Case Study for Banyan Tree, Seychelles 

The hotel industry is fraught with competition as international hotel groups compete to attract vacation goers in an industry worth 10% of the global GDP. Banyan Tree, a global hospitality brand offering luxurious stays in various locations worldwide, understands that pleasing its guests takes more than top-quality services.

Thus, amenities and supporting infrastructure, which rely on the building’s power distributive system, play an essential role in ensuring the guests have a pleasant stay. This case study explores how Banyan Tree managed power quality issues in their Seychelles’ resort with Ashley Edison solutions.

The Problem

Since its inception, Banyan Tree has grown from a Singaporean hotel brand to managing dozens of exclusive vacation resorts throughout global tourist spots, including in Seychelles. Banyan Tree Seychelles is nestled within a beach-facing tropical forest and offers gyms, restaurants & bars.

The assimilation with mother nature puts Banyan Tree Seychelles at the top of the vacation wishlist but not without a cost. Its remote location, dynamic amenities, and high occupancy subjected the resort to significant power quality issues. The luxurious resort was troubled with frequent equipment breakdowns that plagued communication and sensitive electronic devices.

The breakdown was not trivial, as Banyan Tree committed significant resources to repair the affected equipment. The issue is challenging for the resort, as it has to channel its budget to unplanned maintenance instead of upgrading its existing facilities and services. Indirectly, the degrading power quality is affecting the guest’s best interests. 

Banyan Tree has a long-standing reputation for offering luxurious stays in each of its hotels. As such, they are seeking a permanent solution to the power quality issue affecting its Seychelles resort. The search led Banyan Tree to Ashley Edison, a leading expert no stranger to the hospitality industry’s power problems. 

Our Diagnosis

Ashley Edison’s highly experienced engineering team soon visited the resort to investigate the root cause of the equipment failures. Our team leaves no stone unturned, and we concluded that Banyan Tree’s predicament lies in two factors.

• First, the resort is situated in a remote location. This results in a considerable distance between the resort and the power distribution station, which causes a significant voltage drop. In Seychelles, the nominal 3-phase voltage is 400V, but the resort receives much less than the required value.
• Second, Banyan Tree Seychelles derives its power from a conventional isolation transformer. The transformer is designed based on a fixed calculated value and is not tolerable to fluctuating loads. This means that the isolating transformer could not mitigate the resort’s varying load as tourists consume more electricity in the day.
• As a result, the resort receives a wide-ranging voltage from 352V to 438V. The huge variation is detrimental to the underlying equipment. Undervoltage may cause specific equipment to compensate by increasing the current, which leads to overheating. Meanwhile, exceeding the maximum allowable voltage may directly damage the equipment. 

The Ashley Edison Solution

Ashley Edison has helped clients in various industries overcome voltage challenges with a specialised range of Automatic Voltage regulators and Power Conditioning products. We understand that a clean voltage supply is pivotal to businesses, regardless of their industry. Banyan Tree Seychelles, being one of the finest beach resorts – deserves only the best solution. 

Proposing an Automatic Voltage Regulator takes more than calculating its load consumption, voltage swing, and other technical parameters. The fact that the resort is situated in a tropical climate and close to the ocean poses additional challenges. We needed to ensure that the proposed Automatic Voltage Regulator could withstand the year-long hot temperature and salt air corrosion. 

Our answer to Banyan Tree’s power quality issues is a high-precision 1,000 kVA Automatic Voltage Regulator. The voltage Regulator features a plug-and-forget servo electronic design. It requires virtually no maintenance and is ideal for a remote premise like Banyan Tree Seychelles.

High Precision 1,000 KVA Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR)

The Ashley Edison Automatic Voltage Regulator ensures that voltage is regulated within 1% of the nominal voltage. Besides high output accuracy, the voltage regulator has a 12% input tolerance to mitigate the wide input swing. With independent phase balancing & control, our solution provides the resort with a stable power supply regardless of its varying load.

We ensure that the AVR has a high enough capacity rating to cater to future expansions. We also mitigate potential environmental challenges that may affect the AVR’s durability as follow:

• The proposed AVR features Corrosion Resistant and Rust-Tolerant design. This is ideal for a beach resort like Banyan Tree Seychelles, which is susceptible to salt air corrosion
  
• It also includes TVSS and lightning surge protection, which shields connected loads during stormy days.
• Our AVR works in a hot environment, and we’ve installed the unit in the main switch room with forced air cooling. 

We’re aware that Banyan Tree’s operational team needs to be alerted of any anomalies in its power distribution system. They can do so by integrating the AVR’s remote monitoring capability with the building management system.

The Result

Our carefully-designed solution delivers immediate results upon installation. Banyan Tree Seychelles began to enjoy a clean, distortion-free power supply to its equipment and amenities. The resort is no longer troubled by costly equipment breakdowns and could prioritise its budget for upgrades. 

International tourists continue to revel in the tropical marvel along Intendance Bay. The installation of Ashley Edison’s AVR has eliminated the risks of unplanned downtime that could rob the fun out of vacation goers.

With a clean and stable power supply, Banyan Tree Seychelles continues to gain momentum in the tourism industry. It is now undergoing a major renovation as it prepares to welcome global visitors again. 

Conclusion

Power quality issues can bring a plethora of issues to hoteliers. Rather than committing to endless costly repairs, Banyan Tree has chosen the wise option of engaging the service of Ashley Edison for its Seychelles’ luxury beachside resort. 

To learn more about facility optimisation, drop us an email at sales@ashleyedison.com.

For more case studies about how elite tourist attractions, such as the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix have also adopted these industry techniques, read about their project here.