The Hotel William Gray is a beautiful new boutique hotel in the heart of Old Montreal. The eight-story building consists of a recently constructed glass tower integrated with two historic buildings that date back to the 18th century. The hotel features 127 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of event space, including an upscale restaurant and lounge, roof terrace, luxury spa with outdoor pool, ballroom, indoor garden, fitness center, stylish clothing store and Café Olimpico—a well-known Montreal establishment.

The Antonopoulos Group, which owns the property, wanted a new audio system and hired Moog Audio to install a system that would match the hotel’s chic style and provide a superior listening experience for guests. “We were chosen for the project because our designs are very strong technically,” said Alexandre Kano, President of Moog Audio. “We always use the latest technology, and our clients know the system will be up to date.”

Moog Audio wanted to create a single, centralized interconnected system that would allow the staff to play the same music throughout all of the hotel’s different areas, creating a consistent, cohesive atmosphere for guests.

Developing one system for the entire hotel proved to be a challenge, because each region had unique requirements. The restaurant required larger accommodate musical performances, while the ballroom needed versatile speakers that could be optimized for conferences and presentations. The outdoor terrace speakers had to be weatherproof to protect them against the elements.

Moog Audio selected a complete HARMAN Professional Solutions system, consisting of JBL Control Series speakers, Crown amplifiers and a BSS Audio networked audio system. The integrated system was able to provide Hotel William Gray with exceptional sound quality, easy-to-use operation and clean, modern styling. With the wide variety of speaker sizes in the JBL Control Series line, Moog Audio was able to customize the solution for each environment. “The JBL Control Series speakers are very compact, and they deliver so much sound for their size. Also, the colors and grills of the speakers are aesthetically beautiful,” said Kano.

“There are so many different Control Series models that we were able to adapt to each different room and suit any occasion,” said Kano. “We used the JBL Control 25 speakers in the restaurant, so DJs or small bands could play. During the hotel’s opening, they had a DJ hook his gear directly into the system without any additional speakers. People were coming up to the DJ and telling him how good it sounded.”

Due to the customizable nature of the BSS Audio system, Moog Audio was able to create presets to minimize any feedback and easily tune the system, room-by-room, ensuring that everything was operating at maximum efficiency without any frequency issues.

“In the ballroom, where they have a lot of conferences, we isolated all the frequencies that can cause feedback and saved them in the system,” said Kano. “In the restaurant, we used a leveling feature to make sure the music stays at a constant volume while guests are dining. The entire system is very consistent.”

SC Media Canada supplied all of the audio equipment for the project. Using a single distributor and a complete HARMAN solution helped Moog Audio streamline the installation process and complete the project quickly and efficiently.

“For a big project like this, there are so many components involved, from audio processing and amplification to speakers and brackets,” said Kano. “The support from SC Media and HARMAN was amazing. They came to the site, tested everything and helped us solve any issues that came up. Instead of having to deal with 15 other distributors, we were able to use one manufacturer and distributor. The hotel staff has told us how simple and seamless the system is to use, and the client told us it was one of the best projects they’ve ever done. It was a huge project and everything is working flawlessly. The system is bulletproof.”

Many thanks to Alexandre Kano for his insights into Hotel William Gray’s new sound system. Are you a system designer, integrator or AV pro who manages the audio needs of a hotel or resort? If so, share your tips and tricks in the comments.