SIHOT consolidates digital guest journey with EasyConnect

Hotel management system simplifies guest communications at each touch point of the hotel’s digital experience

SIHOT, one of the leading hotel management systems, has launched EasyConnect, a fully integrated smart platform to make the digital guest journey seamless.

Addressing the need to simplify the management of digital guest touchpoints, EasyConnect brings together the different products within the guest journey where hoteliers can manage guest communications and track all guest engagement in the PMS. EasyConnect provides an access point to adapt guest communication for multiple channels such as email and SMS, and in future Whatsapp, to keep engagement consistent, yet personalized for guests. 

As part of the development, SIHOT has implemented a number of consumer-ready features and security controls including; simple authentication to assist in deduplicating data by consolidating guest profiles with social logins via Google and Apple; tailored communications with HTML template designs and personalized upsell opportunities; and reservation confirmations integrated into mobile wallets for seamless property access and check in experiences.

Full tracking gives hotels greater visibility of each guest’s engagement at each touchpoint to analyze the guest lifecycle from booking to post-stay feedback. EasyConnect can also manage and administrate multiple properties to ensure brand consistency.

Carsten Wernet, Chief Executive of SIHOT said, “Our goal is to give hoteliers transparency of the digital guest journey - to understand what works for each customer and tailor the experience accordingly. The seamless networking of all SIHOT systems involved in the entire digital guest journey centralizes the management of communications and data. Not only is this improving work flows for hotel staff, but it's offering valuable insights on guest behaviour which can feed back into the overall commercial and operational strategy of the hotel.”

Further developments are on the roadmap including integrations with Whatsapp and additional communications channels, as well as mobile keys in smartphone wallets.

Earlier this year, SIHOT published  “Making it through the digital jungle” – a comprehensive guide to digital transformation to support hoteliers with digital developments to redefine and elevate the guest experience. 

For more information contact SIHOT or visit www.sihot.com

The Lowry Hotel raises the standard with Sage Intacct and Percipient

Manchester’s Iconic Lowry Hotel blends seamless service with seamless reporting following digital transformation

Percipient today announced that the iconic, Manchester-based Lowry Hotel, has deployed Sage Intacct. As part of a digital transformation, Sage Intacct will support superior reporting, intelligence and management insights, instilling agility from which to launch new services, and scale to support business growth.

Having identified a need for a new platform, The Lowry selected Sage Intacct following a review of the market and a subsequent shortlist, which included Xero and Oracle. The decision was based on its flexibility and ability to integrate with existing systems, while Percipient’s extensive experience in the hospitality industry made it a natural fit when choosing a partner for the project.

The perpetual intelligence within Sage Intacct means that The Lowry Hotel can behave more agilely because department heads can access the latest insights and make decisions accordingly. For example, Sage Intacct integrates with ProcureWizard to provide an overview of suppliers and spending so that relationships can be strengthened, economies of scale exploited, and discounts negotiated where relevant.

This intelligence also means that The Lowry Hotel has a live P&L, so you can click on it at any point to see where the business is at. While the idea of a continuous close seems a far-off concept, this capability brings the idea much closer to fruition. This level of automation has massively expedited the team’s quest to move to a completely paperless department, reducing the amount of paper used by around 70%.

Louise Longden-Scott, Financial Director at The Lowry Hotel, comments. “Not only did Sage Intacct meet all of our functionality requirements, but it was incredibly easy to use, intuitive and crucially, out of the box. Its multi-tenant cloud architecture, APIs for easy integration with third-party systems, and scale meant that it felt like a platform which would support us well into the future, and flex to accommodate new initiatives and innovations we might want to explore.”

“As well as being so easy to use, we’re saving so much time through its ability to just process everything in the click of a button. Everything is integrated, and the Accounts Payable (AP) offers more automation, which expedites the processing of Purchase Orders (POs) and payments, which equates to around 20% in time saved. More than that, the risk of inaccuracies as a result of manual error is all but removed, and the way in which we communicate with our suppliers is far slicker. Month-end is quicker, and there is further potential to improve. The intelligence within it is just a game changer. The team can ask questions or seek more insight into a particular invoice or transaction, and Sage Intacct generates the relevant data analysis in seconds.”

“Percipient has extensive experience in the hospitality industry and a great deal here in Manchester. This experience, combined with first-hand and in-depth knowledge of the system, made for a smooth and fast deployment, but they continue to provide great support now that we’re live. They are so responsive, and in the event of us having to e-mail a query they quickly give us confidence that they’ll resolve it, and we’re looking forward to a continued partnership as we navigate our next chapter.”

“Sage Intacct represents a robust, scalable platform from which to manage our financials, providing the business with access to in-depth management information in a timely and user-friendly manner. The ability to make faster, more informed decisions is crucial in capitalising on new opportunities and mitigating risk, and with Sage Intacct at our helm, we’re confident that we’re in the best shape to deliver against the high standards which our brand is synonymous with.” 

Quicker, Better Value and More Effective than SEO: OnPageOne.Global puts Hospitality Businesses in their Preferred Position

• OnPageOne.Global takes SMEs to the first page of Google’s organic search results, using a game changing, Google compliant technology powered by Artificial Intelligence.

• Special prices for hospitality businesses start from a jaw-droppingly low £129 a month per successful combination of URL plus search term.

• Customers don’t pay until they’re one page one – and in the few cases they don’t get there, they don’t pay.

• With offers tailored for hotels, bars and restaurants, OnPageOne.Global helps UK hospitality businesses reach customers directly, and reduce outgoings on commissions, advertising and SEO.

• Due to a commitment to an excellent, speedy service, places in OnPageOne.Global’s system are currently limited, until bandwidth can be increased. To sign up today to ensure you don’t miss out, visit onpageone.global and click Get Started.

• Using unique, AI driven technology, OnPageOne.Global is on a mission to make the advantages of AI accessible to the UK’s independent hospitality businesses, including hotels, restaurants, bars and more. This is based on a well established, white hat formula: meaning OnPageOne.Global works with Google’s algorithm, not against it.

• The technology which OnPageOne.global uses has been delivering results for large organisations and wealthy individuals from around for over a decade. The company’s founders have now launched the OnPageOne.Global brand to make this unique, revolutionary technology available to small and medium hospitality businesses in the UK.

• Unlike legacy SEO agencies, OnPageOne.Global does not need access to a company’s website to take it to Google’s top ten organic results. Rather, customers simply provide the URL they want to position and the search terms for which they want to appear, OnPageOne.Global’s specialists can work their digital magic.

•  Being organically on page one overcomes invisibility and “banner blindness”

• Studies show that 75% of Google users never scroll past the first page of Google search results. This means that if a business is not on page one, it’s invisible to at least three in four potential customers, who 10 direct competitors will reach.

• Likewise, users are considerably more likely to click on organic search results than on advertisements. According to a survey by BrightLocal, organic search results drive 5.66 times more clicks than paid search advertisements, due to increased credibility.

• Further, a survey by Search Engine Journal suggested that over 70% of users ignore paid advertisements, focusing instead on organic results. This reflects a general trend that users tend to trust organic results to be more relevant and unbiased. Researchers believe this is partly due to “banner blindness” developed by frequent internet users, where they consciously or subconsciously ignore display ads, including those in search engine results.

• OnPageOne.Global: Helping small businesses grow globally whilst reducing spend on commissions, advertising and SEO.

• OnPageOne.Global offers a simple yet extremely powerful service: customers need simply supply the URL they wish to promote, the search terms for which they want to be on page one of Google’s organic search results, and the Google domains in which they want to be on page one – for example Google.co.uk, google.ie., Google.de. Google.fr, etc.

• Cristián López, Co-Founder and CEO of OnPageOne.Global, says: “OnPageOne.Global strives to make the benefits of Artificial Intelligence accessible to small and medium businesses with a growth mindset. The drive and work ethic of the UK’s heroic businesspeople is one of the things that made me fall in love with this country. I’m delighted my team and I can now help fellow entrepreneurs compete on an equal footing with the world’s biggest players in terms of visibility.”

• López adds: “For hospitality businesses seeking to increase their visibility to visitors from overseas, we offer special packages. For £129 per successful combination , we can put a hotel, bar or restaurant on page one of Google for their selected search term in the UK and four overseas source markets. This means they are directly reaching not only potential customers on their doorstep, but future visitors to their locality from around the world as they plan their trip.”

• Another benefit which López highlights is reduced commissions on bookings: “By making their business more visible, and without needing to hand over any access to their website, OnPageOne.Global’s customers can directly reach bookers to their hotel, restaurant or bar, rather than relying on third party platforms who take a cut of each booking.”

• And, not only does OnPageOne.Global helps hospitality businesses reduce their commission to booking platforms, it also helps them reduce spending on clunky, complex and often ineffective SEO or advertising products.

• “Having ourselves built businesses from the ground up, at OnPageOne.Global we know that every penny counts, and that’s why we’re here to help small and medium businesses maximise their revenue whilst reducing outgoings, whether on commissions, costly SEO agencies, or advertising,” concludes López.

 Due to high demand, and motivated by a commitment to excellence, OnPageOne.Global is operating on a “first come, first served” basis. In order to be included in the first batch of customers, hospitality businesses seeking to take advantage of OnPageOne.Global’s special rates for the sector should visit onpageone.global and click Get Started…today.

The rise of mobile ordering to boost F&B revenue and save resources

The adoption of a cloud-based, mobile-first approach to F&B ordering and the guest experience has seen a seismic shift in recent years and this growth looks set to continue.

IRIS, the market leader in digital F&B ordering, guest directory and concierge solutions for hotels, has noticed a huge uplift in recent years amongst its global client base that includes Marriott, Ennismore, Mandarin Oriental, and Four Seasons.

A convenient revenue-generator

Much of its popularity lies in its flexibility. Mobile ordering provides a convenient, accessible option for guests to review, order and pay for items all from their own device, at a time and location that suits them. Without being restricted by the need to find a physical menu or flag down a waiter. Greater accuracy, less friction, and a swifter delivery of orders from staff result in an improved guest experience, and a boost in revenue of between 20-40% on average.

Mobile ordering also leads to a higher volume of orders. In a survey conducted by Phocuswright, 47% of guests would be more likely to order room service if they could do so within an app.

Free up staff time

Furthermore, enhanced operational efficiencies are also enjoyed by staff. They no longer need to take orders over the phone or in person and then manually upload them as they’re automatically delivered to the bar or kitchen. Swifter ordering capabilities means staff can serve more covers, with fewer resources and less stress, without compromising on service or profits. 

Graham Rushin, VP Sales and Marketing at IRIS adds: “Mobile tech has become an essential tool in hospitality, fuelled by surging guest demand for digital experiences. Operators must now deliver a dynamic, engaging experience that offers choice, convenience, and exceptional service – all while ensuring their mobile ordering solutions are agile, optimise operations, and unlock upsell and revenue potential.”

“Many clients report that whilst room rates and occupancy rates are approaching peak levels, there is now pressure on other departments to increase revenue and average guest spend to drive profitability across the board.

F&B is an incredibly important revenue stream for operators, so ensuring it is working at its full potential is critical. Our latest upsell and re-order features have been designed to enable operators to realise their revenue ambitions beyond room rates - and are already delivering impressive results!”

To find out more about how IRIS’ mobile ordering platform can support your revenue, staff and guests please visit www.iris.net

Global attraction experience software specialist partners with wetlands trust to launch new visitor app

Global attraction experience software specialist n-gage.io has secured a contract with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), who have launched a new mobile app at their Washington, Tyne & Wear site, aimed at enhancing their visitor experience.

The Trust is responsible for creating and maintaining thousands of hectares of wetland habitat at their nature reserves across the UK to support and protect endangered species.

WWT sites welcome over one million visitors annually, and the Washington site has just unveiled a new experience platform to improve communication, navigation, wetlands conservation education and accessibility at their 105-acre site.

WWT is the UK's leading wetland conservation charity operating 10 wetland sites across Scotland, England, and Wales. The charity is renowned not just for promoting wetland conservation but also highlighting the vast array of wildlife that can be found across our native wetland areas.

Given the Trust’s reputation for promoting conservation education, the team at the WWT Washington turned to the attraction experience specialists at n-gage.io to explore how mobile technology could play a wider part in its communication strategy whilst also introducing a host of interactive features in a new mobile app to enhance the wetlands visitor experience.

Led by entrepreneur Bryan Hoare and incubated in North East England by GCV Labs – n-gage.io aims to transform audience experiences through a highly customisable, data insight driven SaaS platform with an integrated mobile-web application.

The n-gage.io solution pairs the SaaS platform's highly customisable mobile app with its powerful attraction management software to deliver WWT Washington both the tools and data insights it needs to enhance the visitor experience and deepen engagement with them in real-time.

They plan to use the app as a focal point for visitors, to provide even more rich content and media on their animal collections and wild reserve, whilst understanding more about activity across their site. Visitors will benefit from the impact of improved navigation, finding their way around the reserve and other points of interest using n-gage.io's innovative wayfinding solution.

The team have also introduced their market leading in-app trails feature, to facilitate interactive nature trails around the Washington site, opening it up for even more exploration.

The WWT Washington team also plan to use the app to keep wetland visitors up to date with details of their latest campaigns, conservation activity and event programmes. Meanwhile, visitor services teams make use of valuable data insights to refine marketing campaigns and drive the conservation agenda through targeted and personalised in-app messaging.

"We're really excited to have launched our new WWT Washington interactive app which offers visitors and the wider community a peek into our wetlands before a visit, and an enhanced experience while here," said Deborah Nolan, Marketing and Communications Manager at WWT Washington Wetland Centre.

"We've been so impressed with n-gage.io who have supported us in getting the app set up and ready to launch. Their technical expertise has been invaluable and, as a local organisation, we've benefitted from their knowledge and experience first-hand.”

"We're delighted to be supporting WWT’s mission to promote and protect our wetland areas and it’s particularly rewarding for us to be working with the team at our local Wetlands Trust Reserve in the Northeast" said Bryan Hoare CEO of n-gage.io.

“The WWT are renowned for their work and we're proud to be playing a small part in helping to highlight this using our technology, whilst giving the team the capability to capture valuable visitor insights to help improve operations and drive engagement.”

What could Owen’s Law mean for the food industry?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have recently announced its support for Owen’s Law - a campaign to mandate allergy information on menus in restaurants and cafes in the UK. 

As it currently stands, there is only guidance in place to advise those in the food industry to include written allergy information on their menus. It is not currently a legal requirement. 

The Owen’s Law campaign was launched by Owen Carey’s family in 2017 following his fatal anaphylactic shock after consuming buttermilk from a chicken burger whilst eating out, despite telling the front of house staff about his severe allergies. 

Owen’s Law aims to change the law by requiring restaurants to clearly state the allergy information in all of their dishes, and specially write this information on the main menu for customers to clearly see. 

The campaign received thousands of signatures and in May 2023 was debated in government. The FSA have now discussed the allergen information proposals during its December 2023 board meeting. 

Now, the government body has confirmed their backing to the proposal and plans to write to the government about the matter. 

The FSA also said it would work on developing further guidance for restaurants on how to provide written information for food allergies. 

This proposed change in the law will no doubt make a real change for the food industry, and for those suffering with allergies and intolerances. 

Currently there are around two million people in the UK who have a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease. 

For these food allergy sufferers, going out for an evening meal or having lunch with friends could instantly turn to a life-threatening event. 

Owen’s Law may now make the dining out experience a lot safer and enjoyable for Brits suffering with allergies. 

And for the restaurants, food businesses may soon be able to worry less about providing the right information to their customer and feeding this back through front of house staff, and to the chef. 

In the experience of Owen Carey, communication was the fundamental reason why he was served the ingredient he was severely allergic to. 

If the changes come into play, all restaurants and food outlets will have to stay well informed on the food allergy information each dish contains. 

And with the customer clearly being able to see which items on the menu they need to avoid, the proposal is cutting out the need to have a no-fault line of communication back to the kitchen. 

The consumer would instantly be able to know which dishes to avoid without having to worry about this information being correctly recalled back to the chef from the front of house staff. 

Owen’s Law cuts out the need for the customer suffering with an allergy to rely on others saying the right information to the right people. 

However, if the change in how food businesses supply allergy information to their customers goes ahead, it likely means a big switch up for restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, delis and other food outlets.

Businesses may struggle to supply the correct allergen information on their menus everyday, especially if any ingredients change at the last minute. 

Although restaurants can have the correct allergen information available on their written menus, if the supplier provides a different version of certain ingredients one day, or the manufacturing process differs from usual, it could mean that not all allergens are listed on front of house menus. 

This small change in ingredients could lead to a life-threatening or fatal allergic reaction from customers. It also means that the restaurant supplying the dish could get in hot water with the law.  

Even before Owen’s Law is made compulsory, restaurant owners should seek to provide accurate and up to date allergen information to their customers. 

Managing allergies is a real concern for everyone in the hospitality industry with bosses facing the potential of legal action if a customer suffers an adverse reaction.

In extreme cases a restaurant manager could even face criminal charges if a customer who flagged an allergy went on to suffer an extreme reaction.

There are services available to food businesses which make the process of supplying the right allergy information to the consumer a lot easier. 

Services such as Allergy Menu allow the kitchen staff to upload which ingredients are in certain dishes and therefore provide the right allergy information. 

Back on the restaurant floor, the consumer can then straight away see which items on the menu they need to avoid. 

By placing the information in the hands of the chef, if any different foods are supplied that day, the kitchen staff can instantly change the allergen information, rather than relying on front of house staff to pass the message on to the consumer. 

It can cut out the need for a ‘middleman’ and supply the right allergen information directly to the customer with a centrally managed system. 

Services like Allergy Menu can help restaurants, cafes and other food businesses ensure they meet any new legislation and comply with the law.  
https://allergymenu.uk/food-standards-agency-allergy-mandatory/

Hilton Expands Its Mobile Messaging Platform to Enhance the Guest Experience

The expansion is scheduled to be implemented across its over 7,000 properties worldwide by the end of the year.

Hilton is expanding its mobile messaging platform in a bit to further improve the guest experience. The initiative, annnounce this week, is aimed at enhancing the ease of communication between guests and hotel teams. The expansion is scheduled to be implemented across its over 7,000 properties worldwide by the end of the year.

Developed in collaboration with Kipsu, a provider of real-time engagement solutions, this digital messaging capability will reportedly be accessible through various channels including the Hilton Honors app, SMS, and WhatsApp, facilitating a two-way, immediate dialogue for inquiries, requests, and more.

The decision to expand this digital service aligns with Hilton’s track record of leveraging technology to streamline the travel experience, from the moment of booking to the final bill. Chris Silcock, president of Global Brands and Commercial Services at Hilton, highlighted in a press statement the increasing preference of travelers to interact with hotel staff via mobile devices. This expansion is a strategic move to meet guests’ evolving needs, ensuring a consistent and enhanced experience across all Hilton properties.

The integration of mobile messaging at Hilton properties marks a significant shift in how travelers communicate with their accommodations. Since the introduction of mobile messaging at the first Hilton property in 2013, there has been a notable increase in guest engagement, with over 40% of guests responding to welcome messages. In 2023, the platform facilitated over 10.5 million conversations through nearly 70 million messages across 3,618 Hilton properties. This level of interaction has had a positive impact on guest satisfaction, with 70% of users reporting an improved stay experience.

This digital expansion is part of Hilton’s broader strategy to integrate personal devices with on-property technology, responding to the expectations of 80% of global travelers, as reported in Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report. The mobile messaging service joins a suite of digital innovations by Hilton, including the Hilton Honors Digital Key, which saw over 12.3 million downloads last year, and the Connected Room Experience, which benefited more than 17 million guests in over 135,000 tech-enabled rooms in 2023.

Hilton’s initiative to expand its mobile messaging capabilities is another step in the brand’s strategy of adopting technology. Earlier this month, the company launched a new technology-enabled global program, Hilton for Business, aimed at simplifying travel management for small- and medium-sized businesses. The program offers a comprehensive set of tools designed to enhance the business travel booking and management experience, while also providing Hilton Honors benefits to business customers and their employees worldwide.

As reported here, Hilton announced plans in October to roll out two new digital innovations aimed at enhancing the travel experience for small- and medium-sized businesses, with both initiatives set to launch early this year. The first initiative was Hilton for Business. The second initiative involves the expansion of Hilton’s events booking capabilities to support the growing demand for in-person gatherings. Customers will be able to book meeting packages for up to 35 attendees, including guest rooms and meeting or event spaces.

Sonance Case Study- Manor House Lindley

Discreet, high performance audio enhances a boutique style of hospitality at a luxury hotel and wedding venue in West Yorkshire.

With a blend of high style, distinctive interior design and personal service, the privately owned Manor House Hotel aims to offer its guests the experience of luxury through the quality of its accommodation, communal areas and purpose designed wedding and events spaces. Located at Lindley near Huddersfield, the boutique hotel comprises eleven bedrooms, four individually themed bars and restaurants, a roof terrace and a gym. There is also a discreet wedding and events venue called the Coach House, a versatile space designed to accommodate up to 200 guests and complete with private musical garden. Making time spent at the Manor House truly memorable, a service-first mentality conveys a strong sense of bespoke hospitality within a range of meticulously curated environments, all of which include the necessity for discreet high performance audio in sympathy with their design.

Installer Smart Synergy was challenged to create a discreet AV installation that made a beautifully boutique experience even more distinctive

The Challenge

Shaun Hawkins takes up the story. “The owner had heard about us locally and invited us to pitch for the AV design and installation at the Manor House. Shaun Hawkins at Smart Synergy, “ I have been practicing high-end residential CI for over twenty years, so we've built a good reputation with these skills. The brief demanded a level of sound quality and design you just can't buy off the shelf. Having rejected a competing pitch for a 'basic' system, the owner wanted the discreet install and audio quality we've been putting into high-end homes. And he had a very clear idea of what he wanted it to do. He was after an even, high quality sound field that was discernibly full-range at a volume that didn't impose on the space, so his guests would be able to converse normally in a socially conducive atmosphere. They would be able to appreciate the quality of the sound without being dominated by it. Rather than blaring audio hotpots intermixed with areas of silence, he wanted the sound to exist everywhere but blend evenly and discreetly with the space.”

 “There's a growing desire for discreet high sound quality within the UK's luxury hospitality sector. This may come from the US where discriminating customers associate the quality of the venue with its ability to get the audio just right. The advantage for resi CI integrators is that their skill sets have developed to achieve this level of fine-tuning’’

“Perfecting the sound at the Manor House was complicated somewhat by the fact that it's a listed building, so we had to be super sensitive with the design, and not just with the way it looked; we also had to eliminate the transfer of sound from social to private spaces within older architecture’’

The Solutions Smart Synergy selected Sonance Pro Series speakers for the project. The Sonance Pro Series is a range of 70V/100V/8 ohm selectable In-Ceiling, Pendant and Surface Mount Speakers, designed to deliver high fidelity with extremely low distortion, wide dispersion and smooth power response. The range shares consistent voicing, ensuring seamless sonic integration when used together throughout a space. The Pro Series speakers are powered entirely by Sonance Sonamp digital amplifiers.

Outdoor areas feature a mix of Sonance Mariner on-wall speakers and Son Array in-ground satellites and subs. AV distribution is through Wyrestorm's Network HD 400 architecture and hotel security is supported by Dahua, involving five 4MP IP eyeball dome cameras and an eight channel NVR.

‘’There's a growing desire for discreet high sound quality within the UK's luxury hospitality sector. This may come from the US where discriminating customers associate the quality of the venue with its ability to get the audio just right. The advantage for resi CI integrators is that their skill sets have developed to achieve this level of fine tuning’’

Installer Shaun Hawkins

‘’ The Manor House was Smart Synergy’s first boutique hotel install and something of a dream job. We knew the product and the support we'd get from Habitech, and we applied our trad skills and competences to relatively simple tech for a customer who understood the value of quality and wanted the very best. It wasn't a 'no expense spared' brief but it was generous enough to allow us to flex our creativity in delivering excellent results. Plus we have a happy customer. ’’

Shaun Hawkins -Smart Synergy

Equipment-

Using a range of:

·       Sonance outdoor speaker systems, subwoofers, amplifiers, round in-ceiling speakers,

·       Mariners -outdoor speakers

·       Sonance Pro Series round in-ceiling speakers, pendant speakers, pendant woofer speakers,

·       Sonamp digital amplifiers

·       Wyrestorm (Network HD), 400 Series 4K AV over IP JPEG-2000 Decoders, 400 Series 4K AV over IP JPEG-2000 Encoders, NHD controllers.

·       Dahua-4MP IP eyeball dome camera 2.8mm lens 50m IR triple-stream WDR IP67 ePoE, 8 channel NVR 8x PoE, 4K/12MP support, 320Mbps incoming bandwidth, 4TB HDD

www.habitech.co.uk        jane.anstead@habitech.co.uk       T: (0) 1256 638500

Sonance Case Study - Audio Integration

Louis Vuitton - Global

The chic new Louis Vuitton boutiques opening in major cities around the world are centrally designed with great care for an experience that is carefully controlled. From the dress of the staff to the warm and welcoming ambiance that touches all the senses, everything is considered, including the music. The décor is minimalistic and neutral to showcase their elegant products. When it came to the sound component of the experience, the designers looked no further than to the renowned architectural audio company, Sonance. 

‘The designers wanted the merchandise to be featured above all else, with the audio blending in effortlessly – unnoticed and yet adding to the overall aesthetics of the space.’

The Challenge

To achieve a seamless sonic palette without any visual product cues. The designers wanted the merchandise to be featured above all else, with the audio blending in effortlessly – unnoticed and yet adding to the overall aesthetics of the space.

Project Requirements

• Audio environment that is seamless, understated, and supports the overall ambience of the retail space

• Speakers need to deliver even coverage throughout the environment

• Speakers should be invisible to the eye and be easily installed in various construction types throughout the world

Professional audio integration is more than merely specifying speakers that can adequately fill a room with music. It’s a tangible design element and a critical part of the space’s environment that is meant to create a mood, elevate the senses and not distract from the designer’s vision and aesthetic goals. For 30 years, the architectural speaker pioneers at Sonance have continually explored and refined the fine art of musical fidelity within a designed space, with their series of award-winning in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. This includes the revolutionary Invisible Series, which has captured the imagination of designers the world over. In a clean, simple environment that acts as a backdrop to the LV product line, audio had to flow from one zone to another. What separates Sonance from other architectural speaker companies is that they understand and communicate in the language of design and realize the importance of offering multiple solutions that perform consistently and appeal to a wide range of aesthetic initiatives.

Their Invisible Series provides a sonic and visual experience that inspires and engages interior designers and their clients immediately, as music radiates from the wall or ceiling as if by magic. It is an important component in a carefully orchestrated ambience immersion. “As quality in-store music is an important part of the retail experience, Sonance Invisible Series Loudspeakers allow us to achieve this without compromising the store design.”

Stephen Kim, Managing Director, Stephen Kim & Associates Ltd.

Louis Vuitton Store Design & Project Manager

“In writing the specification, I had to be totally confident that the speakers that were selected could be utilized wherever there was a Louis Vuitton project around the world. The shallow mounting depth and the flexible installation options of Sonance Invisible Series makes them compatible with the various construction methods and codes we have to deal with globally.”

Ken O’Byrne, Managing Director and Audio Visual Designer, CTS

Achieving this global compatibility and installation flexibility was a key objective for Sonance as it embarked on the task of designing a range of invisible speakers that would set a new benchmark for the category. Sonance Invisible Series speakers are featured in many global retail fashion palaces, including Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci, Dior and Fendi. Their unique aesthetic properties and legendary reliability are critically important to system specifiers. Equally, they are “engineered to a result”, which translates to high quality audio and consistent coverage throughout the space, an element that is critical when creating a seamless retail experience.

Sonance Motion Flex Invisible Speakers

Two years of research into the physics of flat diaphragms has allowed Sonance engineers to develop a completely invisible speaker design that reproduces the sound quality of a visible speaker. Through proprietary test and measurement processes the team at Sonance has refined the ideal marriage of aesthetics and acoustics to overcome the ultimate custom speaker challenge, fulfilling the promise that began in 1983 with the world’s first in-wall speaker.

