What do you say?! The acoustics in the hospitality industry are in bad shape.

Finally, it's happening again: dinner with your club of friends. You haven't seen each other in a long time, so there's no shortage of conversation. But there you are, in that fancy restaurant. The acoustics are disastrous and you can barely hear your neighbor with a lot of pain and effort. You certainly have no idea what that friend sitting across from you is saying. After ten minutes, you completely drop out. Is it time to go home already?

Acoustics in the hospitality industry; often a bad match

Without a doubt, we are all familiar with this situation. The acoustics in a catering facility often leave a lot to be desired. This applies not only to this imaginary restaurant or bars and cafes, but just as much to hotels. Many hotel guests sat up in bed because the neighbor decided to take a shower in the middle of the night. Not to mention other plans.

Three determining factors for the acoustics in the hospitality industry

Back to the restaurant in the example. The fact that you cannot understand each other is not only due to the music that is too loud. This is largely due to the poor acoustics in the hospitality industry. According to research at TU Delft, there are three factors that determine how well we can understand each other: the absorbing surface in a room, the number of speakers, and the distance between the listener and the person you are trying to understand. But what also plays a role is the Lombard effect. This is people's involuntary tendency to speak louder when they're in a noisy environment. The more noise, the louder people talk, with the result that those around us also talk louder. Just call that a relaxing night out.

What now?

Does that mean you'll have to cook for your friends club yourself next time? Luckily not! Restaurant site TheFork knows how important the acoustics in a restaurant are. That is why each restaurant shows the noise level: noisy, lively, just right, quiet or very quiet. Then there is also the website zondermuziek.nl, which provides an overview of restaurants where no music is played.

Do you own a catering facility?

Are you the owner or manager of a catering facility yourself? Then, of course, you want your guests to come back to you again. We're not chefs, but when it comes to improving your acoustics, we can certainly help. Would you like to know what the options are in the field of acoustic walls, panels and furniture? Then feel free to contact with us. We'd love to tell you more about it.