Music is part of what a venue offers, in the same way the menu and the lighting are. A sound system that has been planned rather than improvised sounds even across the room, does not push guests into raising their voices, and lets every area — bar, dining room, terrace — run at its own level. Verdamare helps hospitality businesses in Slovenia and across the EU choose the right equipment, supplies it, and takes care of installation and commissioning.
What a hospitality sound system includes
- A survey of the room and its zones. Floor plan, ceiling height, hard or soft surfaces, how many separate volume areas the venue needs.
- Sources. A streaming player or a licensed background-music service, plus an input for live sets or a DJ where that is part of the concept.
- Amplification and processing. A multi-zone amplifier sized for the number of speakers, with limiting and equalisation so the system stays clean at the volume you actually use.
- Speakers. Ceiling, wall or pendant models indoors; weather-rated enclosures outdoors.
- Control. A wall panel or an app so staff can change volume per zone without touching the rack.
- Installation and commissioning. Cabling, mounting, zone setup, level calibration and a short handover for the team.
Solutions by venue type
Restaurants
The goal is even coverage at conversational level. Many smaller ceiling or wall speakers spread across the room work better than a few loud ones at the ends: guests at every table hear the same thing, and nobody sits under a hotspot. Dining room and bar are usually separate zones, because the bar is comfortable a few decibels louder.
Bars and clubs
Here the system has to hold up at higher levels all evening. That means headroom in the amplifier, a subwoofer where the concept calls for one, and a limiter so the equipment is protected during busy nights. An input for a DJ or a live act is worth planning from the start rather than retrofitting.
Hotels
Hotels typically need one system covering several very different spaces — lobby, breakfast room, corridors, spa, meeting rooms — each on its own zone and often on its own schedule. Integration with fire alarm and paging requirements should be checked with the building documentation before the equipment is chosen. Our dedicated page on hotel audio and background music systems goes through the property zone by zone.
Terraces and gardens
Outdoors there is no room reverberation to help, so coverage comes from placing more speakers closer to the guests rather than from turning the volume up. Enclosures need an IP rating suitable for rain and, near the coast, for salt air. A terrace is always its own zone: it usually closes earlier than the inside of the venue, and local noise limits apply to it.
How to choose speakers
Ceiling speakers disappear into the room and give the most even coverage, but they need a suspended or accessible ceiling. Wall-mounted cabinets are the practical choice in older buildings, in vaulted rooms and anywhere the ceiling cannot be opened. Pendant models suit high or glazed ceilings. Outdoors, the deciding factors are weather rating and mounting: a bracket on a wall or column is more durable than a free-standing speaker that gets moved every evening. The number of zones follows the way the venue is actually run — if the bar and the terrace never play the same thing at the same volume, they are two zones.
How we work
- You send a floor plan or photographs of the venue and describe how each area is used.
- We agree the zones and the level of system that fits the concept.
- We propose specific equipment from our catalogue and prepare a written quotation.
- We deliver, install and cable the system.
- We calibrate levels per zone and hand over to your staff.
Related pages: technical equipment for hospitality, terrace equipment. This page is also available in Slovenian and German.
FAQ
How many speakers does a venue need?
It follows from the floor area, the ceiling height and the number of zones rather than from the number of seats. Even coverage at background level normally calls for more, quieter speakers than most owners expect — the floor plan gives the answer.
Can we keep the amplifier we already have?
Often yes, if its power and impedance match the new speakers and it has enough outputs for the zones you need. Send us the model and we will tell you whether it can stay in the system.
How do we set the terrace and the dining room to different volumes?
By wiring them as separate zones on a multi-zone amplifier, with a control panel or app per zone. That also lets you mute the terrace at the hour local rules require while the inside carries on.
How long does installation take?
It depends on the cabling. Where cable routes already exist or the ceiling is accessible, a small venue is usually done within a working day; a hotel with several zones and new cable runs is planned over several days and is best scheduled around the building works.
Do we need a licence to play music?
Public performance of music in a commercial venue is licensed separately from the equipment. In Slovenia this is arranged with the relevant collecting societies, and many background-music streaming services include a commercial licence in their subscription. We supply and install the system; the licence stays with the venue.
Request a quote
Send us a floor plan or a few photographs of the venue and tell us how each area is used. We will come back with a proposed zone layout and a written quotation. Contact Verdamare.