
Noise pollution is becoming increasingly common, and it can negatively impact our mental and physical wellbeing, as well as our quality of life. After all, noise prevents us from focusing, relaxing or getting a good night’s sleep, in some cases even invading our sense of privacy. Acoustic insulation, then, is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It has become a must. Hotel owners in particular are motivated to offer their guests rooms with the best acoustic performance possible. In fact, the comfort delivered by a perfectly soundproof room may even act as a USP in highly competitive markets. Read on to discover how SOPREMA can help you make a difference.
Soundproofing Standards: Building Regulations
In the UK, soundproofing standards for homes and rooms used for residential purposes (think of student accommodation, hostels and hotels) are laid out by Part E of the Building Regulations, titled ‘Resistance to Sound’. The standards pertain to
- new builds and conversion projects,
- airborne sound and impact sound,
- the separating walls, floors and ceilings between dwellings (part E1: protection from noise from adjoining buildings) and to structural elements within the same dwelling (part E2: internal sound transmission).
The minimum performance standards for separating walls, floors and stairs in rooms for residential purposes (like hotel rooms) are the following:
- New builds:
- airborne sound
- walls: 43 dB
- floors and stairs: 45 dB
- impact sound for floors and stairs: 62 dB
- airborne sound
- Conversion projects:
- airborne sound
- walls: 43 dB
- floors and stairs 43 dB
- impact sound for floors and stairs: 64 dB
- airborne sound
The Importance Of Soundproofing
When it comes to soundproofing hotels, excellent insulation between one room and the next is key, but so is cancelling out noises between rooms and corridors. In other words, the entirety of the room has to be considered: the walls, the ceiling and the floor all have to be properly soundproofed. Moreover, most hotels not only offer rooms, but also feature entertainment areas that tend to create a lot of noise, such as discotheques or indoor pools. When it comes to soundproofing hotels, TECSOUND remains one of our most popular product ranges to date.
SOPREMA: Acoustic Insulation Experts
Most hotel chains set minimum insulation standards and propose a certain insulation system to achieve those standards. When SOPREMA experts come on board, they are often able to suggest an alternative system that offers the same insulation value (or more), yet which uses thinner insulation materials, allowing hotel owners to save previous space. All of our insulation systems are laboratory-tested and certified, so their acoustic performance and quality is beyond question.
Moreover, they come with the necessary certifications in other fields, too. SOPREMA insulation products are green (as shown by their LEED certification), and fire and VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) classified. In addition, our acoustic insulation systems are fully customisable, so they can be readily adapted to specific customer requirements. Lastly, our TECSOUND acoustic products boast excellent adaptability to surfaces.
Helping Hotels Avoid Noise Pollution
With hundreds of reference jobs in the hotel industry all over the world, SOPREMA can safely say we know what it takes to soundproof hotels. Some of our previous acoustic insulation projects include:
- the Sofitel Hotel in Marrakesh (where we insulated the discotheque floor with SOPRAFOAM AGGLO and the partition walls with STICKSON)
- the Residencial Isla Canela in Huelva, Spain (where TECSOUND 2FT80 was used in partitions)
- the Sheraton Hotel in Annaba, Algeria
- Hotel l’Amour in Paris, France
- Hotel Ritz in Paris, France
- the Interlace apartments in Singapore
- the Marina Bay Hotel in Singapore
- the Meridian in New Delhi, India
- the DaVincci Hotel in Barcelona, Spain (where we used TECSOUND SY50 on the roof)
- several RH hotels in Spain (in Barcelona and other cities).
Below, we will zoom in on the insulation system used in the Excellence Carmen Hotel in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) for partitions and ceilings, and on the system used in the NH Constanza Hotel in Barcelona (Spain) for floors.
1. Excellence Carmen Hotel: Partitions and Ceilings
To soundproof the partition walls and ceilings in the Excellence Carmon Hotel, the following system was installed:
TECSOUND FT is a soundproofing complex that includes a porous felt and the TECSOUND synthetic membrane, while TECSOUND SY is the self-adhesive variant of the TECSOUND membrane.


2. NH Constanza Hotel: Floors
This, in turn, is the floor build-up created for the NH Constanza Hotel in Barcelona:
- Substrate: concrete
- Soundproofing complex TECSOUND® FT 75 (double layer)
- Mortar screed 4 cm
- Top layer: ceramic tiles
- Disconnecting perimetral band


3. Most popular system for partition walls
Lastly, we want to introduce you to one the most frequently used systems for partition walls in hotels, in which TECSOUND SY, again, plays an important role:


Avoiding Noise Pollution: SOPREMA Points The Way
Hopefully, it has become clear by now that SOPREMA leads the way towards noise-free hotel rooms, with a broad range of insulation products and systems. We are happy to help you achieve, and exceed, the acoustic performance standards set out in Part E of the Building Regulations, offering hotel guests their much-deserved peace and quiet.