The JAG Hotel in downtown St John’s, Newfoundland, is driven by a sense often overlooked when designing premium guest experiences: sound. ‘We don’t believe in background music – it’s something we actively avoid,’ asserts Shawn Basha, Property Manager at JAG Hotel. ‘Instead, we believe in the power of foreground music for defining the atmosphere and identity of our hotel.
Music defines the personality of this boutique hotel, with owner John Steele hand-picking the playlist each day, making audio quality not an afterthought, but a deeply ingrained value for staff and guests.
Last year, JAG Hotel unveiled a bold new addition to its eighth floor – a lavish cocktail bar named the Mojo Lounge. To reflect Steele’s vision, the lounge, office floor and penthouse suite, required a premium audio system to put music at the centre of the customer experience. Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers were chosen for this defining role.
Providing expert technical assistance and customer care to 
businesses across Canada, A/V distribution and integration specialist, SFM, was commissioned by Steele Hotels to work with the in-house installation crew to oversee product selection and programming of the new audio system. ‘Music is an essential part of the JAG Hotel experience, and visitors have come to expect care and quality in the way sound shapes their stay,’ says SFM Regional Sales Manager, Jodi Rhuland.
Occupying the top three floors of the eight-storey building, the Mojo Lounge, office floor and penthouse suite are situated furthest from the hotel’s A/V control room on the second floor. ‘Despite the distance, it was critical that these upper audio zones offered the same premium sonic performance as the rest of the building, especially in the newly opened Mojo Lounge,’ Rhuland says.
In addition to this logistical challenge, the sound system also needed to match the hotel’s boutique aesthetic. ‘The Mojo Lounge was designed to reflect the hotel’s commitment to luxury,’ he continues. ‘Therefore, any installed loudspeakers could not disrupt the visual identity of the lounge; they had to become part of the environment as a carefully chosen design feature rather than a purely functional necessity.’ Combined with a tight deadline for project completion, SFM needed an audio solution that could deliver premium sound, simplify installation and preserve the architectural integrity of the space.
‘We realised that a PoE solution would allow us to deliver a reliable loudspeaker network to the top floors of the hotel without adding unnecessary infrastructure, disruption, or visual clutter,’ Rhuland explains. SFM’s Professional Services team, headed by Evan Nearing, was responsible for system programming and product selection, ultimately specifying Genelec’s Smart IP series loudspeakers to deliver premium sound to the hotel’s latest guest experience. ‘JAG Hotel places music at the forefront of the customer experience and Genelec’s audio philosophy perfectly aligns with the vision of Steele Hotels. On top of this, the active PoE solution of the Smart IP series was exactly the workaround we were looking for to overcome the architectural and logistical challenges.’
In all, 71 Smart IP loudspeakers were installed by the hotel’s in-house technical team across. Fifty 4435 in-ceiling models were used throughout the new audio zones for discreet, high-quality coverage, while 21 4430 loudspeakers – the largest of the Smart IP range – were surface-mounted on the walls of the Mojo Lounge using accompanying adjustable brackets.
The decision to openly display the 4430 loudspeakers is a nod not only to the audio quality, but also to how the Genelec brand is regarded by music enthusiasts: ‘It was a conscious decision to ensure the loudspeakers were not hidden away,’ Rhuland points out. ‘They are a prominent feature of the lounge and perfectly match the hotel’s aesthetic and values, elevating the space with design as well as purpose.’
‘The goal with this project was to create a listening experience, not merely a background audio solution, that would stand out to guests, especially those from the music industry,’ he adds. ‘Thanks to Genelec, this project is a strong example of how premium hospitality can use professional audio, not just for functionality, but for shaping its identity.’
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