EN 54-compliant vocal alarm and music distribution by RCF in the new 5-star Plaza Hotel

23 floors, 190 rooms and suites, 760 sqm of technically-equipped rooms for conferences and meetings, 3 bars, 3 restaurants, a modern health spa – and everything in a privileged position in the centre of the capital city: the Plaza Hotel, a new 5-star structure in Tirana, Albania, is definitely one of the Balkans’ top destinations.
The modern skyscraper, inaugurated in 2016, hosts tourists and business travellers, as well as luxurious ceremonies, sumptuous refreshments and meetings. The Plaza Hotel is equipped with as many as 4 conference rooms, one of which, the Queen Geraldine, can host up to 350 people.
Every detail of the new hotel has been developed with the utmost care. The vocal alarm and music distribution system, engineered by RCF and installed by local company Al Vision, is no exception. Several customizations were made upon the customer’s request, including a control application for iPad.
The keystone of the system is the DXT 9000 digital matrix system. It is EN54-16 certified and allows the distribution of entertainment music, vocal alarms from microphone consoles and automatic evacuation messages. The system, divided into 12 zones, is structured in order to allow a dynamic and fully versatile management of background music, zone by zone: conference rooms, lounge bar, corridors, offices, rooms, car parks, health spas, gyms and so on.
The interface for the control of background music is an iPad application developed by the RCF Engineering Team, specifically for the customer. “The working principle is really easy,” RCF engineers tell us. “It can work from any area of the hotel thanks to the full wi-fi coverage. After selecting the zone, the user can decide whether he or she wants to disable the music distribution in that zone, regulate the volume, select the listening source and so on. There are also several additional functions, allowing the advanced management and room combining of the conference halls: each one is divided into several sectors, that can be either used together or dynamically combined according to the needs of the customers and the event.”
Moreover, in addition to general sound sources, the lounge bar’s music programme can be transmitted throughout the hotel’s areas, including meeting rooms, as required by the customer. Thanks to the iPad interface, maximum versatility is ensured for all the guests’ needs. The RCF Q Series monitors are installed in the lounge bar and two main conference rooms, in order to maximise acoustic quality in harmony with the interior design.
The vocal alarm functionality is ensured by automatic evacuation messages and BM 9804 and BM 9804FM microphone consoles, with BE 9808 extensions, certified according to the EN 54-16 and with integral monitoring of the critical path of the signal.
The entire system is centralized in the hotel’s technical room and contained in three racks. Besides the MU 9186 digital matrix, the system also comprises the UP 9504, UP 9502 and UP 9501 multichannel amplifiers, that are used in different coverage zones and all EN54-16 certified. The system is completed by PL 68EN, DU 50EN and BD 5EN speakers, all EN 54-24 certified.