How to Keep Your Hotel Rooms Quiet! | Part 1: STC Rating

What is STC Rating?

An STC is the most common measurement used for sound reduction.  An STC is a rating of how well a wall, floor, door, or window assembly diminishes airborne sound and prevents it from passing from one side to the other.  In short, an STC roughly measures how much a barrier reduces sound.  Higher values show that more sound is effectively isolated. An STC rating of 25 is roughly equivalent to normal speech not being heard through the assembly, whereas an STC rating of 50 is equivalent to loud speech not being heard.  The STC scale is nonlinear and an increase of 10 on an STC rating scale translates to an approximate reduction of apparent loudness to half measure. This concept remains vital when multiple guests of different lifestyles occupy a tight footprint.

# 1 Verify STC Rating

An STC is the most common measurement used for sound reduction.  An STC is a rating of how well a wall, floor, door, or window assembly diminishes airborne sound and prevents it from passing from one side to the other.  In short, an STC roughly measures how much a barrier reduces sound.  Higher values show that more sound is effectively isolated. An STC rating of 25 is roughly equivalent to normal speech not being heard through the assembly, whereas an STC rating of 50 is equivalent to loud speech not being heard.  The STC scale is nonlinear and an increase of 10 on an STC rating scale translates to an approximate reduction of apparent loudness to half measure. This concept remains vital when multiple guests of different lifestyles occupy a tight footprint.

For most applications, the International Building Code (IBC) requires a minimum STC of 50 for floors and walls in commercial buildings.  However, most hotel franchises require ratings above and beyond this to ensure guest comfort.  For your immediate reference, the STC rating for a basic 2×4 walls with a single layer of ½” drywall on each side is typically around 33.

STC Rating by Brands

The chart below summarizes several flag’s STC varying requirements. Variations in STC values for walls and ceilings often reflect shifting standards according to the dates of construction. To assist you in your next project, consider the list below of minimum STC ratings by brand for three separate assemblies, including guestroom to guestroom walls, guestroom to corridor walls, and guestroom ceilings. These values remain applicable for mid-scale select, limited, and extended stay properties. Some full-service and luxury-scale properties may require more stringent requirements.

Texas Hotel Construction: Brand, Cost, and Schedule

Hotel construction in Texas combines complex MEP (24/7 operations, redundant systems), brand-prototype compliance (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG all have prescriptive standards), and aggressive schedules driven by ADR/occupancy ramp targets. Texas hotel construction costs in 2026 range from $245,000 per key (limited-service) to $995,000+ per key (luxury) total project cost. (RSMeans 2025; STR Global Hotel Performance Index)

• Brand approval gates. Plans submitted to the brand at multiple gates — schematic, design development, and pre-construction. Each gate can return revisions that ripple back through MEP coordination. Maxx Builders manages the brand approval process as a primary critical-path item.
• Structured parking vs. surface. Texas land economics often allow surface parking, which materially reduces total project cost. Where structured parking is required (urban infill, height restrictions, brand requirement), it adds $25,000–$45,000 per stall and 4–8 months of schedule.
• Mockup rooms. Most brand standards require a mockup room — a single guest room built fully to brand spec — for brand inspection before full construction commits. Maxx Builders sequences mockup early to allow brand iteration without disrupting full schedule.
• Soft-cost contingency. Hotel projects typically carry 15–25% soft cost — architect, engineer, brand fees, FF&E procurement, opening expenses. These should be in the pro-forma; they’re often understated.

Maxx Builders has delivered hospitality projects across Texas including Home2Suites by Hilton (Richmond, 90,500 SF), Comfort Suites (Pasadena), and Holiday Inn Express (Pflugerville, 114,700 SF). Request a hospitality project consultation.

Brand, Lease, and Schedule Coordination

Branded commercial construction — hospitality, fitness franchise, QSR, and corporate office tenant build-outs — runs on a three-axis coordination problem: brand prototype requirements, lease/financing conditions, and delivery schedule. Each axis has gates that can block the others. Maxx Builders has delivered across all three for hotels (Home2Suites by Hilton, Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn Express), fitness (Anytime Fitness), and retail/specialty TI (Shoe Palace, Vivaldi Music Academy).

Brand Standards Governance

National hotel and franchise brands maintain prescriptive standards covering finishes, equipment, FF&E, signage, structural requirements, MEP redundancy, and operational layouts. Substitutions outside the approved product list typically require brand variance — usually denied for hospitality and selectively granted for retail/QSR. Maxx Builders manages the brand approval process as a critical-path item, scheduling approval gates at schematic, design development, and pre-construction. (STR Global Hotel Performance benchmarks; JLL Hospitality Real Estate Report)

Lease Coordination for Tenants

For tenant build-outs, three lease provisions drive construction logistics: commencement date (when tenant’s rent obligation starts — often a fixed date regardless of construction completion), TI allowance utilization (what the landlord funds vs. tenant funds), and landlord-furnished items (HVAC capacity, electrical service, restrooms, etc.). Most tenant-construction friction originates in misalignment between lease and physical reality. Maxx Builders evaluates landlord shell condition against tenant program before TI scope is finalized.

Cost Benchmarks by Branded Vertical

• Limited-service hotels: $200,000–$320,000 per key (total project cost including FF&E)
• Full-service hotels: $400,000–$700,000+ per key
• Luxury hotels: $700,000–$995,000+ per key
• Fitness franchise TI: $80–$160 per SF depending on brand
• QSR / fast-casual TI: $250–$450 per SF
• Office TI (Class-A): $90–$180 per SF
• Office TI (Class-B): $40–$85 per SF

Source: RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data 2025; Gordian Q1 2025; calibrated against Maxx Builders’ delivered project costs.

Schedule Sequencing

The typical schedule sequence for branded projects:

• Brand schematic approval (4–6 weeks)
• Brand DD approval (4–8 weeks)
• Pre-construction brand inspection (1–2 weeks)
• Mockup room or mockup unit construction (3–5 weeks; required by most hotel brands)
• Full construction (6–18 months depending on project size)
• Brand pre-opening inspection (1–2 weeks)
• Soft opening / ADR ramp (4–8 weeks)
• Stabilization (12–18 months post-opening)

Texas-Specific Considerations

Texas hospitality and franchise construction in 2026 reflects continued in-migration of corporate offices, leisure travel growth, and franchise expansion across the I-35 and I-10 corridors. Most active hospitality submarkets: Houston (Energy Corridor, Galleria District, IAH airport corridor, Sugar Land), Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW airport corridor, Frisco, Las Colinas), Austin (North I-35 corridor, Round Rock, Cedar Park), and San Antonio (River Walk, 1604/I-10).

Maxx Builders’ construction management and tenant improvement services cover the full branded-project lifecycle. Learn about our construction management services or request a consultation.