Double the effort double the success
Published: ASIA
The new Doubletree Hotel in Kuala Lumpur is boasting a wealth of new technology in it’s A/V system, as Richard Lawn reports
The Doubletree Hotel chain may be a highly recognised brand in North America, but to date it had been absent in southeast Asia. Most of its competitors have invested heavily in recent years by both expanding and upgrading their hotel networks in the Middle Eastern and Asian Pacific regions, so it was probably overdue when Hilton Hotels Corporation announced that it had entered into a management agreement with The Intermark Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur.
Located on the intersection of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Ampang, the new kid on the block has totally transformed the old Crown Princess Hotel in the Malaysian capital. The 540-room hotel is specifically aimed at business travellers. Therefore, the A/V systems throughout were given a high priority in order for the hotel to market itself correctly as being a complete provider of meetings, conferences, launches and functions on a regular basis.
As in the United States, the Doubletree hotel rewards its guests with a customary cookie upon checking in. The systems integrator, AFS Engineering Sdn Bhd and the consultant, Acoustic Luminaire Associates merited their own hotel awards on account of the simple to use, yet technologically advanced A/V technology they proposed and employed between the 1st and 34th floors. The brief passed down from the architect and the client onto the general contractor Al-ambia Sdn Bhd demanded that these systems be discretely installed within the fabric of the tastefully aesthetic splendour of its modern design and decor. Only the digital signage or video screens, when demanded, break the trend, while the BGM provided by a predominantly ceiling loudspeaker system can be evenly detected, but remain virtually invisible to the eye.
‘One of the first problems we identified on-site was that the electricity was humming a lot,’ disclosed AFS Engineering cost & design manager Ms Sandhi Soong. ‘We needed clean power supplies throughout, and once the ground earth connection was isolated, we added a filter. After that, we adhered to the specifications drawn by Patrick Foo at Acoustic Luminaries and it pretty much went according to plan.’
The approved plans ensured that AFS project engineer Tan Yeou Chee, Mr Koh and other site installers were provided with extra training so that they could fully understand some of the products and technologies they hadn’t encountered before. Distributor ProAktiv Systems provided much of this training and the time spent back in the classroom getting up close and personal with Wow Vision’s Pro Veos and Mini Veos wireless technology paid dividends, saving the installer a lot of time and budget as it dispensed with some of the cabling networks required for visual projections.
The main hubs of business activity in the hotel are concentrated onto the 10th and 11th levels. The divided ballroom and the main meeting rooms are on level 10, together with a pool, gymnasium and Italian restaurant. Supplied by ProAktiv Systems once again, Symetrix Symnet digital signal processing provides easy configuration of a zoned BGM system throughout the hotel’s public areas and function rooms.
Various 4x4 (four inputs, four outputs), 8x8 (eight inputs, eight outputs), 12x4 (12 inputs, four outputs) and 4x12 (four outputs, 12 inputs) CobraNet Express DSP processors route the audio signals to the various zones in which they are located. These can either be controlled by SymNet Designer software (SymVue), which has been downloaded onto a PC screen in the main control room, or individually in the zones themselves via ARC wall control panels. Music source and volume control can be configured from the individual ARC wall panels, with up to 10 panels receiving their power supply from a single ARC rack mounted unit via Klotz Cat-5e cabling. The processors are configured via RS-232 ports on the rear panel, after which they can be addressed and controlled over Ethernet. Transformers have been added for converting the digital signal output into the 100V line analogue speaker system.
The two 300 capacity, acoustically treated multifunction ballrooms are in constant use, and can be united to create one larger room. In terms of A/V presentations, every event can successfully be catered for, thanks to the design installed by the AFS Engineering Sdn Bhd team.