Discreet Full Fidelity Sound

In traditional invisible speaker design, multiple drive units excite the same flat radiating surface, but there’s nothing to stop waves from one e driver rippling outwards to interfere with those of other drivers. In a breakthrough for invisible speaker sound quality, Sonance has found a way to isolate discrete wave patterns on a single diaphragm. This means that the Motion Flex invisibles restore the full range sound and detail of a visible speaker but seamlessly disappear from view, leaving the environment intact, which is exactly what Louis Vuitton and other luxury retailers are seeking. Another advantage is that due to their full fidelity, systems of  Motion Flex speakers be played at lower volume levels, producing noticeable high-quality detail without intruding on conversations.

The Range

The new Sonance invisibles are available in three sizes and with complementary bass units to allow optimum fidelity in a range of room sizes. Each is fitted with a custom enclosure to prevent sound reaching adjacent rooms.

“What we’ve achieved with this is something that I never thought we could get to…I think it will be a long time before any of our competitors can equal this level of performance…if ever.”

Todd Ryan, Chief Speaker Engineer, Sonance

+44 (0)1256 638500 E: jane.anstead@habitech.co.uk www.habitech.co.uk

The social marketplace for food & drink industry enters London and embarks on investment campaign

Chivado - the disruptive startup on a quest to revolutionise the digital services in hospitality - is opening up its doors for further investment as the thriving brand welcomes more partners for 2021 and enters London.

Combining the connectivity features of a social network with the modern capabilities of an online marketplace, Chivado functions as a portal for finding, booking and ordering from the very best local, independent restaurants, cafes and bars.

What makes Chivado different is that it encourages interactivity between venues and diners - with built-in messaging, picture-posting and media sharing services enabling everyone to share their dishes and experiences.

Most importantly, Chivado slashes the fees involved in digital platforms - with all venues able to manage digital menus, delivery orders and table booking services completely free of charge.

Customers, on the other side, pay just a modest service fee of 99p to order on Chivado and their entire order value goes directly to the venues; enabling the region's favourite restaurants to offer lower prices for diners and keep the community thriving.

Chivado first rolled out its platform in Italy last year and was an instant success - securing sign-ups from 250 restaurants and more than 10,000 customers in less than 10 months.

In August 2021, the platform expanded into the UK, partnering with independent restaurant chain The Pizza Room. Owners were so impressed with the business model they decided to not just feature on Chivado, but to invest in the company themselves.

Chivado is now embarking on a bigger investment campaign as it looks to achieve its overall vision: Strengthening communities by bringing people together via food and drink.

CEO of Chivado Federico Bernardi said: “One of the biggest challenges of the pandemic was restaurants losing their central role in their community in favour of digital services, and being unable to truly engage with their customers.

“There are three main problems facing restaurants right now in the digital climate which Chivado can solve.

“The first is high fees. In some cases, commission on delivery platforms is as high as 40% - and the more the delivery market grows the more restaurants risk significant revenue losses. But with Chivado, there are no commission fees - so restaurants don’t have to mark up their food to pay for digital services.

“The second problem is that with marketplace platforms as the sole owners of the relationship with the final customers, restaurants are slowly turning into replaceable hidden kitchens. Venues do not know who their customers are anymore and are at risk of losing their central role in the community - filtered by algorithms that decide if they get discovered at all! Chivado completely changes the way restaurants and customers interact and ensures they have a direct and long-lasting relationship.

“The third issue is that, outside of a discount tag, restaurants don’t have opportunities to build and communicate their identity while enabling digital engagement, which forces all businesses to compete on pricing. Chivado instead encourages interaction and brand differentiation - giving businesses the opportunity to enrich their profile, publish contents and initiatives, and update their customers on their brand journey.”

Chivado empowers venues to take ownership of their digital services, and users to rechannel their money into restaurants and the local communities.

“With Chivado, people are literally reinvesting money into their own areas to make them richer, to make their high streets more lively and safe, turning digitalization into a positive experience for the entire community.”

The investment campaign at Chivado is ongoing for autumn 2021.

Learn more about investing in Chivado by visiting the official website.

More information about the platform is available online.