When someone presses the call button outside, front desk staff can see who is there on the monitor and talk with them before letting them in, without leaving the desk. The monitor includes a door-release button and two function buttons. Because the entrance walls are exposed brick, Parker ran the wiring in a neat surface raceway instead of cutting into the masonry, and installed the system's power supply out of sight. Comelit is an Italian door entry manufacturer, and Parker provides commercial intercom installation and repair across NYC.

The Comelit video door station at the hotel entrance, 350 West 40th Street, Manhattan.

A Comelit Video Intercom for DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West

A hotel entrance in Midtown sees a constant flow of guests, visitors, couriers, and deliveries. The front desk needs to know who is at the door and decide who gets in, while still checking guests in and answering the phone. An audio-only buzzer leaves staff guessing. A video intercom lets them see the person first.

DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West sits on West 40th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, at the edge of Hell's Kitchen and the Times Square district. The hotel hired Parker Custom Security to install a Comelit video intercom kit connecting the entrance to the front desk.

The Challenge: Exposed Brick and a Busy Front Desk

Two things shaped this installation:

• Exposed brick at the entrance: the door station had to go on a brick column that is part of the hotel's look. Cutting channels into the brick for the wiring would have left permanent damage.
• A front desk that never stops: the monitor had to fit on a working counter, answer calls hands-free, and let staff respond in a few seconds.
• Clean, reliable power: the system's power supply had to be installed out of the way, where it would not be bumped or unplugged.

The door station on the brick column, with the street entrance beside it.

Wiring runs in surface raceway along the brick instead of being cut into it.

Sound Familiar? Entry Problems Hotel and Building Managers Know

If you manage a hotel, office, or mixed-use building in Manhattan, some of these will sound familiar:

• "Staff keep running to the door." Without an intercom, someone has to leave the desk every time a person knocks.
• "We buzzed someone in and had no idea who it was." Audio-only buzzers make it hard to tell a guest from a stranger.
• "Our old intercom only works some of the time." Aging systems crackle, drop calls, or stop releasing the door.
• "We don't want to tear up the walls." In buildings with exposed brick or finished lobbies, how the wiring is run matters as much as the equipment.

The Solution: A Comelit Video Intercom Kit

Parker installed a Comelit video intercom kit with these components:

• Entrance door station: a slim, dark Comelit station with a camera and call button, surface-mounted on the brick column at the entrance.
• Front desk video monitor: a white, hands-free Comelit monitor with a color screen. Staff see the visitor as soon as the call comes in and can talk without picking up a handset.
• Monitor controls: a door-release button, two function buttons, and a mute button, all on the face of the monitor.
• Wiring and power: cable in surface raceway along the brick, and the system power supply installed in a back-of-house area.

The hands-free Comelit monitor on the front desk, showing the live view from the entrance.

Installing an Intercom on Exposed Brick

Exposed brick is common in Manhattan hotels, restaurants, and converted buildings, and it is unforgiving: once a channel is cut into it, it cannot be hidden. Parker surface-mounted the door station directly on the brick and ran the cable in white surface raceway along the face of the brick. If the intercom is ever moved or upgraded, the raceway comes off and the brick is still intact.

The system's power supply and connections were installed in a back-of-house area next to the existing electrical boxes, where staff will not disturb them and a technician can reach them easily for service.

The intercom power supply and connections, installed out of sight in a back-of-house area.

Comelit Video Intercoms: Design & Specifications

Comelit makes door entry systems for everything from a single entrance to large apartment buildings. A few things to know when choosing one for a commercial property:

Video kits vs. building systems

• Video kit: a door station and a monitor packaged together, the right fit for one entrance answered from one location, such as a hotel front desk or an office reception.
• Multi-tenant systems: larger Comelit systems connect one entrance panel to many apartments or offices, each with its own monitor or handset.

Door stations

• Camera and call button: a single-button station calls one destination, which suits a staffed front desk.
• Mounting: surface-mount stations go on brick, stone, or metal without cutting into the wall; flush-mount stations need a recessed box.
• Placement: the station should sit at a comfortable height where the camera sees the visitor's face, out of direct glare from glass doors.

Monitors

• Hands-free: staff answer by touch and talk without a handset, which suits a busy desk.
• Door release: a dedicated button can be connected to an electric strike or magnetic lock so staff can open the door from the desk.
• Expansion: monitors can often be added for a second desk or a back office, and the entrance can later be tied into access control for staff key cards or fobs.

The Finished Result

DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West now has a video intercom between its entrance and its front desk. Visitors press one button, staff see and talk with them on a hands-free color monitor, and the exposed brick at the entrance is undamaged. The system is a standard Comelit kit, so it can be serviced and expanded without starting over.

Why Manhattan Businesses Choose Parker Custom Security

Hotels, offices, and property managers need an intercom contractor who also understands the doors and locks the intercom controls. Parker's other work in the neighborhood includes aluminum and hollow metal doors at 325 West 52nd Street in Hell's Kitchen, and Parker recently installed an Elvox video intercom at a gate and building entrance in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

• In business since 2003: more than two decades of intercoms, entrances, and door hardware in New York City.
• Multiple intercom brands: Comelit, Elvox, Aiphone, Mircom, ButterflyMX, and more, chosen to fit the building.
• Doors, locks, and intercoms from one team: including electric strikes, closers, and other commercial door hardware.
• Licensed, bonded, and insured, serving Manhattan, all five boroughs, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey.