Resorts World Las Vegas, the first integrated resort to be built on the Strip in over a decade, has partnered with Q-SYS to create amazing experiences for patrons in their luxury suites, event spaces and common areas. The Q-SYS Platform delivers a software-based solution that supports large-scale centralized processing comprised of over 2,000 end points throughout two towers, over 3,500 rooms, and multiple dining and event experiences, plus a massive casino floor. In addition, Q-SYS can easily accommodate growth plans and ever-changing requirements.
Powered by two Q-SYS Core 5200 Enterprise Cores, one for each hotel tower, the luxury suites offer twelve different room types with fully automated systems including AV distribution, ceiling loudspeakers, in-wall touch screen controls and environmental controls. To provide real-time visibility of each of these spaces, the One Touch Living integration team developed a series of custom Q-SYS I/O dashboards.
“It’s a very powerful platform,” says Corey Brushia, President, One Touch Living. “I discovered I can use CSS to build out some really nice user interface dashboards, and there’s so much that we can do with it.”
The nightlife hub of the resort includes a nightclub, a dayclub, a social gaming and dining experience as well as an experiential dining venue, all of which must function independently, while also integrating with each other for special events. With a wide array of end users utilizing these spaces, control also needs to strike a balance between functionality and simplicity.
To deliver such a flexible, yet integrated event experience, integration company Solotech utilized the open architecture of Q-SYS to customize an overarching system and easily integrate third-party devices, while leveraging Q-SYS as the heart of the routing capabilities.
“The Q-SYS Platform is incredibly inclusive of their third-party partners, so the diversity you can build in is by far one of the nicest things I’ve ever had with any product,” says Ben Baczenas, Integration System Designer at Solotech.
Encompassing the gaming floor, hotel lobbies, gaming salons, corridors, hallways, vestibules, elevators and more, these common areas are each part of a larger system, but each also have their own unique requirements. The software-based relationship between Q-SYS and Dante® as a licensed feature allows for simple additions to the network, everything from Bluetooth audio to DJ inputs.
In addition, with an installation as large and variable as Resorts World Las Vegas, Q-SYS Open technology enabled the team to standardize regardless of the space type. Programmers can quickly conceptualize and adjust globally, while also providing the added benefit of allowing the in-house AV team to quickly master the system.
“Q-SYS is the only truly network friendly audio, video and control platform,” says Shane Snell, Project Manager, National Technology Associates. “I don’t think I design anything right now but Q-SYS.”
Resorts World Las Vegas partnered with Technology West Group to implement a gigantic AV-over-IP network that comprised of over 2,000 Visionary Solution endpoints and 2,000 Q-SYS audio channels, encompassing almost every area of the property. With multiple plugins readily available, Visionary Solutions endpoints seamlessly integrate into Q-SYS making the combination an ideal partnership to act as the Resorts World Las Vegas network foundation.
“The support is one of the greatest stories of Q-SYS – it’s very rare now in the industry that you have a great product matched with great support,” says Richard Reisig, Vice President, Technology West Group.
SUITES
To bring the quality of high-impact experience VIP guests expect to their twelve different suite types, Resorts World Las Vegas turned to integrator partner One Touch Living. They had their hands full, as it wasn’t until the dust settled and construction was complete that the team was able to gain access to the rooms themselves. Opening day was near at hand, and mistakes were not an option. “When you host guests spending millions of dollars it is critical that they have a seamless VIP experience,” explains Corey Brushia, President of One Touch Living.
With the smallest suite sporting four televisions and five audio zones (and the largest containing eighteen televisions and twenty-four audio zones), these systems are anything but simple. All feature audio-visual distribution, ceiling loudspeakers, in-wall touchscreen controllers and environmental controls.
“These are fully automated systems,” describes Corey. “When guests walk through the door, the room greets them by turning on the lights, which are specific to the time of day. The shades and drapes then open to give a view of the outside Strip. That being said, everything the guest interfaces within the room must be ‘hotel simple’, so all of the automation behind the scenes just happens.”
To power the thirty-seven luxury suites, the Resorts World Las Vegas team selected two Q-SYS Core 5200 enterprise cores, one for each hotel tower. In one tower live eighteen of the luxury suites, with nineteen residing in the other. To effectively manage each of these incredible spaces, the One Touch Living team developed a series of Q-SYS driven dashboards. From there they can see exactly what is happening, manage the inputs and outputs, see what’s playing on the video and make sure the video sources are working and distributed properly. “It’s a very, very powerful platform,” says Corey. “I discovered how I can use CSS to build out some really nice user interface dashboards, and there’s so much that we can do with it. While tech support has been really responsive, we haven’t had to leverage it too often even though it was my first-time using Q-SYS. All it all, it was pretty darned easy to learn.”
