Marriott Vacations Worldwide
Project Overview
Transforming a Resort Pool Deck into an Immersive Outdoor Entertainment Destination
Custom Curved LED Wall, Hurricane-Rated Structure & Directional Audio — Built for Florida’s Outdoor Hospitality Environments
Marriott Vacations Worldwide sought to elevate the guest experience at their resort pool area by introducing a dynamic, large-format visual presence that could anchor poolside events, drive bar engagement, and create the kind of memorable moments that define a premium hospitality stay. The vision was ambitious: a stunning outdoor LED video wall capable of hosting poolside movies, live sporting events, daily water activities, and sound-reinforced programming — all without disrupting the aesthetic character of the resort’s outdoor design.
Crunchy Tech was engaged to custom design, engineer, install, program, commission, and support the complete outdoor AV system. The project required solving a complex set of structural, acoustic, and weather-resilience challenges to deliver a solution that was as architecturally refined as it was technically capable.
Project Challenges
Engineering for Curves, Climate, and a Luxury Guest Environment
The Marriott poolside project presented a distinctive combination of technical and environmental challenges that required custom engineering solutions at every level:
- The centerpiece of the installation — a curved, convex LED screen — introduced immediate structural complexity. Achieving the precise radius required by the architectural design demanded a fully custom trussing system engineered to hold the LED panels at exact curvature while meeting the hotel’s structural and aesthetic specifications.
- Florida’s outdoor environment placed extreme demands on all equipment. Every component of the system — from the LED wall itself to the structural mounting system — needed to be rated for hurricane conditions, capable of withstanding high winds, sustained moisture exposure, and the intense UV and heat load of a Florida poolside environment.
- The audio design required careful directional engineering. The hotel required that the speaker system deliver powerful, high-quality sound to the pool deck audience without overpowering adjacent guest areas where quieter, more private experiences were expected. Standard outdoor PA approaches would not meet this requirement.
- Operator usability was a priority. Resort staff needed to manage the full system — video sources, audio zones, and wireless inputs — from the pool deck itself, keeping their attention on guests rather than back-of-house equipment racks.
- The entire installation had to integrate seamlessly with the resort’s existing architectural design, with no compromise to the premium visual environment Marriott’s guests expect.
Understanding Client Needs
Dazzle Guests, Drive Bar Sales, and Preserve the Resort Aesthetic
Marriott Vacations Worldwide had three interconnected goals for this project: attract guest attention around the pool, increase revenue at the pool deck bar, and create a platform for memorable programming that would give guests a reason to linger. Digital signage alone was not the answer — the client needed a true destination experience built around a visually spectacular display that could anchor everything from movie nights to live sports broadcasts.
Equally important was the design requirement. Marriott could not accept a solution that simply bolted a large screen to the pool area without regard for the surrounding environment. The AV system needed to feel intentional — architecturally integrated, aesthetically considered, and worthy of the Marriott brand standard.
Crunchy Tech approached the engagement by first understanding the full range of programming use cases the system needed to support, then engineering a solution that could serve all of them reliably across the demanding conditions of a Florida outdoor hospitality environment. Every design decision — from the curvature of the LED wall to the directional pattern of the speakers — was made with both performance and guest experience in mind.
Technical Solutions
Custom Curved LED, Directional Audio, and Mobile Pool-Deck Control
To deliver an immersive, weather-resilient outdoor entertainment system for Marriott’s pool deck, Crunchy Tech integrated a purpose-engineered AV platform combining a large-format curved LED wall, directional outdoor audio, custom structural engineering, and mobile Crestron control.
| System Category | Components | Role in Project |
| LED Video Wall | IP65-rated 16ft x 9ft curved, convex LED screen, 4mm pixel pitch, 8.53M resolution | Delivered a large-format, weather-resistant visual centerpiece engineered to the precise curved radius required by the architectural design |
| LED Wall Processor | NovaStar HD LED wall processor | Controlled all display processing, content management, and image quality parameters for the large-format LED wall |
| Custom Structural System | Custom-engineered trussing system with purpose-built mounting brackets | Achieved the required convex LED radius while meeting hotel architectural standards and hurricane-rated structural requirements for Florida weather |
| Outdoor Audio System | 4x high-fidelity, high-powered, directional, weatherized cabinet loudspeakers with custom-engineered mounting brackets | Delivered focused, front-facing audio to the pool deck audience without overpowering adjacent guest areas or private pool zones |
| Amplification | Electrovoice amplifiers | Powered the cabinet speaker system with the headroom required for outdoor sound reinforcement across the full pool deck |
| Wireless Audio | 2-channel wireless audio input system | Enabled operators to reach the full extent of the pool deck with live announcements, DJ audio, or event programming |
| Control & Switching | Crestron media switcher and processing system, TSW-series touchpanel, wireless iPad with Crestron mobile application | Unified all system control into a single intuitive interface operable from the rack or anywhere on the pool deck via iPad |
The structural engineering of the installation was as critical as the technology itself. Crunchy Tech’s team designed a custom trussing system capable of supporting the curved LED wall at the precise convex radius required by the client’s architectural brief, while meeting hurricane-rated wind load specifications for Florida outdoor structures. Custom brackets were engineered to mount the four directional cabinet loudspeakers to the same trussing system, allowing the audio and visual elements to be integrated into a single, architecturally cohesive installation.
