Ole Sereni Hotel – Nairobi, Kenya

Overview

Luxury and comfort, that’s what describes Emara Ole-Sereni in that they take pride in introducing themselves as the best five-star hotel in Nairobi, Kenya offering serene views with warm hospitality. Located just off Mombasa Road, near the Nairobi National Park, the hotel enjoys proximity to both the Airport and the City Centre. The hotel provides a perfect blend of service and excellence, together with quality accommodation and quintessential conference facilities.

With the hotel complex providing such luxury, and with Ansell Lighting being asked to offer a comprehensive lighting design for all areas within the hotel, it was extremely important to discuss and obtain information as to what was required by the client so that the completed lighting solution would further enhance the ambience within the hotel.

Hotel Entrance

It is massively important that the lobby areas are provided with quality lighting to an appropriate level of illumination, where it is said that first impressions count greatly in people’s perception of what they see and as this is the first area seen by visitors when approaching the hotel complex, the lighting in the entrance area needed to offer that ‘wow’ factor.

To that end, the Ansell Unity 150 Recessed LED Downlights were selected, encompassing the OCTO Smart system of control allowing for the right lighting at the right time to be achieved. The Unity 150 is a compact high performance architectural downlight which has an IP44 rating as standard, making it suitable for this semi-external area recessed into the canopy.

Constructed from Die-Cast aluminium, which is powder coated and fitted with a mirror finished anodized reflector offering an anti-glare design to create visual comfort, with this fitting having a power consumption of 37Watts providing a performance comparable to 2x42Watt PLC, thereby offering significant energy savings over the former fluorescent options. Supplied with a remote driver with plug and play connection allows ease of installation.

Various dimmable and emergency options are available, providing maximum flexibility to create a lighting solution which meets the requirements of the client. The 37Watt fitting delivers 3254 Lumens in cool white 4000K and 2870 Lumens in warm white 3000K, with a beam angle of 70° and a CRI of 90, which means good quality uniform alongside high colour rendering lighting throughout the space being illuminated. Having an LED lifespan to L70 of 50,000 hours and a 5 year warranty allows for many years of continued operation.

Lobby Areas

The many public lobby areas each required a slightly different solution depending upon the area within the hotel and the interaction taking place between residents and hotel staff and to this end Ansell offered some different luminaire solutions to fulfil those requirements.

The Concho IP65 AC Main LED Strip provided an optimum solution in that, firstly, being a mains voltage option, meant that no LED Drivers were required for operation and secondly that of a very high performance of up to 1100 Lumens/metre. Whilst this part of the application used the LED Strip internally, the IP65 rating allowed for it to also be used externally. Available in both cool white 4000K and warm white 3000K along with suitability of run lengths of up to 50 metres and with an RGB option with run lengths of up to 30 metres offers much flexibility in its used and distance from a suitable power source.

Having a power consumption of 11Watts for the White versions alongside 10Watts for the RGB version, being non-dimmable and with a CRI of 80 allows this LED Strip suitability for both internal and external lighting projects. With an optically clear thermoplastic sleeve provides for optimum performance and with an LED lifespan to L70 of 35,000 hours alongside a 3 year warranty, also means a long operational life.

The Addar LED Strip is a 12Volt LED Plug and Play Flexible Strip option with a power consumption of 7.2Watts per metre. Available in both a single colour option and a RGB option, this flexible LED strip is provided with a self-adhesive back to allow ease of installation. The fast fit plug and play connections remove the need for time consuming soldering of interconnecting joints between lengths and with cutting points at every 100mm, allows for the length of LED Strip to be cut to the exact required length for the application. The joint and connection accessories are offered and invoiced separately to allow each installation to be created bespoke.

The LED Strip is available less the LED Driver allowing for each project to select which driver suits the installation best. The lumen performance for cool white 4000K is 520 Lumens per metre and for warm white 3000K is 495 lumens per metre alongside a CRI of 80. This 12Volt LED Strip has a voltage drop of 1.5Volts for each 5 metres of length and has an LED lifespan to L70 of 40,000 hours, and a 3 year warranty, thereby offering a years of continued use.

