One of India’s most luxurious and renowned hotels, the five-star JW Marriot in Pune has matched its opulence with its sound systems through an installation of Tannoy and Lab.gruppen technology inside and outside the building.
The project to bring this signature sound began when Pancheel Reality, a multi-asset class real estate development company based in Pune, was invited to help the hotel ‘redefine hospitality’.
Pancheel turned to A/V specialists that it knew could handle a job of this scale. Led by Sachin Jain, designer and consultant for audiovisuals, the project would eventually see the hotel install Tannoy loudspeaker systems and Lab.gruppen amplifiers throughout its premises.
‘Audio in this hotel is digital which is not very common in India,’ Jain explains. ‘With these products, you can route music from any floor to any floor, any source to any other place. You also have dynamic volumes controls in place in various zones which are then digitally attached to your central rack, which is in a central location.
He explains that the thinking behind the project was to get a more detailed design, and a consultant such as himself who would be more actively involved in the project, who could understand the requirements, and as he puts it, ‘design spec the right products’, the ‘right equipment’, and ultimately, the ‘right solutions’.
‘We were really impressed with Tannoy as a brand,’ he continues. ‘The CMS series, the 501DC, the ICT series… the sound from these products is fantastic and really impresses us. Although it was a premium brand and it meant spending more money, compromise was not an option. The owners were also very particular about the quality of sound of music and sound they were going to have – that’s what put Tannoy in the driving seat, and that was the deciding factor.
In total, more than 400 Tannoy loudspeakers were used throughout the hotel, mainly CMS Series complemented by Di and VX Series for extra reinforcement where required: ‘In areas [of the hotel] you will see the speakers blend into the aesthetics and gives that stunning sound that with visual appeal. It’s all turned out well and people have appreciated it – the hotel has got a lot of good reviews across Asia and today features as one of the top hotels in India and is still the busiest hotel in Pune. That makes you appreciate being involved in a project such as this.’
The choice of Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers also worked within the environment: ‘Because of the amplifiers’ small design, we could save a lot of space in the controls room and this really helped us during the install phase. The products flexibility offers control of various gains and variable power on different channels – that is an added benefit because in hotels, you have three or four loops, and not each loop requires the same amount of power that runs into that. Lab.gruppen have been extremely flexible and helpful, and on hand 24/7 over the past three years to help us with any questions or problems, and that kind of back up support is invaluable on a project of this scale.’
‘Very few hotels in India can compare to this hotel in terms of the finish, in terms of the interior, and now, in terms of the sound technology,’ Jain concludes. ‘Not a lot of people give us the opportunity of using the right product in the right quantity – people usually want to save on cost, but not this hotel.
