According to Regan Williams, Product and Market Development Manager at Autex Acoustics, it’s important not to underestimate the critical role acoustics play in shaping the guest experience in hospitality and hotel environments.

“These spaces are designed to be social, welcoming, and immersive, yet poor acoustic control can quickly undermine comfort – making spaces feel noisy, chaotic, or fatiguing,” says Williams.

In this context, acoustic panels provide a practical and flexible way to manage reverberation and background noise without compromising design intent.

“In hospitality settings, where hard surfaces are common, panels help soften sound while adding texture, colour, and visual interest,” says Williams.

“They can be integrated into walls, ceilings, or feature elements, allowing designers to achieve both acoustic performance and aesthetic impact.”

Groove Duet, the latest acoustic wall panel from Autex, combines strong acoustic performance with expressive design.

Combining a Cube acoustic base with a precision‑cut Vertiface top layer, it creates a distinctive two‑tone effect that adds depth and visual rhythm to interior walls. On top of this, with 12 cut designs, a wide colour palette, and options for 15 mm and 27 mm thicknesses available, Groove Duet offers a high degree of customisation.

“Beyond aesthetics, the panels deliver effective absorption of sound, helping to reduce reverberation and improve overall comfort,” says Williams.

Groove Duet is manufactured in Australia from 100% PET with a minimum of 80% recycled content. It is carbon-neutral, free from harmful volatile organic compounds, and therefore well-suited to projects targeting sustainability and wellbeing benchmarks.

From guest rooms to bars

Murray Hildebrand, ANZ Concept Developer CSR, says different types of spaces have different requirements. In guest rooms, for example, wall panels and decorative acoustic features minimise noise from hallways, elevators, and outside sources.

“Since sound control plays a significant role in overall satisfaction, reducing disturbances supports restful sleep and provides the sense of luxury and sanctuary guests expect,” says Hildebrand.

“Correctly designed intertenancy walls between hotel suites, hallways and hospitality areas are also imperative in reducing sound transmission and impact noise between rooms.”

Meanwhile, in dining areas and bars, hard surfaces can create unwanted echoes.

“Acoustic panels help control this reverberation, making it easier for patrons to hold conversations comfortably without needing to raise their voices,” says Hildebrand.

When left untreated, this phenomenon, which is known as the “Lombard effect”, causes patrons to (involuntarily) talk louder, just to hear their own voices.

“This compounds into the café effect when all patrons raise their voices to a shout to be heard. At this point, patrons invariably realise they are not having an enjoyable experience and leave early to spend money at another quieter, acoustically comfortable venue,” he says.

Distinctive design narratives

AS/NZS 2107:2016 is the joint Australian and New Zealand Standard that provides recommended design sound levels and reverberation times for building interiors.

According to Standards Australia, it “…recommends design criteria for conditions affecting the acoustic environment within building interiors to ensure a healthy, comfortable and productive environment for the occupants and the users.”

As Screenwood points out, this standard provides specific reverberation time targets for a range of spaces, including hotels, bars, and cafés, and gives designers the flexibility to calibrate the acoustic ambience to their design intent.

A vibrant hotel bar, for instance, might sit comfortably near the upper end of the recommended range, while a quiet hotel lounge or library space would target something considerably lower.

At the same time, applications in the hospitality sector demand materials that can withstand heavy use, maintain their appearance over time, and contribute to a distinctive design narrative, whether that's a biophilic hotel lobby, an intimate cocktail bar, or a bustling hotel restaurant.

Modern acoustic panel systems, such as Screenwood's range, achieve Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) ratings of between 0.7 and 1.0, which is among the highest available for any architectural finish.

Crucially, they achieve this without requiring additional coverings or concealment, because they are aesthetically resolved products. They can be applied to walls, ceilings, curved surfaces, and corners, giving designers enormous flexibility.

And because reverberation control depends not only on a material's NRC but also on the total surface area treated, panels that can be deployed across large wall and ceiling planes offer a decisive advantage.

