Zagame’s House

The Zagame’s brand is well known throughout Victoria. Brothers Victor and Robert Zagame are passionate hospitality veterans who put their heart and soul into each Zagame’s venue, from family restaurants to casinos to car dealerships.

Zagame’s House is among the latest of the brothers’ ventures. Built on the site of an old pub on trendy Lygon St in Carlton, the luxury boutique hotel showcases exquisite sustainable architecture, thoughtful design, and a no-expenses-spared execution.

Its 97 rooms include chic suites and spacious downtown pads. The top tier Lord Lygon Wine Shop is part of the venue, along with the 1851 Coffee + Kitchen, a 24 hour gym and a resident rental Fiat named Freya.

The Challenge
Light & Sound Solutions supplied the AV for Zagame’s House, including all internal and external audio and IPTVs. The brief was simple and open-ended: the AV had to match the Zagame’s brand of creating luxurious, opulent experiences using only top notch products.

“Zagame’s House is the first of their flagship hotel chain,” says Daniel Thomas, Senior Project Manager at Light & Sound Solutions who oversaw the project. “It’s a very boutique, very stylish spot.”

“The design of the entire hotel is to create a homely vibe,” says Adam Taloni, General Manager at Zagame’s House. “After all, we are a house!”

“I believe we have succeeded in this given our guests tell us this regularly. There are various factors that create this desired ‘feel’, and music is one of them.”

“From the music in the carpark when you arrive, to the lifts, gym, café, wine bar and even the bathrooms, our music is designed to not overpower our guests’ mood, but to help enhance it and make them feel at home. Comfortable, relaxed, happy.”

The Fix
All the common areas have distributed Bose FreeSpace systems including the wine bar, reception/lobby, dining room, carpark/garden areas and function rooms. Proprietary Bose PowerMatch Series amplifiers run all loudspeakers.

“We chose Bose because of its reputation and quality,” says Daniel. “Bose’s product range suits that kind of environment, but it’s also a brand name that makes people happy.

“It’s very easy for us to stick that badge on and know it’s going to tick all the boxes, as well as deliver a quality result.”

The entrance to Zagame’s House is a courtyard adjoining the carpark. The client requested this drop-off area has high quality background audio to envelop a guest before they set foot inside the hotel.

“The analogy given to us was a shopping centre atrium with quality sound,” comments Daniel. “What we wanted to create was the background music vibe of an atrium even though there’s no ‘lid’.

“We used a combination of the Bose FreeSpace 360P environmental loudspeakers and DS100SE surface mount loudspeakers to create an atmosphere. We put a lot of thought into speaker placement to direct sound where we wanted it.”

We put a lot of thought into speaker placement to direct sound where we wanted it.

Part of the challenge in meeting this brief was not only the amount of ambient noise spilling into this area from busy Lygon St but also a residential fence which backs onto the carpark putting a ceiling on the SPL.

The DSP capabilities of the Bose PowerMatch amplifiers was essential in complying with noise limits.

“We utilised the Bose DSP to manage minimum and maximum volume levels and also the scheduling of attenuation, so at 6pm the level drops 10dB. The volume control on the scheduler also keeps staff from accidentally turning it up too loud.”

Inside the hotel, a combination of Bose FreeSpace DS40F flush mount and DS100SE surface mount loudspeakers comprise the venue-wide audio reinforcement, along with Bose RMU108 utility loudspeakers in common areas and hallways.

Bose MB210 subwoofers are installed in the dining room and wine bar for additional low end impact. According to the brief, adaptability was key.

“The music system had to be very versatile,” comments Adam, “from soft, welcoming music in the carpark on a Monday morning, to upbeat vibes and more bass on a Friday and Saturday night, to an awesome event in any of our event spaces with a DJ and dancing in mind.”

The Result
“It’s a flagship project for us and Zagame’s are a great client to work with,” reflects Daniel Thomas.

“The client feedback was fantastic, they loved it. Typically the first few weeks after project completion you’re asked to go back and change some things; adjust levels here, too much bass there. But since commissioning, it hasn’t been touched.”

For Adam Taloni, the Bose sound system just adds another layer of flair to the luxury hotel.

“We went with Bose because they are globally known as one of the best in sound systems. Our conference and events guests rely on us to deliver quality to their event in every aspect – whatever it may be.

“We know and trust Bose, so do our guests. We get regular feedback on many aspects of our guest experience from the food we offer, to the service we provide, to the performance on all our AV systems – including the Bose system.”

We know and trust Bose, so do our guests

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CX Magazine – November 2020   

LIGHTING  |  AUDIO  |  VIDEO  |  STAGING  |  INTEGRATION

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