free_angel
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Was going to put this in the "Embodyment-full review" thread, but decided if I was going to wander (and I am) I'd do it in its own [long] thread.
If the MP experience is about being intimate, the intrusion of outside noise is a real negative. When the management ignores this they don't get my repeat business, because I didn't get the full value for my money.
Outside noise is anything I hear that isn't part of the experience I'm sharing with the MPA, most often radio music, interrupted by station announcements and commercials. If I wanted a four-way with Roger, Rick and Marilyn I wouldn't have invited the MPA along at my expense. There are CD's and tapes, and subscription services that don't have commercials. It's just a matter of adding a few bucks to the cost of the central sound system. And caring.
HFH does this well. Saddest misstep, IME, was Blue Pearl. They'd gone to the expense of sound sytems in each room, for music of your choice, and then drowned it out with the TV sound from the lobby (which they wouldn't turn down when asked). What a waste of money and customers.
But the bigger sin, and harder to fix, is the walls and doors that don't block the sound from outside the room. Again Blue Pearl: a fortune spent on upscale decor. Naturally they didn't want to carpet the expensive hardwood, but it sounds like a stormtroopers marchpast every time someone with heels walks down the hall. And what do you suppose is commonest MPA footwear?
The busier the place, the more important the soundproofing. If I'd been the only customer at 490A that day, I might still be going back. The reviews of Embodyment's thin walls scare me. The trouble with feeling the other guy is in the room with you is feeling the other guy is in the room with you. For all its other sound sins, Blue Pearl didn't commit that one.
Suggestions for Owners: Stop sound at source: Quiet shoes, carpets, drapes and curtains and soft surfaces soak it up; the kind of decor that has you lower your voice, instead of raising it to be heard over the echos (For bad examples, see any new restaurant, but they're providing a different experience).
Put some thought into your music: It's for the customers , even if it's the staff that hears it most. And you may have to keep an ear open if, you don't lock the controls. Everyone thinks the world likes their music.
Keep sound from passing through: Walls and doors should be as heavy as possible, and every air leak is a sound leak. Walls like washroom partions that don't go to the ceiling? What do you think? Spend a bit more during construction, get a lot more repeat business. Even after the fact, a new door, some weatherstripping, an extra layer of drywall, or carpeting the wall(s) can do a lot for a little.
It's expensive to lure a new guy in the door, the repeat customers cost a lot less. If we comment on noise, when we're there and when reviewing a place, smarter owners will pay attention.
[Oh, and apologies to Paul and Art]
If the MP experience is about being intimate, the intrusion of outside noise is a real negative. When the management ignores this they don't get my repeat business, because I didn't get the full value for my money.
Outside noise is anything I hear that isn't part of the experience I'm sharing with the MPA, most often radio music, interrupted by station announcements and commercials. If I wanted a four-way with Roger, Rick and Marilyn I wouldn't have invited the MPA along at my expense. There are CD's and tapes, and subscription services that don't have commercials. It's just a matter of adding a few bucks to the cost of the central sound system. And caring.
HFH does this well. Saddest misstep, IME, was Blue Pearl. They'd gone to the expense of sound sytems in each room, for music of your choice, and then drowned it out with the TV sound from the lobby (which they wouldn't turn down when asked). What a waste of money and customers.
But the bigger sin, and harder to fix, is the walls and doors that don't block the sound from outside the room. Again Blue Pearl: a fortune spent on upscale decor. Naturally they didn't want to carpet the expensive hardwood, but it sounds like a stormtroopers marchpast every time someone with heels walks down the hall. And what do you suppose is commonest MPA footwear?
The busier the place, the more important the soundproofing. If I'd been the only customer at 490A that day, I might still be going back. The reviews of Embodyment's thin walls scare me. The trouble with feeling the other guy is in the room with you is feeling the other guy is in the room with you. For all its other sound sins, Blue Pearl didn't commit that one.
Suggestions for Owners: Stop sound at source: Quiet shoes, carpets, drapes and curtains and soft surfaces soak it up; the kind of decor that has you lower your voice, instead of raising it to be heard over the echos (For bad examples, see any new restaurant, but they're providing a different experience).
Put some thought into your music: It's for the customers , even if it's the staff that hears it most. And you may have to keep an ear open if, you don't lock the controls. Everyone thinks the world likes their music.
Keep sound from passing through: Walls and doors should be as heavy as possible, and every air leak is a sound leak. Walls like washroom partions that don't go to the ceiling? What do you think? Spend a bit more during construction, get a lot more repeat business. Even after the fact, a new door, some weatherstripping, an extra layer of drywall, or carpeting the wall(s) can do a lot for a little.
It's expensive to lure a new guy in the door, the repeat customers cost a lot less. If we comment on noise, when we're there and when reviewing a place, smarter owners will pay attention.
[Oh, and apologies to Paul and Art]