During 2011 the convention center of the Sheraton hotel in Chile was renovated, acquiring a level of installed technology and automation that makes it unique in Latin America.
Richard Santa
After the slight aesthetic effects left by the 2010 earthquake in Chile, the Sheraton hotel in Santiago decided to renovate the common areas and the convention center of its facilities, an intervention that included a total change of the audiovisual equipment of these spaces, with the work of the company SAV, Audiovisual Support.
In an open tender in which six companies participated, including the company that had been providing the audiovisual renting service in the hotel for more than 15 years, the SAV proposal was chosen, because it meant a radical change according to what the hotel had until that moment.
According to what the manager of SAV, Juan Pablo Jiménez, told AVI LATINOAMÉRICA, his company's project was selected because it was an innovative proposal, which included the permanent installation of the equipment and automated, so that they could be controlled through a computer or mobile devices such as iPhone and iPad.
Vivian Ley, banquet manager of the hotel and one of the people in charge of leading the remodeling of the rooms, explained that the call was made to new companies to know what was happening in the market and to know the new ways of working of each company. "We decided on SAV because they did a good management to show the result that would be achieved, for the quality of equipment and for the clarity of the information."
Achieving the level of installation and automation could only be given because a reform of the hotel was beginning, so they could install the fixed equipment thus minimizing the amount of cables in sight and improving the look & feel of the rooms.
Hands on
The initial budget for the intervention of the 14 rooms of the convention center of the Sheraton hotel was US $ 700,000, but after the required modifications and improvements to the project in terms of equipment that were made along the way, it had a total cost of US $ 800,000.
"Once SAV won the tender, we raised the technical and logistical needs for the entire audiovisual installation, which at that time were not contemplated in the original plans, so it was necessary to arrange meetings between the parties -hotel, SAV, architect, project manager, etc- to carry out the necessary facilities.", said Juan Pablo Jiménez.
There were four months, between June and September 2011, during which the convention center was closed for remodeling works. For the installation of the sound, Bose technical staff was in charge of carrying out an acoustic study that showed which were the amplifiers required for the installation according to each space.
"The audio is very subjective and with this study we managed to adjust the sound so that all the parts were at ease, because it modeled the room and with a virtual image the final result was known," said the manager of SAV.
One of the anecdotes that Hernán Godoy, commercial manager of SAV and another of the people in charge of coordinating the project, remembers is that in the two largest rooms of the hotel, which in turn each one is divided into three, SAV wanted to install elevators for the projectors looking for them to be hidden when they were not being used.
When explaining to the architect in charge of the remodeling project and the new design of the hotel the technical needs of SAV, Hernán Godoy says that initially the architect in charge did not agree, stating that this affected the design he had for the ceilings of the rooms, which are shaped like a cross.
But eventually, changes were made to the roof plans, making a small modification to their design, but they also had to install smaller elevators than initially planned.
The intervention also included screens in all elevators and common areas to disseminate information about the events held at the convention center.
Strategic allies
As the intervention at the Sheraton hotel sought the latest technology, SAV managers linked teams of brands that provided technical support and spare parts locally that allow a quick response in case of a failure, and with new equipment at hand.
Therefore, for the 17 projectors installed in the rooms, they decided to link the Epson brand equipment. According to Rodrigo Troncoso, representative of the Asian manufacturer in Chile, the company is launching in Latin America the new line of projectors of more than 5,000 lumens, in which it has been working for five years.
He assured that "Epson is recognized by mass consumption projectors that do not exceed 5,000 lumens, but we decided to enter the high market, which were those used by SAV in the Sheraton hotel, with very good results."
In terms of microphones, Shure systems were used. Helio Garbin, regional sales director for South America of this manufacturer, commented that for the convention center wireless microphones of the SLX reference were used, as well as wired microphones of the Microflex line.
"These types of microphones are the first choice in cases where audio performance is the most important priority, as in the case of the sound installed at the Sheraton hotel in Santiago," he said.
The results
On the first of October 2011, the convention center of the Sheraton hotel in Chile came into service again with 14 of the rooms completely renovated. And in the first months there are several results that stand out, both the hotel directives and the auditors in the audiovisual part.
One of the benefits of automation and having the equipment installed is the decrease in the preparation times of the rooms according to the requirements of the client.
Before, they had to install the projector, the screen, the amplifiers, leaving quantities of cables on the floor of the living rooms with the risks that this entails. Now, after the remodeling, the screens are installed on the ceiling, just like the projectors and amplifiers, with all the internal cables, reducing the time of preparation of equipment to minutes.
Hernán Godoy pointed out that "today the convention center meets 90% of the high demands of those who come to Chile from Europe or the United States in search of a venue for a congress or an event. Even, many times with the initial visit to know the facilities they decide on the Sheraton for their events".
For Rodrigo Troncoso, from Epson, one of the most important results of the link to this project is that there is an accompaniment of technical support and immediate spare parts that has been very well seen by the hotel and by SAV.
For her part, Vivian Ley, stressed that from January to June of this year the rent of the rooms and equipment in the hotel doubled. "98% of the events held in our facilities are done with the services of SAV, by the technology of the equipment they are using, the cleaning in the assembly, because there is no need to occupy hours in assembly, because everything is installed, except for some additional requirements of the clients.
"The total was invested US$13 million in the remodeling of the hotel's common areas, such as the lobby, reception, pool, terrace, poolside restaurant that operates in summer and the convention center. The hotel's shopping arcade was removed and five new rooms were created for the convention center in its replacement," concluded Vivian Ley.
Some numbers
The following are some numbers that measure the intervention carried out in the convention center of the Sheraton hotel:
- SAV invested US$800,000 in the intervention.
- 91 amplifiers of different Bose references were installed.
- 17 Epson projectors and an equal number of projection screens were required.
- They installed six elevators for the projectors of the larger halls.
- 90% of the visible cables of the halls were eradicated.
- Four months the play lasted.
- The hotel doubled the rent of its lounges after installation.
- The convention center has capacity for 2,500 people in 19 rooms.
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