The sheer scale of Resorts World Las Vegas is something to behold, but it’s not over yet. With future development on the horizon, their network AV has the potential to be one of the largest in the country. Corey explains, “We’ve taken over 2000 video end point devices and put them on a single network. They’re easily managed through the Q-SYS OS, even with multiple contractors leveraging the same devices at the same time. It’s come together seamlessly because of the architecture of the system. We’re doing some stuff that’s never been done before, and through it all Q-SYS has been very successful, and very reliable.”
NIGHTCLUB
The nightlife hub of Resorts World Las Vegas is made up of four venues: Zouk Nightclub, the resort’s state-of-the-art nightclub, Ayu Dayclub, a dayclub that includes the pools and cabanas, Redtail, a social gaming bar and dining experience and finally Fuhu, offering experiential dining with a modern Asian flair. While each of these spaces can and does function independently from one another, all also needed to integrate for special events. For example, Fuhu’s wall of sliding glass doors connect directly into Ayu Dayclub, allowing both spaces to tie into one other. Similarly, Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Dayclub can merge to act as a single combined space for large concerts.
On the other side of the spectrum, there was still a need for individuals to have granular control over such elements as volume and input source controls, for example within Ayu Dayclub’s cabanas and bungalows, or Fuhu’s private dining rooms, or Redtail’s private karaoke rooms. Finally, despite the fluidity of the system, the Resorts World Las Vegas team still needed a system intuitive enough to facilitate the success of in-house personnel. Resorts World Las Vegas partnered with Solotech to design and implement this lofty vision. Q-SYS enabled Solotech to develop an overarching system that allowed for specific areas to operate independently of the main source system, while also still being able to immediately revert back into the main system if required. This provided a huge amount of customization capability to support client needs. Ben Baczenas, Integration System Designer of Solotech explains, “With Q-SYS we have the ability to dictate very specifically within one distributed system to address client requirements, while another system is doing something completely different. Room combiners and all of the great functionality within Q-SYS gives each of these spaces the potential to be incredibly transformative.”
All four of these venues communicate across a diverse network of different devices within Q-SYS OS. The openness of Q-SYS to third-party devices enabled Resorts World Las Vegas to leverage Q-SYS as the heart of the routing capabilities built into each of the spaces, and to handle most of the heavy lifting. “Q-SYS has become this centralized hub because it is much more flexible to build considering the varied status of our integrations,” describes Ben. “It makes a whole lot more sense and feels much more like a distributed audio router than it does a mixing console. Q-SYS also gives us that ability to-go, for example: when the venue scheduled a festival style weekend, programming could be implemented that maintained everyday operations while allowing for seamless integration of touring systems. That’s much simpler to automate in Q-SYS, whereas we’d have to bypass distributed house systems, or constantly have house staff repatching things on the fly. It would never have functioned smoothly without Q-SYS.”
The entire system was structured with an end user ideology, asking questions around who is using the space and how, as well a striking a balance between functionality and simplicity. Users did not just include audio engineers, lighting engineers or staff, but also the artists themselves. Because new and interesting uses of the spaces are continually being discovered, the design is likewise a constantly evolving process, one that Q-SYS facilitates though continual firmware upgrades. “With the robust yet simplified design that Q-SYS provides, it makes everything much more attainable for an end user, especially if they aren’t coming in with a deep engineering background. This also allows us to easily continue to build upon what has already been created,” says Ben.
The entire Resorts World Las Vegas process was one of collaboration, multiple different parties coming together to develop something truly special via communication and collaboration. In this way, the internal life of the system very much mirrors the process of its designers: a diverse network of devices seamlessly communicating to create unforgettable experiences, with Q-SYS at its center. Ben concludes “Q-SYS is incredibly inclusive of their third-party partners, so the diversity you can build in is by far one of the nicest things I’ve ever had with any product. It doesn’t feel like at any point Q-SYS closes the door on anyone.”
COMMON AREAS
After entering the doors into the Resorts World Las Vegas lobby, with its sleek lighting and modern design, you might choose to move directly into the bustling casino floor, or perhaps relax in a lounge, or more likely, just head straight to the elevators to drop off your luggage. Encompassing the gaming floor, hotel lobbies, gaming salons, corridors, hallways, vestibules, elevators and more, these spaces are united under the umbrella of being common areas, though they’re anything but ordinary. Integrator partner National Technology Associates collaborated with the Resorts World Las Vegas team to bring these areas to their full potential. “Each space has its own requirements,” explains Shane Snell, Project Manager, National Technology Associates. “For example, a private gaming area might need Bluetooth audio, while the casino floor needs DJ microphone inputs and a lounge might require a piano input. Each area is a part of a larger system, but delivers a different experience.”
