AV Systems Tailored to Enhance the Guest Experience: Combining the Essence of the Windy City with the Spirit of Nobu
Nobu Hotels blend modern, cool luxury and minimal Japanese tradition into the concept of a lifestyle hotel — which is exactly what Robert De Niro, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper wanted when they decided to open their iconic property in Chicago.
No detail was overlooked. The development team sourced the industry’s leading architects, designers, general contractors, suppliers, and hospitality experts for the stunning 115-room hotel, restaurant and rooftop scene, complete with an indoor lounge and outdoor terrace.
With technology and sound at the forefront of Nobu’s multi-sensory guest experience
The Nobu team looked for a highly-skilled partner that would own the audiovisual aspect of the project and create a truly immersive experience. Encompass Connect not only came highly recommended, it gave the team an opportunity to flex their design, acoustics, infrastructure, and overall hospitality strengths.
Encompass Connect connected with the developers early, rethinking the entire buildscape for a more efficient and structured cabling that ensured greater network infrastructure. They also wired the entire building accounting for Nobu’s high-end system requirements, as well as low-voltage and electrical systems; all while integrating seamlessly with other vendors on site.System design was focused entirely on the guest experience, tailored to the specific needs of each area, from the display screens that come down on mechanical lifts with the touch of an iPad, to audio systems that deliver extremely high-quality sound across Nobu’s many settings.
To deliver a high-quality and seamless system design across the venue’s many settings
The Encompass Connect team leveraged its expertise in audio architecture and its 20+ years of installation experience. Coverage and aesthetics played equally important roles. Martin Audio speakers’ differential dispersion technology allowed for an even coverage throughout the hotel, paired with CDD speakers with close mounting capabilities for walls and ceilings, small enough to blend into aesthetics but not go unnoticed. In fact, most speakers were successfully hidden behind the millwork without any adverse impact to the acoustics or sound quality.
Lab Gruppen amplifiers along with Symetrix digital signal processing were selected to ensure both optimal performance and ease-of-use for Nobu’s employees managing music and visuals, either manually or through programmable settings.
The project concluded in the summer of 2020 with the final phase focused on Nobu’s corporate meeting rooms, now featuring Encompass’ advanced conferencing solutions.
Without doubt, out of all Nobu properties around the world , the Chicago location provides an unsurpassed sound experience with a state-of-the art custom sound system encompassing the pool, spa, fitness areas, restrooms, lobby, conferencing spaces, rooftop bar and, of course, the centerpiece restaurant.
