Hotel AV // feature
trade, identified that two Amina AIW5 80
watt plaster-in-wall speakers located in the
ceiling would seamlessly deliver the sound
without having speakers on display.
As the name suggests the loudspeakers
are installed, plastered over and once
decorated, are invisible.
Unlike traditional pistonic-movement
speakers, Amina speakers work in
the same way as natural percussion
instruments, such as the acoustic guitar
or piano, whereby the vibration created in
the body of the instrument produces the
sound.
Rather than strings, in these speakers
The Hotel Vincci Palace in Valencia
excitation drivers set up small vibrations in
A major part of the interior the sound panel. These transfer from the
scheme was to use the lighting sound panel through the plaster and paint
to create drama and mood or wallpaper that is placed on top of it, and
throughout the 76 bedrooms then excite air molecules at the surface.
of the hotel no matter what the “Many of the audio issues the
time of day or night. development threw up were solved by
Roberto Molero, director of installing Amina Plaster In-Wall speakers,”
projects, works, maintenance said Steve Bristo from Soundceilings. “This has resulted in The Bingham
and decoration department at fruitful use of space and an AV system that has flexibility to treat
Hotel in
Vincci Hotels, explained further, each room as a separate entity as well as one large space.”
London
“By using dramatic lighting In the three function rooms in the Garden Suite, the company
schemes in the public areas and installed a pair of Amina AIW3 40 Watt speakers in the ceilings.
installing Lutron’s lighting and This meant that each room could have its own audio or could
blinds control technology in the be fed from one source. A Soundceiling system was installed in
private rooms, we are now able the ballroom to give a high sound volume dance floor.
to offer guests the ability to change the mood of their interiors The advantages of using in-wall speakers in the hotel
at any given time, for maximum effect.” environment, other than eliminating potential eye-sores in
Working alongside architect, Esther Falcó, from GCA minimalist designs, is that the sound created evolves from many
Arquitectes, the lighting scheme for the hotel’s private and parts of the soundboard diffusing across the room. This means
public areas was directed by its need for drama, functionality there is less echo and any sound reflection is positive rather
and versatility. than destructive – adding to the sound not diminishing it.
“Different light levels can dramatically alter a space at any
installer comment
given time of the day or night. With the Vincci Palace, we
wanted drama in the public and private areas and the facility to
Custom installer, Beyond The Invisible is no stranger to the hotel
offer guests ultimate light control in their rooms whatever the
market, having completed various projects in such settings. Jane
mood or time of day,” Esther explained. “To do this, we needed
Scotland, director of the company, highlights the difference between
a lighting control system such as Lutron’s GRAFIK Eye Power
hotel and residential projects.
Module that could offer both programming flexibility and ease
of use for our guests.”
“Ease of use is paramount when working in the hotel environment, it
Lutron’s GRAFIK Eye Power Module, GRX-PM6, offers
has to be very obvious to anyone staying in the room how to use the lights
otherwise it will be a frustrating experience for both the guest and hotel.
users 16 preset lighting control scenes and interfaces to other
Hotel guests seldom stay for more than a few nights, particularly in city
systems. By offering light level fade times between lighting
centre hotels. By their very nature, hotels cater for a wide range of people
scenes from as little as 0-59 seconds, through to 1-60 minutes,
of all ages, nationalities and experience in anything technical. Also energy
lights can be programmed to change as quickly or as slowly as efficiency is important due to the scale of the buildings. Hotels don’t want
required between each preset scene. lights and entertainment systems left on while rooms are unoccupied and
With the ability to be pre-programmed with specific lighting
the lighting in public areas has to be as energy efficient as possible. At the
scenes, Roberto worked with Esther to determine the most
same time the ambience and feel of both the public and private areas is very
required lighting scenes in the bathroom and living areas
important. Lighting design and control is a big part of the interior design
and these were then programmed into four pre-set ambience
process.
“The goal for any hotel is to achieve as close to 100 per cent occupancy as
buttons – ‘Welcome’, ‘Good Morning’, ‘Relax’ and ‘Reading’.
possible. If there is a fault with either the lighting or entertainment, the room
It is this attention to detail and full control that hotels must
can’t be rented and the hotel loses money.
emphasise in order to gain large-scale contracts within the sector.
“Access for maintenance is a much bigger consideration in hotels. Rooms
are almost never available for anything other than a few hours. In hotel
Amina speakers help to transform projects we’ve worked on, the lighting panels are situated in the corridors
boutique hotel
rather than in the rooms so no access to the room is required to perform
The Bingham, one of the leading boutique hotels in London,
repairs, alterations and maintenance.
marries the sumptuous surroundings of Georgian Grand House
“When it comes to actually winning
with state-of-the-art technology for its guests. When the hotel
installation contracts, large hotel chains are
more challenging as the contracts are managed
needed to offer 21st century AV for the garden rooms and at
centrally across multiple locations in many
the same time provide a design sympathetic solution in the
different countries. A decision about a particular
Georgian Style Bar, they solved a variety of problems with one pic
lighting control or entertainment system can
selection - Amina’s invisible plaster-in loudspeakers. missing be made in one country and then rolled out
“At the Bingham, we believe a lounge bar should be a place globally. Smaller family-owned and run hotels
to relax, enjoy a drink, and unwind in front of the fireplace. The
are easier as you can get closer to the decision
room is the star, and we wanted a solution that was sympathetic
makers. At the higher end they are looking
to the Georgian features, be minimalist, but deliver superb
at ways to differentiate themselves from the
sound quality”, said Isador Gorgevik, manager of the hotel.
chains.”
Soundceilings, which specialises in AV for the hospitality
www.custominstaller.co.uk May 2009 21
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36