Millennium Hilton Bangkok decided to upgrade its capabilities during the disruption caused by Covid-19. Hurrairah bin Sohail explores the project with the turnkey solution provider, Protime Business.
The troubles of the hospitality sector during the pandemic have been well documented. Restrictions on travel decreased the number of tourists which meant that the hospitality sector did not fare well over the last one and half years or so. However, some hotels took the ‘enforced downtime’ as an opportunity to upgrade their capabilities. Take the Millennium Hilton Bangkok for example, which overhauled its AV systems.
Protime Business was engaged to provide a turnkey solution. Tanadej Siriwattaprayoon, co-managing director and principal designer at Protime Business, says: “Millennium Hilton Bangkok wanted an upgraded, competitive, AV system that aligned with modern technologies and helped it go toe-to-toe in Thailand’s competitive hospitality sector. Referring to the very first RFP and client’s brief, they stated that the hotel’s existing AV systems were outdated and no-longer competitive in the market. The client thus sought to upgrade its entire AV system and take its spaces to the next level in order to remain combative in Bangkok’s urban, functional meeting rooms market.”
Siriwattaprayoon continues: “This project was clearly separated into two phases. The first was design, which was handled by Protime Business. The second was install and the client had the option to choose a different SI if they thought Protime Business did not qualify and meet their requirements. However, with the trust the client had in the Protime Business team, we were hired to take on the installation job as well.”
For Siriwattaprayoon, this was a project of personal significance: “I have worked as an AV designer and consultant for the majority of my career, but when I started Protime Business it was to expand and to grow beyond that. I didn’t want to limit myself to just consultancy and design. My aim was to deliver true turnkey solutions for my clients, so the Millennium Hilton Bangkok project was a perfect outcome.”
The stars also aligned with regards to the disruption caused by Covid-19. Siriwattaprayoon details: “The project was very fortunate with its timing. The owner and the client came to me just before Covid-19 started and that was the time, in late 2019, when the hotel was planning the renovation. When Covid-19 hit, we were in the design phase, so we were able to continue the design work without too much impact from the disruption. Bangkok did go into lockdown, but restrictions had loosened before it was time to start the actual installation. We were able to get in and get our work done, and the hotel was not operating at full capacity so that allowed us greater access to the spaces.”
The work at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok spanned three spaces. These were the Grand Ballroom and its pre-function space, the Junior Ballroom and its pre-function space, and the Meeting Room.
The two ballrooms share similar designs in terms of AV systems deployed. Four NEC projectors with 10,000 lumens brightness can be found in the Grand Ballroom while two NEC projectors with 8,000 lumens brightness were specified for the Junior Ballroom based on size requirements. Both ballrooms feature Vertex projection screens.
The choice of projection for the ballrooms is interesting and Siriwattaprayoon details: “We discussed the possibility of LED screens at the start, but it was a direction that the hotel did not want to go in. They made the decision after doing market research and seeing how LED had performed at other venues. In the end it was the maintenance issues that can pop up with LED systems, tiles fading out and needing to be replaced, and the fact that when the LED is not in use it is a blank screen that made them move away. They had weighed up the pros and the cons of the technology and decided it wasn’t for them and preferred projectors. With the right brightness and the right projector that could provide longevity and required low maintenance, they believed projection was a better fit for their needs. And of course, if they do really require LED for an event they can always rent it.”
Video transmission across both ballrooms is accomplished via HDBaseT and the system comprises Bluestream 8x8 switchers together with the requisite HDBaseT receivers and transmitters.
A Kramer VP-440 presentation switcher is provided for each ballroom and Siriwattaprayoon elaborates on its inclusion: “We worked directly with the AV operators at the hotel and they communicated that they would prefer a small presentation switcher that they could use themselves to switch sources. Kramer met their needs and specific requirements perfectly so much so that they asked for the exact model. We complied and even put in some extra wall-plates and connectivity so that they can bring in additional sources via the Kramer Kit which can then move on to the larger Bluestream switcher system.”
On the side of audio, both ballrooms feature TOA lavalier and handheld microphones as well as JTS gooseneck microphones. Audac amplifiers, together with Audac 8-in ceiling speakers, provide audio. Yamaha 15-in active speakers provide further sound reinforcement in both ballrooms. The pre-function areas for the Grand and Junior Ballroom feature similar Audac 8-in ceiling speakers.
Regarding the speaker selection, Siriwattaprayoon comments: “When I deploy ceiling speaker systems, I like to be consistent and use the same model throughout the space without mixing or matching the size of the speakers. This is why the same ceiling speaker is used inside the pre-function rooms and the ballrooms, even though the spaces are not the same size. If you deploy the same model smartly through the spaces, the sound will be totally even.”
The two ballrooms differ with respect to the choice of mixer. The Grand Ballroom features Allen & Heath QU-32 and QU-16 mixers which were retained from the prior AV system while the Junior Ballroom features a new Yamaha TF3 stage mixer.
Siriwattaprayoon says: “Yamaha TF-series mixers were chosen for their Dante-based ability, flexibility, and durability to be used in the Junior Ballroom.”
Audio is transported via Dante and Siriwattaprayoon says: “With Dante, the idea was that the hotel should be able to plug a source anywhere inside a room and have it be played. Furthermore, with Dante we have the flexibility to set up the control desk anywhere and are not limited to one location. This really makes the space flexible which is a great plus.”
Control for both ballrooms is provided by Kramer control systems together with Kramer touchpanels.
Protime Business has also fitted out the Meeting Room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok with AV. Audio in the Meeting Room is handled by a Symetrix Prism 8x8 DSP together with Audac amplifier and Audac 8-in ceiling speakers. Audio input is achieved with the help of TOA handheld and lavalier microphones. A Televic D-Cerno conference system is also employed.
For display, the meeting room features a Samsung 82-in flat panel display as well as a Samsung Flip which provides an avenue for interactivity and collaboration. Video is transmitted over HDBaseT with a Bluestream system.
To conclude, Siriwattaprayoon says: “The hospitality sector in Thailand has suffered during Covid-19. The drop in tourism has had a negative impact but I believe we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am optimistic for the future because we are seeing more and more countries begin to test how to return back to travel and opening borders.”