The Client:

A U.S.-mainland-based installation company, working for an international hotel brand that recently took over properties in Guam and Saipan

Project Summary

After taking over the management of two hotels in Guam and Saipan, an international hospitality brand began a massive renovation, refurbishment, and rebranding project.

The project included a complete overhaul of both resorts’ fitness centers. Brand-new exercise equipment was ordered and shipped separately to both locations.

The hotel’s installation contractor hired DeWitt Guam to unpack, assemble, and install all of the gym equipment in the fitness centers, including treadmills, ellipticals, free weight racks, and a suspension bay. The client also hired two technicians employed by the equipment manufacturer, who were scheduled to be flown in to assist with the wiring and installation.

Both resorts were closed during renovations. As such, time was of the essence, since the hotel management company was eager to re-open and welcome visitors. However, the fitness center installation was delayed several times, due to changes in the overall project schedule.

The Challenge

As part of a complete renovation & refurbishment of two existing resorts, DeWitt Guam was hired as a subcontractor to install all-new gym equipment in each hotel’s fitness center.

• The fitness center install was just one piece of a multi-faceted project, and every piece had to be scheduled and completed in a specific order. Because of delays in other areas of the project, the fitness center installation had to be rescheduled several times.
• Despite these changes—and due to the renovation’s tight overall timeline—the client’s goal remained unchanged: They wanted both locations completed in five working days.
• Finally, incomplete shipments and external personnel problems added additional complexity to this project at the last minute, challenging the team—and the projected timeline.

The Solution

Despite several reschedules—which had to be carefully coordinated to ensure the DeWitt Guam team’s availability and to comply with changing COVID-19 procedures on both islands—the team was able to schedule the installation to accommodate the client’s original requested schedule: five working days for completion.

On the first day of the project, DeWitt Guam’s installation team arrived at the Guam location, only to discover that:

• Although two outside technicians were scheduled to assist on the project, only one was able to make the journey to Guam.
• The supplied HDMI cords were too short.

With assistance from the Project Lead at DeWitt Guam headquarters in Tamuning, the team was able to source new HDMI cords on Guam. Additionally, despite being down one technician, the team was still able to complete the installation as planned, then head to Saipan as scheduled.

The team also discovered a similar problem with the HDMI cords when they arrived for the installation in Saipan. However, the team collaborated with local contacts to source new HDMI cords and complete the Saipan install on time.

The Results

Flexibility in scheduling, plus continued communication with the client—including mid-install and post-install photos—established a strong working relationship and a foundation of trust between all parties.

On the basis of that relationship, the installation company hired the DeWitt Guam team for ongoing maintenance of the exercise equipment on both islands.