The IP65-rated LED wall — a 16ft x 9ft, 4mm pixel pitch curved display at 8.53 megapixel resolution — delivered the visual impact Marriott required while meeting the weatherproofing standard necessary for permanent outdoor installation. The NovaStar HD processor managed all display processing and image quality, ensuring vivid, consistent output across the full range of Florida lighting conditions from direct sunlight to evening events.
Implementation Methodology
Custom Engineering, Coordinated Installation, and Full Commissioning
The Marriott poolside installation was executed through Crunchy Tech’s integrated design-build methodology, which in this case required a significant custom engineering component before any equipment was installed. The curved LED wall’s convex geometry demanded that Crunchy Tech’s team design and fabricate a bespoke trussing system capable of holding the LED panels at the correct radius, supporting the weight of the full display and speaker assembly, and meeting hurricane-rated structural standards — all while remaining architecturally unobtrusive.
Speaker placement and aiming were engineered in advance to achieve the directional audio coverage pattern required by the hotel. The four cabinet loudspeakers were positioned and angled to maximize coverage of the primary pool deck audience zone while keeping sound levels in adjacent guest areas within the hotel’s comfort specifications. Custom brackets fabricated by Crunchy Tech’s team enabled precise speaker positioning on the trussing structure.
The Crestron control system was programmed to give pool deck operators a single, intuitive interface for managing all aspects of the system — source selection, volume, and wireless audio inputs — from either the rack-mounted TSW touchpanel or a wireless iPad running the Crestron mobile application. Full system commissioning included audio calibration, LED wall processing configuration, and end-to-end testing across all planned use cases before handover to the resort team.
Key Technology Partners
- NovaStar: HD LED wall processor providing display control, processing, and image management for the large-format curved outdoor LED wall.
- Electrovoice: Professional amplifiers powering the four-cabinet directional outdoor speaker system with the headroom required for pool deck sound reinforcement.
- Crestron: Media switcher, TSW-series touchpanel, and mobile iPad application delivering unified, pool-deck-operable control of all AV system inputs, outputs, and audio zones.
Results and Impact
A Revenue-Driving Outdoor Entertainment Destination
The completed installation transformed Marriott’s pool deck into a fully programmed outdoor entertainment destination. The curved LED wall became an immediate visual focal point for resort guests, providing a compelling reason to gather at the pool for movies, sporting events, and daily programming. The directional audio system delivered clear, powerful sound to the primary audience area while preserving the quieter atmosphere of adjacent guest spaces — exactly as the hotel required.
The business impact was direct and measurable. Pool deck bar sales increased by 40% following the installation, reflecting the increased dwell time and engagement driven by the new entertainment platform. Poolside guest engagement rose by 25%, confirming that the system was achieving its core objective of creating memorable, attraction-worthy experiences for resort guests.
“The result was a large increase in bar sales by the pool and an easy-to-use system that kept design in mind. The build is also a hurricane-rated structure that can handle the onslaught of Florida weather all while the operator controls the system from the pool deck allowing their focus to be on the resort guest’s experience.”
— Crunchy Tech, on the Marriott Vacations Worldwide engagement
Finishing the Project On Time
Where Custom Engineering Meets Guest Experience
The Marriott Vacations Worldwide project demonstrates Crunchy Tech’s ability to deliver outdoor AV solutions that go far beyond standard installation work — combining custom structural engineering, purpose-built weatherized hardware, and intuitive control design into a unified platform that serves both the guest experience and the hotel’s operational and revenue goals.
By solving the structural, acoustic, and environmental challenges of a curved outdoor LED installation in a Florida hospitality setting, Crunchy Tech delivered a system that is as architecturally considered as it is technically capable. The result is a permanent outdoor entertainment asset that drives measurable revenue, enhances the resort guest experience, and is built to perform reliably through Florida’s most demanding weather conditions for years to come.