5 Ways High-Performance Plastics are Redefining Manufacturing

Acoustock transforms acoustic treatment into a design feature, creating quieter hospitality spaces without compromising aesthetics.

Spend a Friday evening in almost any busy restaurant and you’ll notice it. The noise builds as the room fills. Conversations get louder to compete. Tables near the bar become effectively unusable. By 8pm the room is functioning at a level that makes enjoyment — let alone conversation — genuinely difficult.

This isn’t bad luck. It’s physics. And it’s almost entirely predictable from the interior specification.

Why Contemporary Hospitality Design Creates Acoustic Problems

The design choices that define contemporary hospitality — exposed concrete, polished stone, hard flooring, floor-to-ceiling glass, high ceilings — are also the choices that create the worst acoustic environments. Every hard surface reflects sound. Reverberation time climbs. Ambient noise levels rise with every additional cover.

The traditional solution was to add soft furnishings: heavy drapes, upholstered seating, carpet. But these often conflict with the aesthetic direction, the maintenance requirements and the brand identity of the venue.

There is a better answer.

Acoustic Treatment as a Design Element

Integrating acoustic treatment into the interior design reduces reverberation while maintaining a contemporary hospitality aesthetic.

Acoustock PET acoustic felt panels are specified because they perform acoustically — NRC 0.80, independently tested, meaning 80% of sound energy in the speech-critical frequency range is absorbed rather than reflected. But they’re increasingly specified because of what they look like.

53 stock colours. Clean edges. A material that takes light differently depending on angle and colour, creating depth and texture on a wall or ceiling surface. Acoustic treatment that looks like a considered design decision, not a remedial afterthought.

Where Acoustock Works in Hospitality Spaces

The most effective applications in hospitality environments:

Wall reveals and feature walls — where panels contribute to the visual scheme while absorbing sound from the primary reflective surfaces
Ceiling soffits — treating the ceiling plane directly reduces reverberation time most efficiently
Back-of-booth surfaces — creating acoustic separation between seating areas without physical barriers
Bar back walls — high-traffic acoustic hotspots where treatment has immediate impact
Hotel lobbies and breakout areas — where hard finishes dominate and dwell time matters

The Colour Range - 53 Options, All in Stock

Acoustock's 53 stock colours complement natural materials commonly used throughout restaurants, hotels and hospitality environments

Acoustock’s 53-colour stock range is designed to give designers genuine creative freedom without lead-time compromise. The full range — from warm earth tones and naturals to bold accent colours and deep neutrals — is held in UK stock and available for next-day despatch.

For multi-site hospitality brands, this means consistent colour supply across rollout programmes without manufacturing run commitments. For individual venues, it means the colour you want is available when the fit-out needs it — not in eight weeks.

Retail: The Same Challenge, a Different Driver

Retail acoustic treatment is driven by two distinct requirements. The first is staff welfare — sustained exposure to high ambient noise levels in retail environments is a recognised health and safety issue, and one that HR and facilities teams are increasingly addressing proactively.

The second is commercial performance. Research consistently links uncomfortable acoustic environments to reduced dwell time and lower average transaction values. Customers who are uncomfortable leave sooner and spend less.

For retail fit-out designers and facilities managers, Acoustock offers next-day stock availability — critical for rollout programmes where multiple sites need to be treated on a live commercial schedule — and a colour range broad enough to match any brand palette.

Technical Credentials for Commercial Specification

For hospitality and retail projects going through building control or requiring fire consultant sign-off:

 • Fire rating: B-s1,d0 to EN 13501-1:2018 (s1 = lowest smoke production class)
 • Surface density: 1.9 kg/m² — suitable for wall and ceiling applications without specialist fixing
 • Environmental: 50%+ recycled PET, E0 formaldehyde, non-toxic, odourless, easy to clean
 • ISO 9001:2015 registered supply chain

 Full technical data sheet available on request.

All 53 Acoustock colours are available to order now, individual samples are available at a modest charge. The full 53-colour sample box is available for contractors presenting options to clients.

For more details on all things Acoustock dive into our Acoustock PET Acoustic Felt Complete Buyer's, Specifier's and Installer's Guide.

For material datasheets, commercial volume pricing, and direct technical advice,
contact our procurement support team directly.