Case Studies / Using CamStreamer Cloud and Panomax for the Promotion of Hotel Everest View

Using CamStreamer Cloud and Panomax for the Promotion of Hotel Everest View

04 Jan 2024 - 13:01

An interactive 4K live stream from the “Roof of the World” helps a high-altitude hotel attract future guests, monitor extreme weather conditions, and support helicopter aviation operations.

About the project

One of the greatest advantages of Nepal’s Hotel Everest View is its remarkable location. Situated within Sagarmatha National Park at an altitude of 3,880 meters (12,730 ft), the hotel offers breathtaking views of the Himalayas. Hotel management decided to highlight this unique feature by giving a global audience and potential guests an interactive preview of what awaits just beyond the hotel’s windows.

However, deploying a reliable live-streaming solution at such a high altitude presented significant challenges. “It sounded simple – install a camera and stream live – but there were many obstacles, including installing the camera in the middle of winter and the long journey from Lukla to Kathmandu, just to name a few,” notes Mani Gurung, Sales Engineer at Axis Communications.

Technical solution

For installation in these extreme conditions, the hotel selected the AXIS P1448-LE IP camera. As a leading option from Axis Communications’ range of high-performance network cameras, it was chosen for its unique 4K optical resolution, outstanding performance, and proven durability in harsh weather environments. Its advanced built-in processor allows several demanding streaming applications to run directly on the camera itself.

Remote Management with CamStreamer Cloud

The camera is fully connected to CamStreamer Cloud, an ecosystem chosen primarily for its remote access functionality. This feature significantly expands the possibilities for remote camera management and provides automatic system status alerts, which are crucial in harsh winter conditions. In addition, the cloud setup allows live streams to be recorded in Full HD (1080p/30fps) simultaneously to physical storage (the built-in SD card) and to the cloud. Cloud recordings remain accessible for 30 days, greatly simplifying video clip generation and post-production.

Informative Overlays and Intelligent Switching

The main live broadcast is managed directly by the CamStreamer App. To turn the stream into an information service, the hotel uses the CamOverlay App. This application includes a live weather forecast ticker, an interactive weather widget, and graphical information cards displaying the names and elevations of the surrounding mountain peaks.

To eliminate harsh wind noise, the stream uses ambient music instead of the camera’s audio. At night, the system uses the CamSwitcher App to automatically display a slideshow featuring historical photographs from the hotel’s construction, and at sunrise, the live video feed resumes seamlessly.

Customized Interactive Presentation with Panomax

Alongside the broadcast, the Panomax platform adds a deeply interactive layer to the presentation. This includes automated “Last Day” timelapse sequences and detailed peak labeling showing the elevations of neighboring mountain summits. Brand visibility is enhanced through a hyperlink embedded in the company logo.

Panomax also offers a personalized user menu that automatically adapts to the visitor’s browser language. Through this interface, users can browse a photo archive, compare images, select the best shots together with historical weather data, download the current view, send virtual postcards, or view a map showing the camera’s exact location and field of view (POV).

Result

“It is very useful for hotel guests to check the weather and know what to expect before visiting, and also for helicopter companies to verify weather conditions before landing at our hotel’s helipad.”

– Sonia Miyahara, Executive Director, Hotel Everest View

Running CamStreamer, CamOverlay, CamSwitcher, and Panomax together on a single Axis camera significantly increased both the marketing potential and the financial value of the solution. Thanks to the speed of the local internet connection, Hotel Everest View publicly streams to YouTube in 720p resolution, enhanced with informational overlays, branding, and graphics. At the same time, the IP camera captures video in full 4K resolution for the interactive Panomax presentation, complete with points of interest and high-resolution timelapse content.

The management is very satisfied with the solution. It successfully attracts new international guests while also providing invaluable and reliable services to hotel clients and commercial aviation partners.

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Case Studies / Using CamStreamer Cloud and Panomax for the Promotion of Hotel Everest View