The Client

Royal Lancaster London is one of London’s most iconic landmarks and stands proudly on the border of Hyde Park offering breath-taking views of the famous London skyline.

With more than 400 guest rooms and suites, Royal Lancaster London offers timeless classic style, sumptuous comfort and spectacular views. Each room is designed with every luxury and amenity to hand to ensure stays are truly memorable.

Built during London’s swinging 60’s, and opening in 1967, Royal Lancaster London is an independently owned, commanding mid-century architectural icon. Sister hotels include, The Landmark, London, K West Hotel & Spa and Basil Street Apartments, Knightsbridge.

Interestingly, the hotel was originally designed to be the corporate offices of the Rank Organisation, a huge British conglomerate in the entertainment industry at the time; however with a shortage of hotel space for the ever-growing number of tourists, the UK Government at the time decided to award grants for every new hotel room built, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, Royal Lancaster, London is as popular as ever with tourist guests. It is also one of Europe’s leading event venues, with several renowned event spaces including the Nine Kings Suite and the Westbourne Suite. Capable of seating 1150 and 1000 guests respectively or 1500 guests standing, these magnificent rooms are perfect for hosting fabulous events and large scale conferences.

Dining options include the beautiful Nipa Thai restaurant, the legendary Park Restaurant, with stunning floor-to-ceiling views of Hyde Park and the Island Grill. Afternoon tea, a quintessential British tradition, is also available in the Park Lounge Bar.

Project Brief

Royal Lancaster London recently underwent an £80m plus renovation programme to enhance visitor and guest experiences. We were called in as AV Consultants by project manager Keith Gilchrist having partnered together on a number of other prestigious venue sound system installation projects including Aqua at the Shard, London.

We were asked to overhaul and upgrade the existing audio system installations throughout the hotel’s public and events spaces.

System Solution

The first phase of the project saw the installation of a variety of new systems: we installed six compact Martin Audio CCD5 surface loudspeakers in white in the foyer/lobby area at high-level, hidden discreetly behind a facade to allow them to be heard without being visible.

A total of twenty Martin Audio C4.8T flush-mount ceiling speakers are installed in the reception lounge, living lounge, lobby and Kings Lobby areas, with an additional four Martin Audio C6.8T ceiling speakers installed in the food & beverage lounge area.

A BSS BLU10 remote control panel is installed at the Concierge desk which provides volume and source select for each of the various areas.

Loudspeakers on the ground floor are powered using Cloud VTX 4120 four channel power amplifiers, fitted with CXL100T 100V transformers. The loudspeakers are connected to the system racks located in the ground-floor IT and communications room with audio routed via BSS BLU100 digital networked audio processors.

For the second phase of the project at Royal Lancaster, London we were required to remove, refurbish, re-configure and reinstall a number of existing JBL and Bose loudspeaker systems in the first floor Bar and Lounge areas. This part of the project also required the installation of additional Bose DS16f and Martin 4.8T flush-mount ceiling speakers in the Park restaurant.

We also installed a BSS BLU103 digital networked audio processor in the sound system rack in the first-floor communications room, fitted with a VOIP telephone interface. We took advantage of the BLU link audio bus to provide a communications link between the BSS digital networked audio processor on the ground floor and the first-floor communications room. The VOIP telephone interface allows the hotel’s phone system to integrate with the installed sound system to make public address and life safety announcements.

Remote control throughout the venue is facilitated by two BSS BLU10 programmable remote control LED panels – one at the ground-floor concierge desk and one in the first-floor Park Lounge – plus four BSS BLU3 remote volume control/source select panels strategically positioned in the Park Restaurant, the Nine Kings reception lobby and at the first-floor reception desk connected to the BSS BLU digital processors for localised control throughout the venue.

An additional Apple iPad bespoke control interface also allows the management team and staff to adjust the sound system as required.

The Result

“Minimal business interruption and first-rate service are critical for the projects at the Royal Lancaster Hotel. Sound Division always delivers on time and with minimal fuss. We now have fully functioning, professional systems throughout the venue in keeping with our world-class services. Sound Division is a valued partner.” — Keith Gilchrist, Partner, Cumming Europe

• Architect: Ashleigh House Developments
• Main Contractors: WFC Contractors Ltd / SHT Contractors Ltd
• Project Management: Cumming Europe Ltd
• Interior Designer: Studio Proof
• MEP Consultant: Kontrax Management Ltd
• Lighting Consultant: INTO Lighting