The problem with late appointment
On many hotel projects the low-voltage package is tendered after the architecture and MEP design are frozen. By then, decisions that shape every ELV system have already been made: where the risers go, how big the comms rooms are, how much ceiling void is left over the corridors, and whether there is power and data at each door.
When the integrator arrives late, the result is redesign, site changes and variations. Locks need power where none was planned. Wi-Fi access points end up behind metal ceilings. Comms rooms are too small for the racks the operator's standards require.
What early involvement looks like
At concept stage the integrator reviews the operator's brand standards for technology, then works with the architect and MEP consultant on the spaces and services those systems need. The output is a coordinated set of riser schematics, room data sheets and containment requirements that the rest of the design can absorb.
It is also the right time to agree the integration list: which systems must talk to each other, through which interfaces, and who is responsible for each one. PMS to locking, PMS to IPTV, GRMS to the building management system, fire alarm to access control.
The mock-up room is the test
The mock-up room is where all of this is proven. Every device, switch and screen is installed and checked against the brand standard. Problems found here are cheap to fix. Problems found at opening are not.
If the integrator has been involved since concept stage, the mock-up room confirms a design rather than exposing its gaps.
Checklist for developers
- Appoint the ELV consultant or integrator before MEP design freeze.
- Share the operator's technology brand standards on day one.
- Agree an integration matrix with named responsibilities.
- Plan comms rooms, risers and containment from the ELV requirements, not leftovers.
- Use the mock-up room to sign off every system before rollout.