Jørgensen's Hotel in the center of the Danish city of Horsens is a hotel with a lot of character and a history that goes back to 1843. It is a hotel where the ceilings are decorated with stucco, and its restaurant, Eydes, is located in a vaulted cellar that is even older than the building itself - the former Lichtenberg's Palace.

A large-scale renovation of the hotel created an opportunity to upgrade the AV setup to add an extra dimension to the hotel and make it better equipped for hosting both conferences and family parties - without compromising either user-friendliness or the hotel's interior.

Committed to preserving history

Jørgensen's Hotel consists of 59 rooms, a reception, lounge, bar, wine bar, meeting room/library, Restaurant Eydes located in the cellar, walking street, courtyard, a foyer, and three banquet rooms. The largest banquet room can host up to 300 people and is used for conferences, meetings, and parties. Its centuries-long history, the numerous facilities, and the sheer size of the hotel mean that certain requirements must be met in terms of interior decoration and arrangement, staff, and the technology.

Mikkel Dam, Key Account Manager at AV Center, a danish reseller, explains, "Initially, the job was to renovate Jørgensen's Hotel. Then, we were invited to discuss various solutions and how to control the necessary functions. The equipment at Jørgensen's Hotel has to be operated by all types of users, including those who don't necessarily have the relevant AV competencies."

The hotel, AV Center, and Biamp created a solution that met the needs of an aesthetical, invisible installation and user-friendliness.

The final solution consists of two parts: The first is made up of two Apprimo 7" Touch panels and an Impera Tango controller, while the second involves three Apprimo 7" Touch panels and a Biamp Switching Relay - 4. Also, Biamp Control Pads were installed in the big hall to connect microphones and provide the necessary coverage. Furthermore, all the rooms have HDMI connections, and users can connect wirelessly using a Barco ClickShare.

Three products for two separate solutions

Apprimo Touch 7" Touch Panels and Impera Tango is ideal for mid-sized to larger meeting rooms. The controller is the brain behind the touch interface, providing the user with an intuitive and easy operating system to control the connected and relevant AV equipment.

This solution controls the background music in the reception, lounge, library, courtyard, walking street, and restaurant. All the music can be controlled from the reception. In the restaurant, the staff can control the music in Eydes and the walking street.

The touch panels in the bar and reception have individually functioning interfaces on the same controller. This provides relevant functions to the people that use them - no more and no less. So, for example, the restaurant staff does not need to control the music in the library, whereas it is relevant for the receptionists to have complete control over all areas.

The control system is placed on a rack in the basement near the kitchen with the relevant amplifiers and mixers. The second solution consists of another Impera Tango connected to three 7" Touch panels placed in each of the three banquet rooms. Finally, right above the ceiling, a Biamp Switching Relay - 4 is mounted. It is used for controlling several lifts and canvas screens, and this is where aesthetics and interior design come into play.

"It's a great story because this is a renovation of an old historic hotel, that has been here for many, many years," Mikkel says and continues, "I live in Horsens, so it has been great to have been a part of something that contributes to the local environment. In addition, I held my wedding here 12 years ago, so it was extra special for me to participate in the renovation of the place.

"We had a good dialogue with Christian, the hotel manager, and Dennis from Biamp. At AV Center, we often use Biamp products - control devices, relays, touch panels, and more. We have a very close collaborative relationship with them; they are one of our top suppliers. All in all, this is a story about excellent teamwork, where everything works." Christian has also been very pleased with the collaboration with Biamp.