The Twistlock Downlight was also selected in being manufactured from high grade Die-Cast Aluminium and provided with a permanent earth on the stirrup bracket for GU10 mains earthing with a generous size of terminal housing for ease of wiring. The installed option was with a Chrome finish; however, the range also features finishes in White, Matt White, Brass, Satin Chrome, Antique Brass and Black Chrome, in addition to that installed on this project. The fitting is rated at 50Watt; however, the ideal solution is to install a low wattage GU10 LED lamp, thereby providing a similar level of light output, whilst maximising energy efficiency.

Corridors

The corridor lighting utilised the Ansell Unity 150 Recessed Adjustable Architectural Wallwash Downlight, which in offering maximum orientation possibilities in having a 355° rotation and an adjustable tilt angle from -15° to 45°, allows the light to be directed exactly where needed and with a 40° beam angle, means that the beam is focused on the artwork being illuminated rather that lighting up the whole wall. Having a 28Watt LED light source provides a comparable performance to that of 70Watt HQI, but with significant energy savings, which delivers 2699 Lumens in the cool white 4000K version and 2497 Lumens in the warm white 3000K version.

With a CRI of 90, the quality of light produced offers a near true representation of colour seen in the artwork and with an LED lifespan of L70 to 50,000 hours means that the light will provide that illumination for many years to come. Constructed with a Die-Cast Aluminium body and integral heatsink to offer good thermal management properties, and with a remote LED driver with plug and play connection and with the availability of dimmable options and OCTO Smart options provides both ease of installation and the opportunity to control the illumination levels, especially important with historic works of art, whilst also maximising energy efficiency.

Meeting Rooms

A feature in many hotel complex is that of having the ability to offer meeting and conference facilities to clients, allowing for companies to utilise the hotel, both as a place to stay and one in which to conduct business. Having a flexible lighting installation which can be ideally set to meet the client’s requirements is of importance, more so with such a luxury hotel where expectations from clients will be significantly raised.

The evolution of technology has meant that meetings are conducted where all make notes electronically on the laptop or tablet rather than on paper and the lighting installation needs to reflect this. For this reason, the Addar LED Strip is a 12Volt LED Plug and Play Flexible Strip option was selected in that it provides indirect illumination with minimal glare, ideal for computer users, whilst also carrying the same theme of illumination from the public areas.

With a power consumption of 7.2Watts per metre and installed in a single colour white option, this flexible LED strip is provided with a self-adhesive back to allow ease of installation, together with a fast fit plug and play connections remove the need for time consuming soldering of interconnecting joints between lengths, allowing for a bespoke lighting solution. The lumen performance for the selected warm white 3000K is 495 Lumens per metre alongside a CRI of 80, and like in the public areas, has an LED lifespan to L70 of 40,000 hours, and a 3 year warranty.

The lighting installation was supplemented by a small quantity of LED Downlights, which provide a focus of illumination on the conference table and around the perimeter, which provide illumination for safe movement around the space when the main form of illumination is at a dimmed level.

Function Rooms

Hospitality Function Rooms within hotels are another facility offered to clients, in having the ability to provide an appropriate location for a large number of people to get together either for business, or for personal events, or for festivities. This can present the designer with a difficult design to undertake in offering a lighting solution which meets all the different uses that the function room will be asked to provide.

In this case, the client has created features suspended from the ceiling and the lighting was asked to provide highlights to those features. The selected fitting of choice was the Unity GC Pro LED Adjustable Downlight, which is a compact high performance architectural adjustable downlight which encompasses a deep cut-off angle to maximise glare control and offer increased comfort. With a Die-Cast Aluminium construction, which is powder coated and with a mirror finish anodized reflector for optimum light control, this downlight is supplied with a remote driver with a plug and play connection.

