Perfect Pair - History And High-Tech Live Happily Ever After
The 21st-century automation at a 19th-century luxury hotel leaves sense of history intact while providing guests with touchscreen control, an example when history and high-tech live happily ever after.
Author:George EvansSep 06, 2024307 Shares61.3K Views
Can history and high-tech live happily ever after?
Nearly 100 years separate three phases of construction at the New York Palace hotel in New York City.
The original mansion, built by railroad tycoon Henry Villard (1835-1900) in 1882, still stands today as the marbled grand entrance to this timeless property.
But pass through the elegant courtyard and up the grand staircase and you find yourself in a 55-story black tower added to the hotel by real estate developer Harry Helmsley (1909-1997) and his second wife, Leona Helmsley (1920-2007), in 1981.
The Tower rooms have played host to celebrities and royalties alike for more than 30 years. However, after three decades, the hotel began to show its age.
Thus, when Northwood Hospitality in New York, purchased the hotel in 2013, the owners initiated a third phase of renovation, together with a technology upgrade, that began with the 167 rooms that make up the top 14 floors of the tower.
Modernizing The Rooms
Called in to assist with the upgrade, building-technology integrator Bill Lally of Mode:Green in Orlando, Florida, knew immediately that a Crestron 3-series control system (Rockleigh, New Jersey) would be the solution for the rooms.
Lally said:
“„The advantage of the control system in each room is its internal wireless gateway.- Bill Lally
The Crestron InfiNET EX is a two-way RF (radio frequency) gateway/transceiver that allows multiple wireless devices to be connected and managed reliably, even in areas such as New York City, where there is a great deal of RF interference.
Through the gateway, the system controls the:
- room climate
- door locks
- window shades
- audio
- lighting
It’s as simple as touching a button on a bedside 7-inch touch screen that Lally chose to be the focal point for the guest.
He said:
“„The lighting here is not your standard hotel room treatment. There are lighting themes for working and relaxing during the day or at night.- Bill Lally
Lally added:
“„There are separate themes for the bath and the bedroom, and additional themes for those suites that have living areas as well.- Bill Lally
Guests no longer have to search for a light switch because in-wall dimmers wirelessly integrate floor and table lamps with the bedside touch screen, a keypad Lally placed on the opposite bedside table, and Cameo keypads on the wall at the entrance to each room.
Each of these controllers makes it simple to switch from one theme to another.
The gateway also provides the backbone for the Saflok door-locking system company in Madison Heights, Michigan.
Lally explained:
“„This is a great advantage of the gateway, since it eliminates the need for a redundant network solely to support the door locks.- Bill Lally
The touch screen allows guests to lock and unlock the guestroom door, and it also provides controls for the audio and video systems.
He further said:
“„If guests bring their own music, the audio system includes an in-wall docking station for the iPod that gives them complete access to all their playlists from the touch screen.- Bill Lally
They can also use the touch screen to:
- change TV channels
- control volume levels
- play movies from the hotel’s video system
Upgrading The Shades
Crestron’s new shading solutions allowed the hotel to choose its own fabric and style for the fully automated window treatments.
Each room has two sets of shades, sheer Roman and blackout, that work in tandem.
Guests can enjoy the lights of midtown Manhattan or nearby St. Patrick’s Cathedral and still have some privacywhen using the decorative sheer Roman shades.
When they want to block out the world, the blackout shades automatically come down and the decorative sheers drop in front of them to maintain the room’s high-end appointments.
Both shades operate with Crestron’s Quiet Motor technology.
By using the shading solution there was no need to incorporate a third-party control system into the mix.
Foreign visitors find the blackout shades to be a great advantage when trying to acclimate to the Eastern time zone.
Lally said:
“„High-end technology has become an expectation of the clientele the Palace is trying to attract. They expect a luxury hotel to be every bit as comfortable as their homes.- Bill Lally
For Lally, there was one pleasant surprise to the tower room upgrades.
He explained:
“„The rooms each had a Crestron system designed and installed in 1992.- Bill Lally
The Cresnet cabling that runs throughout the building was still intact, and Mode:Green technicians were able to use it for the new InfiNET system.
Lally said:
“„It saved us and the hotel about $250,000 because we didn’t need to open up walls and run new cabling.- Bill Lally
Considering how quickly technology changes, to find the infrastructure still fully functional and compatible with the newest technology was a big plus.
Outpouring Of Benefits
While the new technology helps create a better guest experience, the benefits don’t stop there.
Lally explained:
“„We've integrated the window shades, thermostats, and occupancy sensors with the property-management system, so when a guest checks out we’re able to manage the energy pieces more effectively.- Bill Lally
He continued:
“„For example, we’ll set back the heat during the winter and leave the curtains open to allow sunlight to help raise the room’s temperature. In the summer, we’ll close the blackout shades and set back the air conditioning.- Bill Lally
Final Thoughts
The upgrades have created one of the most cost-effective and energy-efficient integrated guest rooms to date.
Bill Lally credited Crestron for the wonderful changes, saying:
“„We owe a lot of thanks to Crestron for their forward-thinking designs, allowing us to retrofit new technology onto an infrastructure that is 20 years old.- Bill Lally
That is very rare in the technology world: when history and high-tech live happily ever after.
George Evans
Author
George Anderson, an exceptional architectural designer, envisions and brings to life structures that transcend the realm of imagination. With an unwavering passion for design and an innate eye for detail, George seamlessly blends form and function, creating immersive spaces that inspire awe.
Driven by a deep appreciation for the interplay of space, light, and materials, George's innovative approach redefines the possibilities of architectural design. His visionary compositions leave an indelible mark, evoking a sense of wonder and transforming the built environment.
George Anderson's transformative designs and unwavering dedication continue to shape the architectural landscape, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and inspiring generations to come.
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