The Hilton Garden Inn La Romana in the Dominican Republic epitomizes a romantic destination. Located steps away from sun-kissed beaches and the renowned crystal-clear water of the Caribbean, it’s a slice of paradise for locals and visitors alike. The 5,000 square meter property has 130 rooms — many equipped with balconies for stunning ocean views and unsurpassed sunsets — and features a swimming pool, two outdoor bars, a restaurant, a gym, and event and meeting spaces ideal for social and corporate celebrations. The hotel wanted to implement an audio system that matched the splendor of its natural surroundings, and what better way to match visual perfection than with Connect Series amplifiers from LEA Professional?
Hotel staff contacted local integration firm Symantel to design a robust audio distribution system for the hotel’s common areas and meeting rooms. The hotel wanted background music with local zone control for specific areas like the bars and restaurant. Symantel, in turn, reached out to Fernando Hernandez Voigt, Chief Technology Officer at Musitempo, for help with the project. Voigt convinced the hotel to install a more robust solution with expanded capabilities for improving guest safety.
“While they originally just wanted background music, we educated hotel management on the importance of public address systems and the ability to hook it up with the fire alarm system to have a solution that background music is only a feature, but not the main focus,“ said Voigt. “And management loved the idea. At the end of the day, we deployed audio almost everywhere, not only in the social spaces but also in service areas and elevator lobbies. Basically, everywhere in the hotel.”
Voigt chose multiple Connect Series 354 amplifiers to power the loudspeakers installed throughout the hotel. The IoT-enabled 4-channel 354 provides 350 watts per channel, supports Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z selectable by channel, and features Smart Power Bridge technology. With three ways to connect, the hotel can engage the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the center’s Wi-Fi, or connect to the local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable.
With LEA Cloud and companion WebUI interface, hotel staff or Voigt’s team can remotely control and monitor the amplifiers regardless of the location or time of day. WebUI also allows support teams to adjust channel settings remotely when needed, including input levels, crossover points, and equalizer settings, allowing problems to be corrected in a more timely fashion by eliminating travel and saving the hotel time and money.
“One of the reasons we used LEA amplifiers is for their marvelous LEA Cloud feature, which we love so much,” said Voigt. “We’re always on the go, so when a customer calls, it’s very easy for us to get connected to the venue to troubleshoot and get a more in-depth idea of what’s happening to see if it’s an issue we can resolve online or if we have to send technicians out.”
The Hilton Garden Inn La Romana staff was delighted with the installation. When staff from nearby Hilton properties are rotated in for cross-training and coverage, they’re amazed at the audio clarity and system capabilities.
“Hotel Garden Inn La Romana is the perfect application for our amplifiers,” said Brian Pickowitz, VP of Marketing at LEA Professional. “The sun, sand, and ocean breeze all play an integral role in the ambiance, and how the hotel implemented an audio system to complement the beautiful surroundings highlights their passion for elevated guest experiences. We’re very proud to be part of this installation.”