Screenwood Modulo Acoustic, a prefinished tongue-and-groove board that achieves an NRC of 0.75, is the company’s latest innovation. Combining acoustic performance with natural timber aesthetics, it is well suited to demanding environments.

Above: Poinciana Cafe, QLD, featuring Panels MR 9032-3 in Navurban Diamond White Mountain Oak by Screenwood / Supplied.

Acoustic Wood Wool Panels

“Contemporary hospitality interiors in Australia often feature hard surfaces – concrete, glass, stone and timber – which amplify reverberation,” says Mark Andrews, Managing Director at The Andrews Group, a BAUX Partner and supplier of the company’s products.

“Acoustic wall panels provide a targeted and space-efficient way to restore balance without compromising design intent.”

Viewed in this way, acoustics becomes not just a technical add-on but a core element of spatial experience.

“Our acoustic systems are designed to help hospitality brands create environments that are vibrant yet controlled – allowing conversation and atmosphere to coexist comfortably,” says Andrews.

Asked for examples, Andrews points to BAUX Acoustic Wood Wool Panels – Bars and Levels. Among the company’s most recent releases, the two options are designed to seamlessly blend with the existing BAUX Acoustic Wood Wool assortment, enabling smooth transitions across spaces.

“Rather than abrupt material shifts, designers can create controlled gradients and evolving expressions throughout a project – from lobby to restaurant to conference space,” says Andrews.

“This adaptability is particularly valuable in hospitality environments where multiple zones require acoustic treatment but benefit from variation in atmosphere.”

In terms of functionality, the products deliver high sound absorption (up to Class A), significantly reducing reverberation in open-plan environments.

Like all BAUX products, these underwent comprehensive international fire and acoustic testing and can be specified to align with Australian NCC compliance pathways.

As Andrews notes, Green Star ratings are another important consideration in this context. In line with this, BAUX panels support Indoor Environment Quality credits through low VOC emissions, and contribute to sustainability objectives through recycled and responsibly sourced materials.

“Importantly, we provide clear technical documentation, including fire classification data and acoustic absorption performance, giving architects and consultants confidence at both design and certification stages,” says Andrews.

Above: BAUX Acoustic Wood Wool Panels – Bars and Levels / Supplied.

Comfort meets performance

According to David Faulkes, CEO of Décor Systems, acoustic panels are particularly well-suited to hospitality applications because they provide an effective balance among acoustic performance, visual design flexibility, and practical installation.

“In hospitality settings, excessive reverberation and uncontrolled noise can quickly create fatigue, reduce speech intelligibility and diminish the atmosphere designers are seeking to achieve,” says Faulkes.

“Guests increasingly expect spaces that feel calm, refined and comfortable – even in highly active environments. Good acoustic design supports this by balancing vibrancy with control.”

Décor Systems’ acoustic solutions combine acoustic performance with bespoke architectural finishes including timber veneers, slatted systems and perforated feature panels.

“One of our latest innovations is the DecorZen acoustic panel range, developed to combine high-performance acoustics with sophisticated contemporary design,” says Faulkes.

“DecorZen panels are designed to absorb up to 88% of incidental noise while simultaneously enhancing the visual quality of commercial interiors.”

According to Faulkes, the panels are suitable for a range of hospitality applications. They can be found everywhere from hotel lobbies and reception areas, restaurants, bars, and lounges to conference and function facilities, rooftop spaces, guest rooms, corridors and shared areas.

“These environments often involve high occupant density and large expanses of reflective finishes, making acoustic management essential to guest comfort and operational performance,” says Faulkes.

Ceiling-based solutions

According to Jesper Nielsen, Design Director at Kvadrat Acoustics, ceiling-based acoustic solutions are attractive because ceilings often represent the largest uninterrupted surface in a space.

