Restaurant and Hospitality AV Installations
Sound, lighting and AV systems for restaurants, hotels and hospitality venues.
We design and install sound, lighting and AV systems for restaurants, hotels and hospitality venues across London, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the wider South East.
Projects range from background music in a single restaurant through to multi-zone systems covering bars, dining areas, private rooms, terraces and event spaces.
We work directly with operators as well as designers, fit-out teams and main contractors on new venues, refurbishments and upgrades to existing systems.
Hospitality AV across London and the South East
Restaurants and hotels rarely need the same sound, lighting or AV in every part of the building.
A dining room may need low-level background music, while a bar can run at a higher level. Private dining rooms may need microphones and screens for events, and outside areas may need their own audio and lighting.
We plan the system around these different uses so each area can be controlled independently where needed.
For larger venues and hotels, several areas can also be managed from one central system rather than installing separate equipment in every room.
Zoned sound systems for restaurants and hotels
Zoning allows different parts of a venue to have their own volume and, where required, their own audio source.
A restaurant may have separate controls for the bar, main dining room and private dining area. A hotel may need independent control across reception, lounges, restaurants, bars and function rooms.
This gives staff flexibility without changing the sound across the whole building every time one area needs adjusting.
Where several zones form part of one installation, amplifiers, processing and source equipment can usually be kept centrally in a rack away from customer areas.
Background music
Background music should be even across the area it is serving.
If one table is directly underneath a loudspeaker while another can barely hear the system, increasing the overall volume only makes the problem worse.
We plan loudspeaker positions around the room layout and the way the venue will be used. Ceiling speakers work well in many hospitality spaces, but wall-mounted, pendant and architectural options can also be used where they suit the interior better.
We also consider the acoustics of the room. Hard floors, glass, exposed ceilings and other reflective finishes can affect speech and music once the venue is busy.
Where the room itself is creating too much reverberation, acoustic treatment may be more useful than simply adding more loudspeakers.
Lighting for restaurants and hospitality venues
Lighting is a significant part of many hospitality projects and can be designed alongside the sound and AV from the start.
We install venue lighting for restaurants, bars, hotels and event spaces, including feature lighting, bar lighting, programmed scenes, moving fixtures and lighting for functions or evening events.
A restaurant may need brighter settings during preparation or lunch service and lower, warmer settings later in the evening. A bar or event area may need several scenes depending on how the room is being used.
We design the controls around those regular uses so staff can change the lighting without needing access to the technical programming behind it.
Where sound and lighting are both part of the same project, we plan the loudspeaker positions, fixtures, cabling and controls together. This is particularly useful on new fit-outs where AV, lighting, ventilation, sprinklers and other services are all competing for the same ceiling positions.
For general commercial LED upgrades and wider electrical lighting work, we can work alongside our sister company Lake Electrical.
See our venue lighting service.
Private dining and function spaces
Private rooms often need more flexibility than the main restaurant.
Alongside background music, these areas may need microphones, displays, presentation AV or connection points for a DJ or visiting entertainment.
We can keep the everyday controls straightforward while still providing the connections needed for events.
Where rooms are regularly rearranged for different bookings, we also take that into account when positioning loudspeakers, screens and controls.
Screens and other AV
Hospitality AV is not limited to sound.
We install commercial displays and video systems for bars, private rooms, function spaces, restaurants and hotels.
That might be one screen in a private dining room or several displays across different areas of a larger venue, with the same or different content shown in each.
Where sound and video are being installed together, we design the distribution, cabling and control at the same stage.
Our wider commercial AV installations cover screens, video distribution, control and AV networking.
Terraces and outside dining areas
Outside areas can be set up as separate audio zones so staff can control them independently from the main venue.
We use loudspeakers suitable for permanent outdoor installation and position them to give even coverage across the area rather than relying on one or two speakers playing at a higher level.
The position of neighbouring properties and the hours the outside area is used also need to be considered when the system is designed.
Lighting for terraces and outside hospitality areas can also be included where it forms part of the wider venue scheme.
Controls staff can use
The system needs to work for the people running the venue.
Staff may need to change music, adjust the volume in one area, switch between day and evening lighting or prepare a private room for an event.
We give them access to those everyday functions without exposing the technical settings that keep the wider system working correctly.
For larger venues, managers can also have control over several areas from one position.
We go through the controls with the people who will actually use them before the system is handed over.
Keeping AV and lighting discreet
Hospitality interiors are often carefully designed, so AV and lighting equipment needs to be considered alongside the interior rather than added once the room is finished.
We work with designers and fit-out teams to agree loudspeaker, screen, lighting and control positions before installation.
Architectural and ceiling speakers can reduce the amount of visible equipment, while amplifiers, processors and source equipment can usually be kept in a back-of-house rack.
Colour, finish and equipment placement can also be considered where fixtures or loudspeakers will remain visible.
Hotels and larger hospitality venues
Hotels can require AV across several different types of area.
Reception, restaurants, bars, lounges, private dining rooms, function spaces and other public areas can all have different requirements.
Some may only need background audio. Others may need microphones, displays, DJ connections, event lighting or more detailed control.
The aim is to make the different areas work as one installation where appropriate while still allowing each part of the hotel to operate independently.
