The Huntington Hotel Reawakens in Nob Hill

INTRODUCTION

The hotel’s original Georgian architectural bones—stately plasterwork ceilings, boiserie panels, and expansive light-filled windows—have been preserved and celebrated, while the interiors are layered with the warmth of a home.

The Huntington opened at the corner of Taylor and California streets in 1924, named for a railroad magnate. “It effectively renders, from a guest perspective, as a brand-new hotel — but in a lovely historic format,” Flynn said at the reopening. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

PROJECT NAME
Huntington Hotel

LOCATION
San Francisco

SIZE
144,000 SF

Dimly lit restaurant with a long table set for dining.

CHALLENGE

Flynn Properties came to Creation Networks with a need to upgradde the audio system for the hotel. The AV project included coordination with the designer Ken Fulk, Flynn properties and the Creation Networks audiovisual team. The AV Solution including updating Outdated audio-system, along with installing speakers in ornate ceilings with architectural features. “The Huntington has a built-in legacy for gracious suites, a beloved restaurant, and the most luxurious spa in town,” Fulk says. “Our goal is to return that gleam to our city’s crown jewel by reimagining it as a grand residence with destinations for repeat visitors and locals alike.”

As a luxury property, The Huntington Hotel required background music and audio that matched its refined atmosphere. However, the existing system presented several limitations:

Inconsistent and poor-quality background audio across lobbies, corridors, restaurants, and event spaces
Aging amplifiers and fragmented audio zones that lacked clarity and control
Difficulty managing multiple audio sources and zones from a single, intuitive platform
Limited scalability for future expansion and integration with other hotel systems
Unreliable performance that affected the overall guest impression in a competitive luxury market
The hotel needed a flexible, premium audio solution that could deliver consistent, high-fidelity sound while remaining simple for staff to operate.

THE SOLUTION

The reopening lines up with the 50th anniversary of the Big Four restaurant, a true local institution. The 72-seat dining room and private dining area have been refreshed to keep their classic charm while adding new energy. Upgrades include discreet bezel-less speakers painted to blend in, small aperture speakers, and a QSC DSP in the control room for system routing, tuning, and zone management. User-friendly features like QSC touch panels and wall-mounted keypads make it easy to select zones, adjust volume, and control sources.

Creation Networks implemented a fully integrated Q-SYS audio and control platform designed specifically for luxury hospitality environments. The new system provides pristine background audio, seamless zone control, and future-ready scalability while preserving the hotel’s elegant aesthetic.

Interior of a stylish restaurant with patterned flooring and artistic ceiling.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Flynn Properties and The Huntington Hotel worked with Creation Networks to fully integrate every piece of audio technology, driving how the hotel functions and performs for its customers. The audiovisual experience is consistent throughout the hotel, creating an engaging experience in common spaces and more. Music plays in certian spaces throughout the hotel to enhance the ambiance for guests as they go about their day.

The new hotel features many customized finishes and unique amenities such as a new lobby, spa, dining space, lounge, fitness center, and a café which serves as a unique spaces for customers to meet. In the café, video displays show signage content, sports games and news programming, in addition to corporate branding, and advertising content.

Q-SYS Core Processor: The powerful central brain of the system, handling advanced audio routing, processing, and control for the entire property.
Q-SYS Network Amplifiers: High-efficiency Q-SYS amplifiers delivering clean, reliable power to speakers across multiple zones.
Distributed Speaker System: Carefully selected QSC speakers providing uniform, high-quality background audio in public areas, guest corridors, meeting rooms, and dining spaces.
Q-SYS Control System: Intuitive touch panel interfaces and mobile control options allowing hotel staff to easily manage audio zones, volume levels, source selection, and scheduling.
Background Music Integration: Seamless integration with streaming services and local sources for consistent, high-resolution background music throughout the hotel.

The entire system was engineered for 24/7 reliability with remote monitoring and easy future expansion.

Modern lounge area with seating, artwork, and people interacting.

RESULTS

The new Q-SYS audio system has significantly elevated the guest experience at The Huntington Hotel:

Consistent, crystal-clear background audio that enhances the hotel’s luxurious atmosphere in every public space
Simple, intuitive control for staff, reducing operational complexity
Improved audio quality in meeting and event spaces, leading to better client feedback
Greater reliability with minimal maintenance requirements
A modern, scalable platform ready for future integrations such as paging or room automation

Guests and hotel management have praised the refined sound quality and seamless operation, reinforcing The Huntington’s reputation as one of San Francisco’s most distinguished hotels.

What was Exceptional about the project was integrating audio in a way that was inconspicuous and effective while not taking away from the ornate ceiling features including coffered ceilings, painted frescos and deign estetics.

NEXT STEPS

If your organization is ready to bring intelligent AV solutions and LED video wall technology to your new building, Creation Networks is here to help. We design, install and program state-of-the-art AV systems in businesses across California and nationwide. Contact Us Today