Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is the first major hotel to be built in London since the Second World War. We look at how the team has used Crestron’s control solutions to provide up-to-the-minute technology in rooms, conference and leisure facilities.
Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is the first major hotel to be built in London since the Second World War. Built at a cost of £350m, in the heart of London’s buzzing South Bank, Park Plaza offers views to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Amongst the many notable features incorporated into the technology design, is the Crestron control platform that runs over the hotel LAN.
The hotel balances top-class hospitality for guests, with groundbreaking technology and entertainment systems in the public areas. This successful combination has been achieved with a blend of technology, the integration skills of Barkai, and an M&E scheme designed by Electra. he design team behind the impressive project includes BUJ Architects and Uri Blumenthal Architects & Town Planners, GEAR Construction Project Management and Israeli interior designer Eyal Shoan.
Ronen Brookstein of Barkai says: “Any hotel will have many disparate electrical, audio-visual and IT systems running through it. Being able to operate them on a single platform is hugely beneficial. The Crestron platform gives the hotel management a fully integrated, but ultimately flexible approach to managing lighting and AV in the hotel lobby, lounges, ballroom and spa. Considering the complexity of the installation, programming and system configuration was also fast and simple, a great advantage in a hotel project that was hugely time-pressured.”
A light touch
Setting the scene in public areas such as lobby, lounges and meeting rooms is Crestron Green Light lighting control. The system obtains the perfect mix of functional lighting and atmospheric moods to suit time of day and activity – whether an uplifting welcome for guests or lavish evening cocktail party in the hotel lounge, the system makes an impression.
As Ronen Brookstein points out, there are other factors to consider when specifying a hotel lighting control system: “Crucial to the success of a hotel lighting control system is its ease-of-use; staff need to be able to switch between scenes and set the correct lighting levels at the touch of a button. With Green Light from Crestron we were able to incorporate intuitive user interfaces, such as wall-mounted touch panels, for maximum effectiveness and efficiency.”
Background music is also a key element in creating the right mood for guests. The main lobby and public area audio is effectively managed by Crestron’s iServer. This practical and cost-effective network audio server solution utilises the iPod to maximise user friendliness and convenience. The iPod plugs into the rack-mounted iServer and has high-speed Ethernet connectivity to enable full integration with the Crestron control system.
Corporate visitors are also well catered for via the 2700m² of meeting space which has 35 dedicated meeting rooms. The unique design of the hotel’s convenient “layered” meeting space layout, includes three consecutive conference floors with dedicated lifts and stairs, so that delegates can quickly and easily move from one meeting room to another. Integrating the AV equipment in this area is a Crestron MC2E processor. Featuring an enhanced real-time operating system that makes it among the fastest, most reliable control systems available, the MC2E controls all projectors, plasma displays, switchers, DVD players, screens, lifts, in the meeting rooms and zones.
Rest assured
For those that just want to relax while at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge there is an on-site spa, a 15-metre pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. In these areas Crestron multi-room audio and lighting combine to maximum effect. The AADS (Adagio Audio Distribution System) delivers high-performance multi-room audio distribution in all areas via over 50 in-ceiling speakers that blend discreetly with the interior scheme. The AADS provides sophisticated audio signal routing, processing, and amplification that is controllable from the LCD-driven front panel and room controllers. Without requiring any programming, the AADS was easily set up to support audio in all the rooms via Crestron’s Adagio Composer software.
It is vital for any modern hotel to be able to put on large, public functions. Park Plaza has excellent function space, including the contemporary Westminster Ballroom for events of up to 1400 delegates. The space can be split into more intimate rooms for smaller meetings; whether an association event, wedding, gala dinner or product launch. The Crestron system ensures the audio visual equipment is tailored to suit whichever configuration is chosen.
Significant investment has been allocated to technology and energy efficiency in order to ensure that the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is one of London’s premier hotel destinations. It is a great example of design, technology and vision coming together to create an innovative and exciting venue.
