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Casino Journal
July 2007
Sound Installations at the Golden Nugget
Innovative audio technologies added to the property’s Rush Lounge have created attractive new opportunities
CASE STUDY by Joy Zaccaria
The Golden Nugget has anchored downtown Las Vegas since it opened in 1946. Under new ownership since the end of 2005 by Houston-based Landry’s Restaurants, the property has been innovating itself—and downtown Las Vegas—with state-of-the-art attractions and atmosphere outside and in.
From attractions as bizarre as a slide-through a tank of swimming sharks to detailed upgrades of its bars and restaurants, the Golden Nugget has created a fun and inviting spectacle akin to anything available on the nearby Las Vegas Strip. The casino’s Rush Lounge is one example: renovated earlier this year to features state-of-the-art audio and video systems that enhance the atmospherics and versatility of the room.
As multimedia content has permeated into all aspects of entertainment, retailing and hospitality, businesses such as Golden Nugget have learned that integrating AV infrastructure into the design and build—in this case, rebuild—of a restaurant or lounge can enable significantly enhanced versatility in terms of the atmospherics and look and feel of the room.
Improving ambiance
Ultimately, the atmospherics of each bar, restaurant, casino floor or store will determine how long patrons will spend in a venue and this impacts how much they will spend or gamble with the business. Golden Nugget exudes character and energy throughout, seeking to bring together the best of accommodations and entertainment with traditional hospitality. Each room permeates this same character—helped in no small part by the sophisticated AV system design.
Las Vegas-based Mojave Systems’ parent company, Mojave Electric, was in the middle of refurbishing the Golden Nugget when the need arose to bring the casino’s primary lounge to a level that would rival any club on the Strip. In terms of adaptable atmosphere, with the integrated audio, the lounge is able to function as a high-powered party zone when a celebrity shows up with 300 of his or her closest friends and requires the club for a private event.
“This is not the only lounge around with this kind of facility, but it is very attractive to those who are inclined to hold a special event, while not settling for a typical meeting room,” said Peter Chachere, sales manager at Mojave Systems.
Rush Lounge is unique insofar as 15 42-inch plasma screens were installed and the ceiling is relatively low. “It’s a very cozy type of lounge and modern in its décor,” Chachere said. “From any angle you’d be able to hear and see plasmas and get a great quality of sound for everyday purposes.” The booths have draw curtains for a semi-private experience within the lounge.
In this highly-competitive town, the distinction of a high-quality sound system with few to no service calls was important to the Golden Nugget. Mojave Systems was not the design/build firm, but “when it came to Rush Lounge, we advised the owners that the original product specified was not adequate for what they wanted to achieve,” said Chachere. “Quickly we proposed Harman products, and it was accepted.”
The JBL Control 300 Series was chosen for the warmth required when the club needs a lot of quality volume that is not blaring. This was accompanied by one BSS Audio BLU-80 signal processor, with Crown CTs amplifier
“The lounge is wired for the tech division at the Golden Nugget to bring in four powered speakers and hang them on four walls for special occasions,” Chachere explained. “Two powered subwoofers can be brought in and in 20 minutes, the place is transformed into a private party. They can bring in a DJ and pump up the volume with the added JBL in-ceiling speakers and subwoofers to these portable powered cabinets.”
According to Chachere, they have mounts that are practically invisible. “You don’t realize they’re there,” he said. “All of that leads back to the rack room.”
Next to the lounge is the Golden Nugget Race and Sports Book. The main hardware for the Race and Sports Book was already provided but again Mojave Systems insisted, “where the ceiling speakers are concerned, just like we advised to put these particular models in the Rush Lounge, we advised that The Golden Nugget allow us to put these models in the Race and Sports Book, and we too were allowed to do so,” Chachere said.
Better functionality
Mojave had already been working with the JBL Control 300 series at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Chachere said the integrators were eager to install them in another venu
“We knew the quality of the product,” he said. “We wanted to have an installation where we could say, ‘we did this because they wanted top quality.’ It had to be durable. We felt extremely confident going with this newer [at that time] series that JBL had.”
Cognizant of the time considerations of installers meeting a deadline, another characteristic of the JBL Control 300 Series is the tuned back boxes. With the components already assembled at the factory, it is less labor intensive on-site. The in-ceiling speakers are already mounted on a baffle. “These JBLs go in with a lot of ease. That helps in the labor aspect when the speaker and transformer are already mounted on the baffle because now it’s one operation. We’re able to present it to its back box, screw it in, put the grill on and you’re good to go,” Chachere said.
In terms of the changing landscape of casino business for audio and video integrators, along with any other vendor, needs are increasing for lasting quality and service.
“The casinos are taking a very close look at putting in quality installations—ones that are going to last and that require fewer service calls. There was a time years ago when certain products were installed just because they fulfilled requirements of size and low price,” Chachere said.
Now the focus is on doing quality installations. What that means for the contractor is an emphasis on maintaining relationships with clients.id.
Integration companies are investing in their own futures by offering casinos quality of service that matches such a demanding industry. As such the products these integrators specify can make or break the name of the company.
This feature was submitted on behalf of the Golden Nugget and Mojave Systems. Joy Zaccaria is a freelance technology/business writer living in New York City.