Having a power consumption of 12Watts with a delivered lumen output in cool white 4000K of 404 Lumens and in warm white 3000K or 374 Lumens, means this fitting offers a comparable performance to that of 50Watts of Halogen and with a CRI of 90, allows for illumination with high colour rendering properties. With a beam angle of 33°and a tilt angle of 30°, allows for orientation and aiming to provide illumination wherever is required. Supplied with a remote LED Driver, this fitting is Triac Dimmable as standard. The fitting has an LED lifespan to L70 of 50,000 hours, allowing for long term use of quality illumination.

Gallery

The Gallery was illuminated utilising an installation of the Ansell Single Circuit Unity Track and Unity 2 Mains Track Spots, which provide a flexible solution in that the position and direction of fittings can be easily adjusted as is adding or subtracting fittings, to meet optimum requirements. The Unity 2 Spotlight is track mounted and in black and white body colour to match the track and provided with an integral driver.

Having a comparable performance equivalent to that of 70Watt HQI, the 29Watt fitting delivers 2699 Lumens in the cool white 4000k version and 2497 Lumens in the warm white 3000K version and with a 355° horizontal rotation combined with a 0-180° inclination available on the bracket allows maximum opportunity to direct light exactly where required. Manufactured with a mirror finish anodized reflector encompassing an anti-glare design to create optimum visual comfort. With an LED lifespan of L70 to 50,000 hours ensures longevity of operation. The fitting is offered in a non-dimmable version only.

Hotel Kitchen

When you get to the back of house areas, suitability and performance are of higher requirements than that of aesthetics, but just because the hotel users do not have access does not mean that any fitting is suitable, as other requirements such as ingress protection and minimising surfaces where dirt and dust can cause issues to the cleanliness of the space where food is being prepared and cooked.

The Defender LED IP65 Clean Air Recessed Modular with is Integral Driver was the ideal fitting of choice in being a sealed LED luminaire with suitability to endure these arduous environments. Constructed with a high-quality steel housing, incorporating a welded frame which is secured by Easy Fix style brackets. The fitting has a framed TP(a) rated diffuser, which in addition to providing the benefits of self-extinguishing, also offers excellent diffusion and outstanding light transmission.

With suitability for numerous areas such as laboratories, hospitals, clean rooms, and commercial kitchens, this fitting has a power consumption of 49Watts, delivering 4660 Lumens in cool white 4000K, with a CRI of 80, whilst also being suitable within locations with operating temperatures from -20°C all the way to 50°C. Having an LED lifespan to L70 of 56,000 hours, allows this fitting to offer both optimum performance and longevity of life over many years of continuous operation.

Emergency Lighting

For all applications, where the public visit, emergency lighting is a very important aspect of the lighting installation. Within this project, emergency lighting has been included throughout the building, to provide safe egress for all those people staying in the hotel and for visitors, as well as for the staff. Many of the fittings incorporate a Maintained Emergency option which offers illumination in the event of a situation where there is loos of mains power and evacuation is required from the building.

The duration of the emergency lighting is 3 hours which allows everyone to leave the building and the fire department to check for any persons unaccounted for. As well as emergency lighting for illumination, signage is provided to allow all those unfamiliar with the building to easily identify the route to the closest exit, thereby leaving the building in the shortest period of time.

The comprehensive lighting upgrade at Emara Ole-Sereni Hotel successfully resolved various lighting challenges across the different areas of the hotel. It not only enhanced the ambience and visual appeal of the hotel but also improved energy efficiency and user experience, resulting in a remarkable 40% reduction in energy consumption. From the impressive entrance lighting to the flexible lighting solutions for public areas, meeting rooms, function rooms, corridors, and even back-of-house spaces like the kitchen, the lighting solution addressed diverse requirements with performance and suitability in mind. Additionally, the inclusion of emergency lighting ensured the safety and well-being of guests and staff throughout the hotel.

In summary, the lighting upgrade at Emara Ole-Sereni Hotel significantly enhanced the hotel’s overall atmosphere, energy efficiency, and safety, while achieving an impressive 40% reduction in energy consumption, providing a top-quality experience for both guests and staff.