AV Case Study: The Espy Sunroom
The Espy Sunroom is a new standalone multifunction hospitality space that also plugs into the Hotel Esplanade mothership.
8 October 2025
Story:/ Graeme Hague
There are a handful of pubs around Australia that deserve the term ‘iconic’ and the Hotel Esplanade is one of them. It’s been part of the Melbourne hospitality scene for over 140 years and always been affectionately known as the ‘Espy’. If the internet is to be believed it’s also Australia’s longest-running continuous live music venue, and Julia Zemiro, who co-hosted RocKwiz (filmed in the Espy), used to be a waitress there. What more could you want in a venue?
Actually, the restaurant next door.
The Espy management (hospitality giant, Australian Venue Co.) had an opportunity to acquire an adjacent Japanese eatery with the intent to expand the pub into a space now called the Sunroom. The idea was to make the room multi-functional in every way with leisurely lunches on the sunny terrace and evening meals with background music, and go-hard nightclub mode with live music or DJs after sunset. Screens and projection can be used as a corporate presentation room too.
ASSIMILATION
The restaurant wasn’t ever part of the hotel – this wasn’t the Espy reclaiming some long-lost section of the existing building. These were two separate establishments that shared nothing except a similar street address. So, the Sunroom was going to be completely refurbished and fitted out with new PA and AV equipment, then connected back to the main hotel to be controlled from there and be an integrated part of the overall entertainment network.
That last bit apparently couldn’t be done – or so the Espy was told. Fitting out the Sunroom and having it connected to the Espy’s AV network was a bridge – or a footpath – too far. Undaunted, the management contacted Jands for a second opinion, and Ilias Sintrikos of Jands, in turn, reached out to Ry Wilton of Wilton AV. Ry specialises in AV jobs that ‘can’t be done’.
It should be explained that the Hotel Esplanade is a typical building of its era. It’s a labyrinth of different levels and rooms. Take a wrong turn and you’ll find yourself in the wrong bar. The hotel’s AV system needs serious zoning with specific, tight areas plus a variety of audio modes to suit the time of day and clientele. Add to this the Espy deciding that the Sunroom project was a chance to install improved automation all round, and Ry found himself rolling up his sleeves. He explains, “I knew immediately that getting the old and new tech to marry was a real challenge.”
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
HERE COMES THE SUN(ROOM)
Unlike the hotel, the Sunroom building isn’t heritage-listed, but there was a desire to create a connection with the hotel’s period décor. To avoid intruding too much on the interior design, Ry is very much about ‘less is more’ and is meticulous in his audio design to ensure even coverage where people congregate, levels much lower around the bar where patrons’ orders need to be heard, and creating energy and excitement around the dancefloor without unnecessarily exciting the space and creating issues with the neighbours (a block of flats overlooks the Sunroom). For the dancefloor area in front of the DJ booth (complete with the latest Pioneer CDJ-3000s and DJM-A9 mixer), three pairs of Electro-Voice EVU 1082/95 speakers (a compact eight-inch two-way loudspeaker), are progressively mounted in the ceiling with an EVID S10.1D subwoofer (2 x 10-inch drivers) between them. This approach creates the energy required but without the more indiscriminate coverage you might see from a traditional system with ground-stacked subs and front-facing full-range FOH rig. Other areas enjoy a distributed audio design based on Electro-Voice ZX-1i full-range loudspeakers for the indoor/outdoor areas. Where in-ceiling speakers were the best option, Electro-Voice C4.2 speakers were installed. Everything is powered by two Blaze Audio Powerzone Connect 2004D Dante-enabled amplifiers. For speeches and presentation a pair of Shure SLX-D channels are available.
The resulting coverage and clarity are outstanding, and a testament to how careful system design and the right product choices can overcome just about any challenge.
INTERCONNECTIONS
Not only did the system need controlling from the hotel, all five of the venues in the Hotel Esplanade can host entertainment, so it was considered useful to be able to route any of those acts <back> into the Sunroom as a form of BGM or overflow area. On top of this was a request for very hands-off operation throughout the whole venue that allowed the staff to do their own thing. In a way, although the Sunroom was the latest addition to the pub, the tech in the room began to dictate how the rest of the hotel’s AV operated. Ry got to work installing new touch panels with concise presets – ‘lunch mode’, ‘dinner mode’ and the ability to have a subtle and incremental volume reduction into the evening to accommodate the needs of the apartment blocks nearby. Of course, everything can be overridden when the occasion demands it, but the main idea was that the AV system looks after itself and adjusts accordingly when the pub is in ‘normal’ mode.
Ry says, “The programming was the hardest part. We couldn’t replace everything in the main hotel and making the coding work flawlessly across all the devices took a while, but we got there. I knew it could be done. That’s what we do. At times we had to try different approaches, and Jands was fantastic in responding to fast-changing situations and assisting with solutions. Especially in the Sunroom’s design.”
Ilias is just as proud of the Sunroom’s system. “Working on this project was never just a job. Being given the opportunity to deliver a lasting audio solution for such an iconic venue – not just renowned in Melbourne, but in all of Australia – was something I was genuinely excited to be part of. To play a role in the new setup of the Sunroom meant that delivering the best possible audio outcome was essential. And when great audio complements the soul of a venue, the result is unforgettable. Today, both staff and guests are enjoying exceptional experiences, powered by the sound.”
RY SMILES
The Hotel Esplanade was already a grand establishment and a much-loved part of St Kilda’s history. Even so, expanding into the space next door and creating the Sunroom was a masterstroke. The Sunroom is legitimately versatile, just as suitable for a wedding reception as it is for a corporate function, alfresco beers, late night club vibes or Grand Final afternoon – and is a high-value addition to The Espy offering. Thanks to Jands, Electro-Voice and Ry Wilton, it has made the Espy bigger and better.
The Espy Sunroom: hotelesplanade.com.au/espy-sunroom
Jands (Electro-Voice, Blaze Audio, Shure Microphones): jands.com.au
Wilton AV: wiltonav.com.au
RESPONSES