Outline
Steeped in authentic British charm, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill offers a sophisticated stay in Marylebone overlooking Portman Square Garden. Tucked behind Hyde Park and Oxford Street in the heart of London’s West End, the hotel honours Sir Winston Churchill with bespoke design details and refined décor that give a subtle nod to his life and legacy.
CGA began its relationship with Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill in 2016 when it was appointed to install quality AV systems across the three meeting and private dining rooms situated on the second floor of the hotel. Four years later, CGA were appointed to continue this work into the refurbished ground floor meeting and events spaces and the newly extended ground floor area, The Gallery. Integrating the new AV systems with those they had previously installed, CGA helped to create totally flexible multifunctional spaces with all the AV facilities required to hold effective hybrid meetings and events
Challenges
CGA worked throughout the 2020/2021 Lockdown to complete the extensive refurbishment and extension of Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, adapting working practices to comply with Government requirements and ensuring that workers were on site with appropriate PPE and with social distancing in place
Technical
Chartwell Ballroom
Ceiling speakers were replaced and amplifiers moved to enable a centralised sound system to be created, integrating with the AV system for the second floor meeting rooms. The video projector was also replaced with a removable solution, as there is no ceiling void to house an invisible retractable solution.
The Library, Boardrooms (1&2) & Studios (1,2&3)
The AV functionality of these meeting and events spaces was reimagined to ensure they are ready for the new requirements of hybrid meetings and events once hospitality reopens after Lockdown. New ceiling speakers were installed (in wall speakers in the case of Boardroom 1), touch screens for presenting, control panels with clean screen functionality and BYOM (bring your own meeting) capability was installed throughout, including in built video cameras with predominantly wireless table microphones for video conferencing functionality. As the spaces are very flexible with some moveable walls to maximise configurations, CGA ensured that the video and audio inputs installed could be shared across spaces for maximum flexibility.
The Gallery
CGA installed AV plates on every wall so this large flexible space can be used in any configuration. The plates were installed with available inputs so visiting events companies can utilise the installed AV system when hosting hybrid conferences. Local touch panels with links to the iLight lighting control system were installed and a video projector was added with a 3m wide screen.
The Gallery has a phase adjusted induction loop fitted to maintain privacy whilst still ensuring the space is DDA compliant.
Central Control
All CGA designed and installed AV is controlled from one central rack with remote network support for peace of mind. In all the meeting and events areas, the video is processed in the central rack and sent to all outlets for maximum flexibility. There is one hotel TV connection which can be routed to any screen from the central control and shared music sources operate across all the second floor and ground floor meeting and events areas.
Digital Signage
The Novicom digital signage which was previously installed outside the second floor meeting rooms was continued across the ground floor. 11 more signs in the form of 15 inch wall signs, were installed to indicate the current room user with appropriate logos and event timings. All digital signage displays were linked in the Cloud to the hotel’s Invision system, ensuring all meeting & booking information is accurate and current through automatic updates via the Invision system and to save staff having to re-enter this information.
Response
Arnaud de Saint-Exupery, Area VP & General Manager at Hyatt Hotels Corporation UK & Ireland commented “As a result of the pandemic, the requirements for meetings and events hosted by hotels has evolved and the search for hybrid solutions has become stronger. The work we have done with CGA on this project will ensure that Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill is ready and equipped to address these changing requirements, as we emerge from Lockdown and welcome our guests back both in person and remotely.”