Included are Crestron 8-inch wireless TPMC-8X touch panels which provide instant control of DVD and PC laptop presentations, music, projection, cameras and lighting. The system is interfaced to an Extron Crosspoint Ultra Series 12-input, 8-output seamless switcher via an RS-232 connection. Receiving signals via the Pro Veos wireless infrastructure, the united and individual ballrooms are served by three Sanyo 5500 Ansi LCD and two NEC 3500 LCD projectors delivering images onto three motorised Da-Lite 300-inch diagonal and two Grandview 150-inch diagonal screens. Fibre-optic transmission of the events in the ballrooms is provided via Extron FOX500 transmitters and receivers, which can be patched and broadcast in the outside reception area or further afield. Three Sony SNC-RH124 PTZ HD cameras are located within the ballroom.
A total of 19 EAW CIS991 three-way ceiling speakers powered by RCF ED1100 amplifiers provide BGM and reinforced sound when required, while the pre-reception area is catered for by CIS80 speakers. For the lighting, Martin MAC575 moving heads are managed from a laptop in the control room via Martin Jockey software and these have been combined with Selecon Profile zoom spots and Fresnel lamps. A selection of Clockaudio microphones have been selected for various presentations and events. Although wired D500S models form part of the inventory, a wireless system offers a wider choice of handheld (CW-9000), headworn (HW1500) and clip-on (CL4) UHF options for live events. Knuckle joint (C801E) and gooseneck (C440E) versions are also available for presentations, whilst 20 RCF 6410 Forum microphones are used for conferences.
Two Versonic Prodigy consoles distinguished by their unique touchscreen user interfaces were selected for audio mixing in the ballrooms. This console was specifically designed for technicians who have never before managed sound at a live event. Devoid of an array of visible faders or routing buttons, Prodigy can either depict a graphically represented stage view or a traditional mix view. The mix view offers an array of channel strips like any other console, with the exception that the channels are set up in accordance with the stage layout. The stage view however, allows each channel to be set out according to the layout of the stage by dragging an instrument icon over an underlying photo of the stage and placing it on location in the order they appear. The simple layout removes complexity but not at the expense of functionality, as it supports equalisation, compression and processing together with control over each input and output. Settings for groups of microphones, bands of musicians and individual voices or instruments have been saved and recalled for later use. Control room monitoring of the ballroom audio is provided by a pair of Mackie MR8 wall mounted speakers.
The meeting rooms may be less sophisticated, but once again cater for every eventuality. EAW CIS80 8-inch coaxial ceiling speakers powered by RCF ED600 amplifiers supply the decibels, and a combination of NEC VT800 projectors and Grandview 150-inch diagonal screens provide the lumens via Wow Vision Pro Veos wireless technology. The outdoor pool area and gymnasium are the only parts of the Doubletree which show off their speaker systems in the form of EAW SMS4 speakers. The bulk of the cabling was provided by German manufacturer Klotz ais, in the form of MY206 microphone, LY215T loudspeaker twisted pair cable and C5SF/U Cat-5e cables.
Once the business has been conducted, guests can return refreshed to the 10th and 11th floors where they can enjoy Malay cuisine in the Makan Kitchen, featuring live interactive kitchens or the Italian trattoria surroundings of Tosca. Aperitifs, after dinner cocktails and a large variety of fine wines can be sampled in the rustic Cellar Door bar and lounge. BGM is supplied from a choice of sources via the Symnet DSP to neatly concealed EAW CIS80 ceiling speakers and Solid Drives SD1 ceiling suspended transducers, all powered once again by RCF ED600 amplifiers. A total of 26 SD1s also provide the BGM in the 34th floor Club Lounge which offers great views of the city-surrounding hills.
The distinctively designed Doubletree chain is a rising star in China, Thailand and now Malaysia. It has targeted its business visitors correctly by creating a comfortable and relaxing environment in which its facilities lack for nothing. The decision to include both Pro Veos wireless technology and Versonic touch screen mixing not only demonstrates Acoustic Luminaires’ knowledge of such cutting edge innovations but also the company’s willingness to go out on a limb by specifying them at a youthful stage in their development. As a systems integrator, AFS Engineering ticked all the right boxes for the General Contractor from the initial laying of cables to final commissioning. The simple to use and unobtrusive design that was carried out to the clients’ exact specifications also provides them with an extra cutting edge.