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> St Pancras Chambers

London & Continental Railways, is working with Manhattan Loft Corporation to regenerate St Pancras Chambers into a 5 star Renaissance Marriott hotel with 244 bedrooms, 2 restaurants, 2 bars, a health and leisure centre, a ballroom, 20 meeting and function rooms, and 67 private apartments and penthouses.

Following an extensive renovation by Manhattan Loft Corporation in conjunction with London & Continental Railways, The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel opened Exactly 138 years after the original opening of Gilbert Scott's Masterpiece.

The original building - The Midland Grand Hotel - was designed and built by the foremost Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott and opened on 5th May 1873. The historic hotel has now been lovingly and masterfully restored to once again become one of London's most iconic hotels.

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London exemplifies High Victorian Gothic architecture in its most dramatic sense, the stunning redbrick building having been saved from demolition in the sixties by a protest led by former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman. Preserving the glamour of the old station and the romance of rail travel during the 1800s, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London will maintain its elegance and charm by offering global travellers a gateway to London in the form of one of the city's greatest landmarks.

The magnificent interior has been restored to its former glory with painstaking attention to detail using expert teams of hundreds of craftsmen and painters. Many of the original areas of the hotel considered of particular historical importance have been carefully renovated including the 'Ladies Smoking Room', the first place in Europe where it was acceptable for women to smoke in public. The infamous sweeping forecourt, unique to a London hotel in its size and presence, provides a fitting entrance for the new hotel that will also showcase restored gold-leaf ceilings, ornate wall murals and the spectacular grand staircase. The famous staircase, widely revered as the most majestic in England with windows measuring over 50 feet and crowned by an elaborate vaulted ceiling, has been featured in many films and music videos.

The £150 million renovation of the 245-room hotel consists of the historic St Pancras Chambers that will house 38 elegant and spacious Victorian bedroom suites, and Barlow House, named after William Barlow, the engineer of the original St. Pancras Station's signature single-span arch train shed. Barlow house offers spacious rooms featuring contemporary artworks and design, each room is equipped with contemporary fittings and furnishings, online connectivity pack, plus international cable and satellite channels.

Club guest rooms include access to the Chambers Club Lounge. the newly created 120,000 square foot extension that will feature original artwork and contemporary design. Guests can continue to re-live the glamour of the Victorian era at either The Booking Office Bar & Restaurant - recreated in the original ticket office - or the celebrity chef restaurant and bar, occupying the original entrance hall and coffee room. The hotel will also house a 350 capacity ballroom, a private club, a barber's shop and luxury spa, to include a swimming pool and 7 treatment rooms.

Tina Edmundson, senior vice president lifestyle brands for Marriott International said, "After many years, we are excited to be able to announce the official launch date and are looking forward to showcasing the re-development of this great masterpiece in the coming year. Renaissance Hotels are all about discovery, and unique experiences. With its fascinating history and dramatic architecture, I cannot imagine a property that captivates the imagination more than St Pancras and we are thrilled to welcome it in to the Renaissance family. The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London will no doubt become a flagship for the Renaissance brand not only in Europe but around the world."

Harry Handelsman, owner and CEO of Manhattan Loft Corporation added, "I am delighted that after more than 10 years of meticulous hard work we have now restored the former Midland Grand Hotel to its former glory. Since the unveiling of St Pancras International in 2007 the station has been given a much-deserved new lease of life and the opening of the hotel marks the completion of this massive achievement. Over the coming years the regeneration of the whole of the Kings Cross area into the capital's international business and cultural quarter, will make the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London and its setting one of London's proudest achievements of the early 21st century."

CAI Vision were contracted to supply and install a Multi room 12ch UHF Television Distribution System to all hotel bedrooms, the bar areas and meeting/function rooms and an Integrated Reception System to serve the 67 apartments and some of the retail units located on the station concourse.

The Installation

The challenge on this project was to deign and install both the systems to the Hotel developement and the private apartments from just 1no aerial array and 1no satellite dish location due to the planning permission received and strict guidelines from English Heritage. However the aerial array was to be installed within the clock tower behind the glass clock face and the satellite dish was to be fitted on the roof of the new section of the hotel some 400m away.

The solution to receive the Terrestrial analogue and digital TV, FM and DAB Radio and Sky satellite TV to both sections was to use a hybrid fibre optic and coaxial cable system linking both phases.

After installing the cables via the most ardious routes and installing the equipment in areas with quite a size constraint, we where able to provide all services to the apartments with the minimum amount of loss of signal quality.

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