Bosch Conferencing and Public Address Systems

Multi-zone public address and voice evacuation system delivers emergency messages in every space

Jan. 31, 2023 - First opening its doors to paying guests in 1930, Athens Capital Hotel is an icon of central Athens that has played host to everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna. Now a Marriott property, the former annex of the Royal Palace and Prime Minister's residence is a five-star boutique hotel that brings a touch of opulence to every guest's stay.

While first-class service is guaranteed, guest safety also needs to be paramount. This aspect of the hotel experience has been ensured as part of a larger plan that has seen the three members of Marriott's Luxury Collection hotel group in Athens all opt to renovate with modern Bosch public address and evacuation systems. As the first member of the group to undergo this refurbishment, there was a lot of emphasis placed on finding the right technology for Athens Capital. The requirement was for an efficient solution that would meet the necessary EN 54 standards of this type of establishment while also enhancing the guest experience. The best way to meet that need was with Praesensa. It is this kind of mid-to-large application where Praesensa sets a new industry benchmark. As an advanced and extremely cost-efficient IP-connected system featuring a smart-power concept and integrated redundancy, it is perfect for both centralized and decentralized network topologies.

Room service

The bulk of the project followed a typical hotel evacuation system with the design, cabling and installation all following the EN 54-16 standards. The installed solution is based around the Praesensa Public Address System consisting of a Praesensa System Controller, four desktop LCD call stations, a wall-mount LCD call station, each with call station extensions. The system is driven by eight 8-channel 600 W amplifiers which send emergency messages to the nearly 600 Bosch loudspeakers that have been deployed to cover every area of the hotel, including all public areas, corridors, restaurants, basement spaces and the guest rooms themselves.

As a way to enhance the guest experience, a key goal of the project was for the new solution to connect into the television sets in each guest room.

In addition to the room's loudspeaker, a room controller has been connected to the TV set in each room. This room controller is controlled and supervised by the PA/EVAC system and overrides the TV's audio with transmission of evacuation messages in case of emergency. The IP-based solution was able to use the existing cabling and IT network structure to ensure the hotel would meet its aims.

The result is something that Simon Technologies S.A., the systems integrator behind the project, is rightly proud of. "Praesensa allowed us to satisfy the needs of the customer with much less equipment – specifically the number of amplifiers – and with the latest technologies by using the existing IT structure of the hotel," explained Simon Stamatiadis, VP and CEO of Simon Technologies.

With its Praesensa solution delivering efficient room-message management, Athens Capital Hotel has been able to ensure the safety of its guests with a modern emergency address system that is in keeping with the luxury stylings of the hotel.