Classification of protected objects and system selection for hotel automatic fire alarm systems

Classification of protected objects and system selection for hotel automatic fire alarm systems

I am fire protection expert Alexander Li. In the design of hotel automatic fire alarm systems, protection object classification and system selection are the core foundation determining the effectiveness of the entire fire protection system—they directly affect detector layout, linkage control logic, power supply configuration, and later operation and maintenance costs. According to the Code for Design of Automatic Fire Alarm Systems (GB50116-2013), hotels, as places with dense occupancy, must strictly follow the code in their classification and selection, and be optimized in combination with actual operational needs.

Protection Object Classification

• Level 1 protection objects: Super high-rise hotels with building height exceeding 100 m, or Class I high-rise public buildings (such as hotels with more than 100 guest rooms). For example, Article 3.1.1 explicitly states: "Class I high-rise public buildings shall be equipped with automatic fire alarm systems, and the system shall be Level 1."
• Level 2 protection objects: Class II high-rise hotels with building height not exceeding 54 m, or multi-storey hotels not exceeding 24 m (such as economy hotels with fewer than 100 guest rooms). However, according to Article 3.1.3, if the hotel contains singing, dancing, entertainment, and amusement venues (such as KTVs and banquet halls), it must be upgraded to Level 1.
• Level 3 protection objects: Only applicable to small, low-risk premises (such as rural homestays), but hotels are almost never applicable.

System Selection

• Centralized alarm system: Applicable to high-rise hotels that are Level 1 protection objects (such as height exceeding 50 m). The system consists of fire detectors, manual alarm call points, regional displays, and a centralized controller. For example, Article 3.2.2 requires: "A centralized alarm system shall be provided with a fire control room, and the controller shall have linkage control functions." In hotels, this enables zoned management of guest rooms, corridors, and public areas.
• Control center alarm system: Applicable to super high-rise hotels (height exceeding 100 m) or large hotel complexes (containing multiple functional blocks). Article 3.2.3 stipulates: "A control center alarm system requires two or more fire control rooms, with the main control room responsible for global linkage." I once was responsible for a complex project containing a hotel, shopping mall, and office building, which adopted this system, connecting each control room via a fiber-optic ring network to ensure emergency response speed.

Practical case:
In 2019, I participated in the fire protection system design of a five-star hotel (48 storeys, height 160 m). The original design was determined as a centralized alarm system, but during review it was found that the hotel included an underground garage, boiler room, and banquet hall (area exceeding 2,000 ㎡). According to Article 3.2.3 of GB50116, we upgraded it to a control center alarm system: the main control room was set on the first floor, and the auxiliary control room was set in the fire pump room. The system adopted intelligent detectors (such as Honeywell Notifier series), with linkage to fans, water pumps, and sound and light alarms. During acceptance, through simulated fire testing, the linkage response time was less than 5 seconds, meeting the code requirements.

Concluding Summary

The above are reference opinions. The actual project situation still needs further comprehensive evaluation and implementation in combination with specific working conditions, site conditions, and other factors.