At Montcalm East Hotel in London, for example, OBAV installed a zoned sound system across several public areas over two floors.
Working with existing hospitality systems
An older sound or AV system does not automatically need replacing.
We look at the loudspeakers, cabling, amplification, processing and controls already installed before deciding what should change.
Sometimes the equipment itself is still suitable and the problem is uneven coverage, poor setup or limited control between different areas.
Where existing equipment can sensibly form part of the new installation, we keep it.
The same applies to lighting. An existing rig or control system may be suitable for upgrading rather than replacing completely.
New fit-outs and refurbishments
Hospitality projects usually have a fixed opening date, so the AV and lighting need to be planned early.
We regularly work with designers, fit-out project managers, architects, electrical contractors and main contractors.
Before first fix, we can establish loudspeaker and screen positions, lighting fixtures, equipment racks, control points, power requirements, network points, containment and cable routes.
Getting these agreed early means the AV and lighting can be coordinated with ceilings, ventilation, sprinklers and the rest of the fit-out before finishes are complete.
Where the electrical package is also required, we can work alongside Lake Electrical.
Working around an open venue
Not every restaurant or hotel can close while work is carried out.
Depending on the project, we can phase installation around opening hours or work in particular areas while other parts of the venue remain in use.
For refurbishment projects completed in stages, the AV and lighting can also be installed around that programme.
We agree access and working times before the project starts so the operator knows which areas we need and when.
AV networks and remote support
Larger hospitality installations can rely on network infrastructure for audio distribution, control and remote support.
Where required, we can provide a dedicated AV network with fixed IP addressing rather than depending entirely on the venue’s general Wi-Fi or office network.
This can make multi-zone systems more stable and easier to support after handover.
Where suitable remote access is available, some checks and adjustments can also be made without arranging a site visit.
Hearing loops, paging and voice alarm
Some hotels and hospitality buildings also need hearing assistance in reception areas, function rooms or other places where information is given to customers.
We design, install and test hearing loop systems and can plan them alongside the wider sound and AV installation.
General paging and announcements can also form part of a hospitality system.
Where announcements form part of the building’s fire-safety arrangements, this becomes a separate voice alarm system designed around the fire strategy. See our PA and voice alarm systems service.
Experienced hospitality AV and lighting installers
We design and install sound, lighting and AV systems for restaurants, hotels, bars and other hospitality venues.
Our experience includes background music, multi-zone audio, displays, private event spaces, venue lighting, AV control and larger systems covering several parts of a building.
We are used to working with operators, designers and main contractors, both on new fit-outs and venues that need to remain open while upgrades are carried out.
OBAV is SafeContractor approved and ISO [[NUMBER: exact ISO standard to confirm]] accredited. Our engineers are employed by OBAV and remain available for support after installation.
Hospitality projects of different sizes
OBAV’s hospitality work ranges from restaurant sound upgrades to larger multi-area installations.
At Mildreds in King’s Cross, a Martin Audio system was split into two zones so the two dining areas could be controlled separately.
Montcalm East Hotel required a larger zoned system across several public areas on two floors, with different parts of the hotel able to operate independently.
We have also worked on restaurant, bar and hospitality projects where sound, lighting and AV have all formed part of the same refurbishment.
The system we specify depends on the building and the way the operator intends to use it rather than applying one standard setup to every venue.
Accreditations
OBAV is SafeContractor approved and certified to ISO [[NUMBER: exact ISO standard to confirm]].
Copies of our certificates are available on request.
[[NUMBER: SafeContractor registration number, the ISO standard, certificate number and certification body]]
OBAV are approved installers of Martin Audio equipment, and Martin Audio systems installed by OBAV carry a five year guarantee. [[CONFIRM: the Glenthorne case study on this site states OBAV are approved installers of Martin Audio and that Martin Audio systems carry a five year guarantee when installed by OBAV. That case study dates from January 2018. Confirm both still hold, and whether the guarantee covers all Martin Audio ranges.]]
OBAV is the trading name of Old Barn Audio Ltd, company number 06040735.
Our engineers are employed by OBAV rather than subcontracted, so the team that supports the installation afterwards has access to the people who worked on it originally.
Restaurant and hospitality installations
What hospitality clients say
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Arrange a hospitality AV survey
Hospitality systems need to fit around the way the venue is run.
For one restaurant that may be a straightforward background music system with two or three zones. A larger hotel may need audio and AV across several floors and different public areas.
We look at how those areas are used, what control staff need and what can be kept out of sight before the system is specified.
If there is already equipment in place, we check what is worth keeping rather than assuming it all needs replacing.
For new fit-outs and refurbishments, we can work with the designer and project team before first fix and stay involved through installation and handover.
The next step is a survey. We look at the areas, the surfaces and how the venue trades through the day, then set out a full scope and cost before anything is agreed.
To discuss a restaurant, hotel or hospitality AV installation, call 01892 752246 or get in touch with OBAV.
Old Barn Audio Ltd
Unit 15, Wylands Farm
Powdermill Lane
Battle
East Sussex TN33 0SU
01892 752246
enquiries@oldbarnaudio.co.uk
We work across London, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the wider South East, and travel further for larger venues and multi site rollouts.