The famous Claridges Hotel, set in the heart of Mayfair, London, is known for its sophistication and glamour. Guests over the years have included royalty, heads of state and celebrities, who enjoy the luxury of the hotel as well as the impeccable service. The hotel dates back to 1812, becoming known as Claridges in 1854. It was rebuilt entirely in the 1890s, with a significant refurbishment bringing an Art Deco feel to the hotel in the 1920s. The modern interiors reflect this heritage, which is continued throughout the reception area, the restaurants, cocktail bar and bedrooms.
A programme of improvement works is currently ongoing at the hotel to upgrade the aesthetics of the public areas. This includes the bedrooms, corridors, stairwells, and bar/restaurant areas. The contractor for the project is McCorley M&E. As part of the upgrade to the lighting, McCorley M&E specified more than 3000m of LED strip lighting from LED lighting specialist Aurora Lighting. This is a blend of the LEDline single colour flexible strip, and the same solution in an IP67 rating. All of the strip lighting needed to be in 2700K, which meant the single colour option was the ideal choice.
LEDline is a flexible LED strip with a beam angle of 120° and 9mm between LEDs and 120 LEDs/m. A cut point every 50mm offers maximum flexibility, with a voltage drop of 4.5V per 5m and maximum run of 10m. Runs over 10m lengths can be achieved by connecting the LEDline strip in parallel. Backed by a 3-year warranty, LEDline is high-quality that blends durability with aesthetics, making it an unrivalled choice for luxury hospitality venues.
A range of drivers encompassing IP-rated versions, non-IP rated, and DALI dimmable variants were also supplied. These allowed the project’s lighting control element to be fulfilled.
LEDline corner profiles were also specified for the project. These aluminium profiles enable mounting of flexible or solid LED strips, up to 11.2 mm wide. The Aurora Lighting solutions were supplied from Mac Electrical Wholesale, Cookstown.
Eoghan Harkin of McCorley M&E said: “Claridges is an absolutely iconic hotel, everyone knows its name. Being able to work on such a prestigious project was certainly a highlight for us. The sheer amount of strip lighting required, with the specification of single colour 2700K and the option for a higher IP rating made Aurora Lighting the clear choice for us. – The results are stunning and we’re looking forward to working with Aurora again in the future.”
The LEDLine strip lighting, drivers and the profiles were supplied in shipment throughout the duration of the works, to ensure the contractor schedule could be adhered to. By shipping in batches, it also meant huge levels of stock were not on site at any one time, which can be a health and safety hazard as well as risk damage to the luminaires.
Ed Denny, National Sales Manager for Aurora Lighting, added: “We have a wide range of solutions that are ideal for high-end hospitality venues, as they offer style, excellent light quality and durability to ensure they last for years to come. Claridges is the epitome of sophistication so to have our LEDline solution featured so heavily in the new lighting design is a marker of success for Aurora Lighting.”
