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FEATURE


Sound advice


Rob Wood of Music Concierge offers some practical, operational tips for creating and maintaining atmosphere through sound in hotels.


people, and to gain an insight into their brands and see their design-led environments firsthand. From boutique properties in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, to the grand hotels of Europe, to underwater nightclubs in the Maldives, to towering F&B concepts in Middle Eastern skyscrapers, to the small and quirky – I’m there to research their interiors and audience, but also to ‘look’ at that intangible but essential element – atmosphere. In the last edition of Sleeper I explained


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how music identity and inspiring music content is integral to brand positioning. In this issue we’re going to look at the practical, operational and technical factors relating to sound and music that hoteliers need to create and maintain the perfect atmosphere. In other words here’s some operational tips for making your hotel sound great, and how to control it so it stays that way.


CENTRALISE YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM For newbuilds, or for hotels updating their AV infrastructure, where possible it is best to have a centrailsed audio system. This is where amplifiers and music player hardware are housed in a back-of-house IT or server room with the music distributed centrally to all hotel zones. Rather than each F&B outlet having its own separate audio system, this centralised method offers significant savings.


s a music consultant I’m lucky enough to visit hotels across the globe. It’s a privilege to work with some of the industry’s leading


It also provides a more seamless guest


experience. For instance, if two zones are sharing the same music identity as a guest walks around the hotel the music will be in sequence, and they won’t hear the same track being repeated ten minutes later in another zone. Or if a private hire wanted the same music across multiple areas it is easy to deliver with a central audio set up. It gives you flexibility.


GIVE YOUR HARDWARE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Ideally the hardware also needs to be in a temperature controlled, cool and clean environment away from guests and away from dirt. Amplifiers can fail if they get too hot and dirt blocks them up. Give your hardware air con and it will last longer.


UNDERSTAND THE ACOUSTICS OF THE SPACE For newbuilds it’s worth getting an acoustics specialist to analyse how sound will be travel and be absorbed in each zone. Contemporary hotel design tends to use lots of hard surfaces such as glass and metal all of which affects the sound of the space. An acoustics expert can map out problem areas and work with AV suppliers to make sure speakers are the right type and in the right position to prevent issues such as the effect of echo or ‘sound bleed’ between different sources of music. INVEST IN GOOD QUALITY SOUND The quality of your atmosphere and the


122 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM


sound of your hotel is certainly governed by the quality of the music content which needs to be carefully selected to be right for the brand, audience, zone, and time of day. But that is only part of the equation. There are other important factors in the ‘pipeline’ that delivers music content to people’s ears. The tracks ought to be in a high quality audio format – digital files at 192kbps sound thin, where as 320kbps or less sounds richer and warmer. The sound system itself needs to be to high spec. Investing in good sound quality pays off by creating far warmer atmospheres that guests will want to return to. The speakers need to be expertly installed in the right locations. Don’t let interior designers dictate where speakers are placed, unless they also happen to be an expert on sound! Chris Gunton from CGA who works with The Dorchester Collection emphasises: “Mount speakers relative to guests’ ears and think about where they are and how they move about so that you get a consistent delivery.” He advocates using ‘full range’ speakers where possible saying: “a well-designed sound system can help balance how sound is delivered throughout a room to minimise or completely avoid any ‘proximity effects’.” He also suggests getting a system


that is capable of delivering more than your maximum power. ‘The human ear attenuates itself – so what was loud at 8.30pm becomes normal by 9.30pm so you will always need more power than


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