Background 

With its famous white sandy beaches, year-round sunshine and bustling night life, Cancun is oneof Mexico's biggest tourist destinations, attracting more than 35 million visitors in 2018. Competition for business and the need to stand out has never been greater. Located on the beach and just a stone's throw from the city centre, Melody Maker - named after the British music magazine of the same title, describes itself as the world's biggest party hotel, pairing the lifestyle and excitement of a beachfront hotel with the amenities of a luxury resort. With more than 400 rooms over 16 floors, and an outdoor club that has played host to leading celebrity DJs and artists such as Paris Hilton, David Guetta and Armin Van Buuren, Melody Maker prides itself on staying ahead of the competition and delivering world-class entertainment experiences to its guests.

The Challenge 

As part of a recent upgrade to the hotel's facilities, Melody Maker decided to raise the bar. With a desire to create a more immersive, more spectacular and more memorable experience for guests attending its events, Melody Maker took the decision to utilise the hotel's exterior, transforming it into a giant 7,000 sq. m (1.7 acre) canvas, creating one of the world's biggest permanent 3D mapping displays. The installation – the largest of its kind for any hotel in the world – would also help MelodyMaker stand-out from its competitors, whilst providing a nightly visual spectacle attraction for on lookers, both on and off shore.

The Solution 

Tasked with delivering on Melody Makers' ambitions were Madrid-based New Media CreativeTechnology Studio and Kyiv-based Front Pictures – two projection mapping specialists with more than 30 years' experience between them – who provided the projection system used to illuminate the hotel. The Front Pictures team, which has provided visual display solutions for some of world's leading brands, including Ferrari, BMW and Disney, was responsible for system engineering and integration. Using their vast knowledge and experience in delivering on such high-profile projects, the team decided to use four next-generation Datapath Fx4/H display wall controllers to distribute 32MP video signal (driven by a single powerful Screenberry media server) to 16 x Barco UDX-W32 projectors strategically positioned outside the hotel.In total, 3 km of optical fiber-cables were used to connect all the components together, creating the first permanent 3D mapping installation for a hotel.

Datapath Fx4/H Wall Controller

The team decided to use four next-generation Datapath Fx4/H display wall controllers to distribute 32MP video signal (driven by a single powerful Screenberry media server) to 16 x Barco UDX-W32 projectors strategically positioned outside the hotel.

Cancun Hotel Projection

The installation is the largest of its kind for any hotel in the world, which would also help Melody Maker stand-out from its competitors.