The other day at a popular chain restaurant, I dropped by the restroom before a long ride home. I’ve heard some loud toilet flushes in my day, and this one was right up there with the loudest of them. While it caught my attention, it didn’t make me jump too high out of surprise. However, when I saw a young girl coming out of the neighboring stall, she had a look of shock on her face. She said, “That SCARED me!” Not something I would think most businesses want to do to their customers. (more)
Restaurant Noise – A Big Deal to Food Critics
Over the years we’ve used this blog to try and get the word out that acoustics can be very important when designing a restaurant and that the assistance of a qualified acoustical consultant during the design phase will save the proprietor both time and money while ensuring the ambience is top notch. So just how important is acoustics in a restaurant? I spent a little time looking around at recent restaurant reviews in Chicago and Detroit to see what I could find… do the critics notice? (more)
In an effort to be inspired, I happen to be writing this blog from my hotel room so it seems perfectly fitting that I write today about Hotel Room Noise Isolation. This is a bit of a tricky topic because there is a whole range of expectations that exist between the one or two star roadside motel and the 4-star hotel that I am currently staying in courtesy of our firm’s thriftiness and a sweet deal from hotwire.com. Of course, nobody checks into a hotel expecting to get a poor night of sleep regardless of the quality or star rating of the establishment. (more)
How Hotel Conference Rooms Can Make Money By Offering Audio-Visual Services In House
When hotel owners and managers consider the costs of upgrading their current hotel conference room audio-visual system, they often consider outsourcing these services to a live event production company – one that would bring in portable AV equipment and run it for the events. But more and more hotel managers are learning that offering the audio and video services in-house can be a lucrative cash cow. And they’re finding that the conference room guests prefer a well-designed AVL system as opposed to a portable hodge-podge system. So what is the best way to make upgrades to your hotel conference room audio-video system without losing your shirt in the process? (more)
Hotel Room Noise Isolation = A Good Night’s Rest
Due to the nature of our work and the locations of our clients, we are always traveling. One thing that I’ve noticed in my many years at ABD is that there is a vast difference in the quality of the rooms at any given hotel. When I check in, I have a few requests that I announce long before the desk clerk imprints my key. First, I always ask for a room on the opposite side of the hotel from the highway and second I ask for a room at the end of the hallway. So why are these things important to me? Acoustics, of course! (more)
What Do Acoustical Consultants Actually Do?
As an acoustical consultant, I often have trouble answering the “what do you do?” question. The basic answer is quite easy, but unless the person asking the question is an architect, performing artist, or involved in music, they often don’t have a clue what the job entails. I ran into this problem the first time I met my mother-in-law. She genuinely wanted to know and understand what I did for a living, but not being involved in the performing arts or technical sciences made it difficult, and I had a hard time communicating my trade. So what exactly does an acoustical consultant do, anyway? (more)
This past spring I was blessed to be married to an amazing woman who thankfully doesn’t mind when I walk into a business and point out the acoustical flaws and potential improvements that could be made “if they had only hired an acoustical consultant!”
During our engagement, the task of planning for the wedding began, and of course, we visited venues for potential places to hold the reception. In the months leading up to the big day, we attended several weddings and receptions and were on the prowl for good ideas as our wedding neared. (more)
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