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HOTEL ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
POST T OM OTLEY
I am frequently frustrated by elevators (lifts).
At busy times, they are delayed, and at quiet times, their chime can echo down the corridor past the room where I am trying to sleep.
As buildings get taller, they are also confusing as they are organised into banks accessing certain sets of floors, so I get in and discover I have been whisked past my floor and up to 16-29 because I wasn’t paying attention when I got in.
So, I read this with interest
New elevator design could disrupt city infrastructure
A new elevator concept uses magnets and a rollercoaster-style rail design to enable greater degrees of freedom for transporting people, and more, around skyscrapers and across cities.
“With this SkyPod, the cars could travel along the outsides of buildings, curving around all manner of shapes, and also travel horizontally between di erent zones.”
I think I may have to get used to the prospect of further confusion.
➜ CAPETONIANM
I dislike getting into lifts with other people, so I usually use staircases where practical. I have often found that walking is faster than using the lifts anyway, particularly at times of high demand.
➜ RFERGUSON
Hi Tom,
Totally agree with you on the frustrating wait for elevators/lifts.
I’ve stayed at a few tall properties – Boston Marriott Copley Place and Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait City come to mind – where they have installed newer lift technology. Instead of calling the lift and then selecting the floor once in the car (the only buttons inside are open/ close/alarm), you select your destination floor in the lift lobby and a computerised system directs you to a specific elevator. Sometimes you still have to wait but the computer system seems to optimise the use of the elevators. So, if you do have to wait a little while I find when the elevator does arrive it will then be non stop to my destination floor (or with no more than one or two stops which are indicated when you board).
My personal elevator pet peeves (which are overcome by the above system):
– being on floor 30, getting in the elevator and having ten stops on the way down.
– stupid people that think they will get an elevator quicker by pressing both the ‘up’ and ‘down’ call buttons regardless of their direction.
– being on a lower floor and the elevators constantly being full when they reach that floor on the way down.
The hotel we used to stay in in NYC was a very tall but very slim building that physically could only fit two elevators. I became accustomed to opening my hotel room door, holding it open with my bag, calling the lift then sitting down on the bed having a cup of tea until I would hear the ‘bing’ as the elevators could take so long.
➜ INQUISITIVE
Newer hotels have good design with elevator shafts being away from rooms. But some hotels are badly designed and there are rooms next to elevator shaft.
One can hear elevators going up and down from these rooms especially at night when the noise level is low.
I occasionally get this type of room (due to lower contractual rate) but I make it a point to talk to the manager for a change. Of course, hotel loyalty membership helps.
Nowadays most of the hotels have room entry card to access elevators but this system does have a loopholes. .
For instance, some guests would not like to go to other floor. If this is to keep out unwanted people, then it is not eective..