Adjusting to the particulars of every space might have been daunting, but the software-based relationship between Q-SYS and Dante™ as a licensed feature allows for simple additions to the network, everything from Bluetooth audio to DJ microphones. Shane describes his experience as being, “So easy! There’s not a lot you can do wrong – between Dante and Q-SYS, it is just a network switch to an endpoint. Q-SYS is fully supportive of Dante, so all of these different areas with different requirements became much more straight forward. We simply brought in Dante-enabled devices and Q-SYS did the rest.”
With an installation as large and variable as Resorts World Las Vegas, the backend could have gotten out of control on any other platform. However, the Resorts World Las Vegas team maintains a similar structure within all Q-SYS Designer Software files, no matter if it’s a gaming salon, or a restaurant, or a private salon. Programmers on the backend are then able to quickly conceptualize and adjust due to the structural consistency within different space types, all of which is further facilitated by Q-SYS Designer Software’s intuitive interface. Shane elaborates, “The way Q-SYS Designer Software allows people to control Q-SYS is a huge differentiator. Other manufacturers will make you select a device, and use some sort of crazy ID or command code, whereas with Q-SYS all we have to do is name what we want controlled and it will present itself to the programmers. It makes it so easy for us to let the programmers know where we want them to apply controls. It’s much more open.”
This intuitive design extends from supporting programmers to facilitating front-of-house success. Resorts World Las Vegas sports a highly adept in-house audio-visual team, including AV operators that act as a technical concierge for salons hosting VIP guests. Manned with an iOS device running the “Q-SYS Control” app, these individuals ensure that the space is meeting the environmental expectations of high value patrons. Through the same consistency of design and easy usability, the internal AV team has quickly mastered the system, which was evidenced by the Resorts World Las Vegas grand opening having zero service calls or issues. “Q-SYS is the only truly network friendly audio, visual and control platform,” Shane concludes. “They’ve designed their software so that it doesn’t take any proprietary or unusual switch gear or specialty cabling. I don’t think I design anything right now but Q-SYS.”
NETWORK
In the midst of Resorts World Las Vegas construction, the Resorts World Las Vegas team collaborated in a strategic partnership with Technology West Group, who designed and implemented the overall AV system and property-wide network specifications. Their involvement ran the gamut in everything from sourcing additional partners to troubleshooting potential issues in the final days before opening. The end result: a gigantic AV-over-IP network that comprised of over 2,000 endpoints encompassing almost every area of the property, and estimated to be the largest of its kind. Richard Reisig, Vice President of Technology West Group explains the scope, “The Resorts World Las Vegas network consists of over 2,000 Visionary Solution endpoints (including video, Dante, DMX channels) and 2,000 Q-SYS audio channels, designed to supply one gigabit of bandwidth to any location on the property with virtually no latency. This is truly a groundbreaking installation.”
A key component to the structural success of a project of this magnitude is the open architecture offered by Q-SYS Open as well as Q-SYS Partner Visionary Solutions. Having developed multiple plugins, Visionary Solutions endpoints coordinate seamlessly with the Q-SYS platform, making the combination an ideal partnership to act as the Resorts World Las Vegas network foundation. This system is so comprehensive that one could network content from anywhere, to anywhere, including suites, meeting rooms or the 100,000 square foot LED screen building display illuminating the Strip. “The open relationship between the Q-SYS Platform and the Visionary Solutions was a complete game-changer for the project,” says Richard.
In his role as the network architect, Richard helmed many of the troubleshooting queries that inevitably arise in a large-scale installation. During this process, he discovered how Q-SYS does things differently. “The support is one of the great stories of Q-SYS – it’s very rare now in the industry that you have a great product matched up with great support. Most alternatives have good products but no support whatsoever.” The result was a successful grand opening that amazed patrons and caught the attention of the global AV community. Resorts World Las Vegas acts as proof manifest of the values Q-SYS has prioritized over the past decades. Requirements increasingly demand the power of diverse ecosystem of network AV providers, and having standards-based protocols and open integration avenues for the different means by which a system might be constructed is pivotal. While Resorts World Las Vegas is a flagship example, installations of all sizes are now building toward this vision, with Q-SYS supporting their way.
