Isolating Hotel Rooms from Restaurants

Preventing noise transmission between the noisy areas of a building to the quiet areas is an ongoing challenge. When the quiet areas are people sleeping and the noisy area is a busy hotel dining room, the problem is particularly acute, but can be resolved by using the appropriate products which are cost effective and easy to install correctly.

The Project

Premier Inn Scarborough North is a new build 105 room, 5-storey hotel with a 68-cover restaurant, which was completed in March 2021. The new hotel was granted planning permission in 2018 and construction was slightly delayed over the Covid lockdown period.

Owner of the Premier Inn brand, Whitbread, continues to see strong growth with their UK business continuing to outperform in the midscale and economy market and now has over 800 hotels in the UK. Key to the brand’s message is that wherever you stay in a Premier Inn, you will always get great levels of comfort.

The Challenge

Sources of noise which affect hotel guests include:

External sources of noise and vibration
Transmission between rooms and between rooms and corridors
Transmission from engineering systems (ventilation and air conditioning, heating systems, lifts and so on)
Transmission from public areas – reception, conference facilities and in particular restaurants.

Noise transmission from restaurants, bars and reception areas becomes a significant challenge where the design of the hotel incorporates these areas on the ground floor of a block, with hotel rooms directly above.

Reducing the transmission of noise from a large common area to individual hotel rooms rests principally on isolating the plasterboard or suspended ceiling. To overcome this challenge, a frequent recommendation is to design a ceiling incorporating neoprene isolation hangers.

Neoprene Isolation Hangers for Hotels

Neoprene isolation hangers are primarily used to isolate suspended sources of audible frequency vibration, such as piping and ductwork systems. They also provide very effective vibration isolation for hanging acoustic ceilings by preventing transmission of noise to the building structure.

The isolation hangers supplied for use in the ceiling at Premier Inn Scarborough North were Isogrid Quick-Connect Ceiling Hangers, supplied by CMS Danskin Acoustics.

The IsoGrid Quick Connect Ceiling Hanger has a specially designed dual deflection neoprene isolator which allows internal bulging. This enables the neoprene element to achieve greater deflections whilst maintaining lateral stability. Greater deflection translates to greater performance for noise control ceilings.

IsoGrid Quick-Connect Ceiling Hangers have several other benefits:

They are more cost effective than similar products;
The simple design makes them quick and easy to install, providing significant labour savings over conventional sound control ceiling hangers;
The known deflection rates ensure acoustical performance under design loads;
Tested for airborne, impact and frequency performance to BS EN ISO 10140 requirements;
Various attachment methods allow for installation on a variety of ceiling structures, including concrete, metal deck or structural framing;
A bronze core serves to prevent poor acoustic performance due to over compression or due to accidental short circuiting of the transmission pathway.

Installation

The ceiling was installed by specialist contractor B W Shrimpton Limited. This was the first time that Shrimpton’s had used IsoGrid hangers, but they were well received.

Supervisor Kirk Talbot, who has worked closely with the CMS Danskin Acoustics Team on several projects, explained his preference for the hangers is very much about the ease of installation:

“We used Hilti pan head HUS fixings into the soffit for fixing them up, and the lads on site had no issues with them at all.

“The IsoGrid hangers are definitely robust enough and easy to fix angle or wires to. On that basis and the cheapness compared to other hangers out there, I’d definitely use them again and will recommend that others do too.”

Kirk Talbot, BW Shrimpton Ltd

Technical Advice on Acoustics in Hotels

CMS Danskin Acoustics are specialists in soundproofing materials and acoustic insulation. Our expert technical team can advise on the specification of a wide range of specialist acoustic and vibration control systems – balancing performance, aesthetics and budget. We provide solutions to treat floors, walls and ceilings, as required, delivering a holistic design approach to sound control for the complete gym or sports hall environment.

We don’t just design, manufacture and deliver market leading products. We work with the entire supply chain and project teams to ensure a smooth path from conception to completion.

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