Television-Mirror Combinations: A contemporary look for Hotel Bathrooms.

For years, most hoteliers that wanted a 5-star look in their guestroom bathrooms thought this required incorporating stand alone LCD televisions to the already cluttered bathroom vanity area.  Typically this involved finding adequate room for the TV, all while competing with the vanity mirror, make up mirror, shelving, towel rack, light sconces, and any bathroom OS&E/accessories found in the vanity area.   Another issue was cable management, as these small LCD televisions required power and coax, and having these cables hanging or bundled behind a small television did not portray a tidy 5-star appearance.   Additionally, many municipalities had code issues with these television clearance to water sources (sinks and tubs), which sometimes made for some pretty farfetched mounting locations.

In response to this long standing issue and the on-going 5-star demand, manufacturers have now developed LCD televisions that are fully integrated into the bathroom mirror.  These mirror/LCD television systems are fogless, remote controlled, include required hotel “smart cards”, are extremely thin (down to 1 inch in thickness), and completely eliminate the unsightly cable management issue, as well as the vanity area clutter.  Furthering the clean, contemporary uncluttered look, some manufacturers are also incorporating vanity lighting, thereby eliminating the traditional bathroom light sconce.

As the power source for these mirror/LCD/sconces are hidden behind the mirror (and can be both plug-in and hard-wired), most code issues regarding proximity to sinks and tubs are eliminated.

 Prior to incorporating into your design, some things to verify:

• Ensure adequate circuit amperage for combined mirror/LCD/sconce.  You will need to provide a separate switched circuit if lighting is incorporated into the mirror, as well as a separate circuit for the LCD TV.
• Verify acceptability with local code jurisdiction.  Although manufacturers state that their products meet all codes, final interpretation comes down to the local jurisdiction.
• Verify mirror location provides adequate viewing access to LCD TV.  If it is incorporated just for the guest standing at the vanity, the traditional bathroom mirror location will typically suffice.  If it is intended to be viewed from the bathtub, some mock-up trial and error exercises should be conducted with various mirror/LCD television locations.  
• Provide both a power source (hard wire or duplex, depending on manufacture/model requirement) and a coax source behind the mirror in a location that will not encumber mounting hardware.  In a renovation, this power/coax relocation may be more difficult.  The coax termination may also require an “L” fitting due to limited clearance behind the mirror.  
• Provide adequate backing for mirror installation hardware (per manufacturer’s recommendations).  Since these combined systems are heavier than each single component, drywall anchors are typically insufficient.  
• Review costs/manufacturers.  Although the prices for the combination mirror/LCD/sconce systems have dropped dramatically over the past few years, they are still typically more expensive than individual mirror, sconces and LCD TV’s.

With these systems becoming increasingly more popular and commonplace in high-end restaurant restrooms, sports facilities and homes, more and more guests are expecting the same clean, unencumbered look in their upscale hotel bathrooms, which may ultimately spell the demise of the stand alone bathroom LCD television.

More information can be found at: www.electricmirror.com and www.hiddentelevision.com 

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