Case Study - The Doghouse Hotel

The Doghouse hotel in Manchester is an 18 room boutique hotel offering guests comfortable, laid back surroundings with many seriously impressive touches. Rooms offer guests some great features such as a turntable with a selection of vinyl records, a large smart TV, an acoustic guitar (the one in my room was perfectly in tune when i visited) and there is even the option to have a working beer tap in your room!

But most impressive was the intuitive and impressive automation system in the room that delivered some seriously cool lighting control. The Loxone system was designed and installed by Blinding Light, a leading scottish lighting and AV controls company with more than 25 years experience.

Scott Cruikshank, MD of Blinding Light explains the initial brief from the Doghouse hotel team: “It was clear from the outset that the hotel design team wanted to create something special with the rooms on offer. Once they learned about some of the possibilities with automated lighting, they were sold. We chose Faradite sensors to deliver the bedside automation as they are so discreet and easy to integrate with the control system we were using.”

Naturally, when there was a requirement for discreet motion sensors beside the beds, Blinding Light opted for the Faradite Motion Sensor 360 - Volt Free in black. The black sensors were then installed on mounting plates beside the beds to match the industrial, rustic aesthetic that is on show throughout the hotel and bar areas.

The Motion Sensor 360 - Volt Free was then configured to trigger a gentle, low level LED strip that was installed around the edge of the bed. This meant that guests needing to take a night time trip to the toilet could find their way without needing to fumble for a wall switch to turn on harsh, bright lighting.

The successful realization of this level of highly targeted automation relied heavily on the installation location of the sensors. The Blinding Light team worked closely with the hotel design team to find the optimal location for the sensors so that the automation was accurately and consistently delivered whilst not impacting on interior aesthetic.

To achieve this, it was essential that the motion sensor detection cone was blocked from detection motion everywhere other than the precise area of floor beside the bed. This was achieved by cleverly installing the sensors in the wall, directly underneath the built in beside units. The bedside units block the detection ‘cone’ detecting guests who are asleep in bed, but as soon as their feet touched down at the side of the bed, the Faradite PIRs would instantly trigger the bed LED strip.

Take a look at the video to see what the team at the Doghouse hotel have to say about the automation in guests rooms: 

The smart automation on show in each of the 18 rooms at the Doghouse hotel in Manchester is flawless and if you are looking for a cool, comfortable and impressively automated room for the night, make sure it’s at the Doghouse hotel.