Elysian at the District: Perfecting the Multifamily Resident Experience

The Challenge: Elysian at the District boasted top-tier amenities but lagged behind in access control

Greystar property Elysian at the District offered a mostly nice, but incomplete technology package to its residents.

“[The property] had older locks, which caused a few issues for our residents and onsite team,” said Antonette Patterson, senior regional manager for Greystar’s Las Vegas market. “It also just didn’t have that polished aesthetic we wanted in our luxury communities. We needed to bring [the property] up to the speed and sophistication of its newer sister properties.”

Greystar selected an initial supplier to implement the upgrade, but the process became fraught with unnecessary complications and overlooked issues, resulting in unacceptable delays that spanned several months.

Ultimately, Greystar was forced to pull out of the project with the supplier. However, the company remained committed to its goal of enhancing access-control capabilities for Elysian at the District and decided not to cancel the initiative altogether.

But a technology upgrade was still imminently needed.

Finding the right partner in SmartRent

Greystar promptly shifted gears when the initial supplier partnership faltered. The company diligently searched for a new technology supplier and found the perfect fit in SmartRent.

“[Elysian at the District] already had one of the highest tech packages, but we removed that and put in the SmartRent product,” Patterson said. “That was an easy sell to residents, because though we were taking something away from residents, we were giving them something better.”

The Solution: A seamless transition to SmartRent’s Alloy Access system

After careful consideration, Greystar made the decision to retrofit Elysian at the District with SmartRent's cutting-edge smart home package and cloud-based Alloy Access system.

Patterson said SmartRent impressed the Greystar team with three things:

1. The thoughtfulness of its design solutions
2. The seamless integration of the Alloy Access system
3. Their timely delivery schedule

Thanks to SmartRent's expertise, all 360 homes were equipped with the new technology in less than two months, even in the face of extreme summer temperatures in the desert. The SmartRent team made sure every aspect of the installation was carefully thought out.

“[SmartRent] conducted an extremely efficient install and integration,” Patterson said, “and even found ways to relocate the hubs since our garages get too hot in the summer.”

What SmartRent solutions do for Elysian at the District

• Offer residents full smart control: Residents get complete control of their home—including the thermostat—via their smartphones.
• Eliminate need for physical keys: No more hardcopies of keys to track—or guests stopping by the office to ask to be let into a resident’s apartment.
• Provide effective, high-tech vehicle access management: Secure community access and parking management, made easy.
• Foster energy savings: Staff members can control thermostat settings remotely to reduce energy use during apartment turns or vacancies, and optimize interior temperatures for tours. Staff can also be effectively managed re: access control, productivity, preservation of assets, etc., all from SmartRent’s single integrated interface
• Assist with staff management: SmartRent’s single integrated interface can manage staff’s access control, productivity, preservation of assets, etc.

The Results: SmartRent improves resident experience, and makes management operations smoother and easier

Residents of the District have expressed their satisfaction with being able to control their homes through their personal smart devices, especially when it comes to managing access to their homes and interior climate control. The team at Elysian at the District also benefits from the ability to remotely control thermostat settings in order to reduce energy use during apartment turns or vacancies, and optimize climate controls when tours are scheduled.

“The smart thermostats have been incredibly helpful,” Patterson reported. “With the weather that we get in Las Vegas, residents love being able to either set a thermostat schedule or adjust it from the app, so they always return home with their apartments at the setting they like.”

SmartRent's many options for maintenance, upkeep and preservation of assets also have impressed Patterson—particularly the Alloy Leak Sensors. She noted having had to replace entire under-sink cabinets multiple times due to damage from hidden leaks.

Alloy Leak Sensors ensure your assets and home are protected. When a leak sensor is triggered by a plumbing leak, it emits an audible and continuous beeping sound. In addition, the SmartRent interface automatically alerts the resident via email and text and automatically generates a work order when a leak is detected near an appliance or fixture.

Moving forward

Patterson has been so impressed with SmartRent's products and hardware options that she has been pitching them to other Greystar properties. The immediate return on investment from their initial SmartRent product deployments has convinced her to take advantage of more solutions moving forward, and she hopes to fully equip new developments in her portfolio with SmartRent's innovative technology.

By having everything packaged inside one app, life becomes much easier and there is definitely money to be saved in the long run.

“Previously, residents would sometimes forget to tell us that they need to have somebody let in or have us give them a key, so [using SmartRent solutions] has been super beneficial,” Patterson noted. “No one has to fumble for keys. It’s just easier to get [guests and vendors] through the vehicle gates [and into residents’ homes] . . . It has made things so much better for us, for our residents, and for their guests.”