“Kvadrat Acoustics’ Soft Cells panels are highly effective due to their broadband sound absorption capabilities and ability to reduce reverberation across large open areas, such as conference rooms, and social spaces,” says Nielsen.

In open-plan offices, Soft Cells installed on ceilings and selected walls help minimise sound transmission and improve comfort, while in conference and meeting rooms, panels positioned on perpendicular walls and ceilings enhance speech intelligibility and audio quality.

Design flexibility is another attraction. Soft Cells can be customised in terms of shape, size, and colour. In addition, they can even be printed with artwork, allowing designers to integrate acoustic comfort seamlessly into the overall interior concept

“Soft Cells by Kvadrat bring expanded panel formats, refined detailing and a new patented textile attachment system,” says Nielsen. “These enhancements increase design freedom, create cleaner surfaces and enhance the solution’s opportunity for reuse.”

Guided by the longstanding principles of innovation, flexibility and durability, Soft Cells remains a fully customisable, high-performance acoustic wall and ceiling solution defined by aesthetic excellence and versatility.

A new patented textile attachment system allows the textiles to be fully detachable, re-tensioned and exchanged over time. This means panels can remain in use while textiles are cleaned, refreshed or replaced.

Calculating coverage

There are various other factors, beyond product choice, that specifiers should keep in mind when considering acoustics.

According to Delaco Panels, a supplier of products like the Delaco Acoustic Wall Panel, coverage is the first of these. An NRC of 0.85 is strong, but determining the required treated surface area still depends on the room, its volume, ceiling height, and other materials present.

For example, a room with carpet and soft furnishings requires less panel coverage to meet a given reverberation target than one with a hard floor and minimal soft furnishings. Locking this in at the specification stage, ideally with input from an acoustic consultant, avoids situations where the installation is complete but the acoustic outcome falls short.

Substrate condition also matters. Because panels fix directly to the wall surface, anything uneven needs to be addressed before installation. On large hotel projects, where rooms are fitted out in sequence, confirming substrate consistency early saves time down the track.

The Delaco Acoustic Wall Panel is built around a timber slat construction. It features an oak wood veneer over an MDF core, a matte lacquer finish, and is mounted on a 9mm recycled polyester fibre acoustic backing. The overall panel thickness is 21mm, the width is 600mm, and the range covers multiple lengths to suit different ceiling heights and project requirements.

The acoustic performance of the product is independently tested – it carries an NRC of 0.85, Class A sound absorption, tested to BS EN ISO 354-2003 in a reverberation chamber. Across the mid-frequencies most relevant to occupied spaces, conversation, ambient noise, and music, the absorption coefficient runs between 0.82 and 1.00.

Incorporation of art

Cathleya Buchanan, General Manager Sales at Martini and Woven Image, also emphasises the importance of integrating acoustic solutions into overall interior design.

“Acoustic panels should work seamlessly within the material palette, complementing colours, textures, and finishes,” she says.

Woven Image’s range spans a variety of products, including EchoPanel, Embossed and 3D Formed panels. Each offers a distinct approach to acoustic treatment, from refined, seamless wall finishes to sculptural, design-led applications.

“This variety enables flexibility across spaces such as lobbies, restaurants, guest rooms, and meeting areas,” says Buchanan.

“Our latest collaboration with Australian artist Ben Goss translates an original artwork into a series of printed acoustic designs on EchoPanel.”

The collection features a large-scale mural alongside four supporting designs, each inspired by botanical forms, layered colour, and expressive brushwork. Rich in texture and detail, the designs introduce an art-led, natural dimension to acoustic treatment, which softens spaces both visually and acoustically.

Beyond performance and aesthetics, the acoustic panels are lightweight, durable, and easy to install.

“Our range is developed with sustainability in mind, supporting responsible material choices without compromising on quality or visual appeal,” says Buchanan.

“Together, these features deliver a versatile, design-led solution that enhances both the functionality and atmosphere of hospitality and hotel spaces, creating environments that not only look considered, but comfortable and inviting.”