Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton) - Electricity slowed at Key West Marriott

I plugged my small cellphone in for 3+ hours here at the Key West Marriott and it still wasn't charged. Another traveler had similar issue with a separate device in another hotel room. Is hotel doing something to extend time it takes to charge devices maybe to save money?

Is this a standard hotel practice in this gadget era we live in?

I don't think that's how electricity works, though I'm happy to be corrected if I'd be learning something new.

Me thinks it's either the sync cable connected to the charger or the charger itself. My understanding is that electricity can be turned on or off but not slowed.

While I'm sure subsequent posts will find examples of electricity being governed, I don't think the hotel did this.

This happens sometimes with the power ports on planes, but I think only b/c the power is sometimes cycled on and off amongst the rows.

Are you sure there isn't something wrong with your charger? Or are you using a charger for a different device that isn't powerful enough? (For example, it will take significantly longer if you use an iPhone charger to try and charge an iPad.)

A standard outlet provides constant 110-120 volts if it is getting power. Any less could cause issues with some electronics and appliances. Perhaps the outlet itself was being cycled on and off, although I don't know why. The hotel is not saving any money by doing this, the battery is getting its full charge regardless how long it takes.

The frequency is highly regulated at 60Hz, the voltage though will/can fluctuate and can sag if loads are brought online - In any case if the lights are working and a lamp works on the socket - it's the charger or the cable -

I plugged my small cellphone in for 3+ hours here at the Key West Marriott and it still wasn't charged. Hotel is definitely slowing down electricity, I assume to save money.

Is this a standard hotel practice in this gadget era we live in?

You're probably right. All MI would have to do is completely reinvent most rules of physics so they can save a few pennies charging your phone. Makes sense.

I recently completed a 15 night stay at this Marriott - I was working insane hours (15-20 hour days) the whole time and never experienced any issues with electricity. I had multiple phones and laptops plugged in at various times, both in the room and in the concierge lounge. No problems I noted whatsoever.

You can't slow down electricity. You either have it , or you dont.

Lots of snark here from everyone. Not suggesting they figured out how to circumvent physics but charging has been slow with three different devices using manufacturer issued chargers in two rooms. I've never had this issue before with any of these devices and chargers. I found it noteworthy. Maybe the ac is draining power and outlets have less? Again, am not a physics expert (clearly)

An issue I have run into quite often is if they have a switched outlet and I have a habit of turning off the switch on the way out. Many times I find the lamp is plugged into a full-time outlet and not the switched outlet. People (guests and/or housekeeping) mess with the wiring and you never know what you end up with.

Otherwise, there is the possibility the plug is defective or wired wrong and not providing a full phase (hot, neutral, and ground). Trying different plugs in the room, if possible, may help.

When first reading this thread I flashed upon a HUGE dimmer switch in the back room for use on very hot days. :)

Lots of snark here from everyone. Not suggesting they figured out how to circumvent physics but charging has been slow with three different devices using manufacturer issued chargers in two rooms. I've never had this issue before with any of these devices and chargers. I found it noteworthy. Maybe the ac is draining power and outlets have less? Again, am not a physics expert (clearly)

Not being snarky, but a typical cell phone charger uses well under 10 Watts (3 or 4 Watts is typical). A typical window or hotel room air conditioner is probably close to 1000 Watts. The voltage supplied to the hotel might vary slightly from 110V (maybe a few percent). There is not really anything the hotel can do as a practical matter to limit your electrical supply short of turning off a circuit and then the outlet would simply stop functioning.

There are a few possibilities:

Local brown out, but you'd notice that with lights flickering and other appliances failing. Even with that the wattage/current draw of your charger probably wouldn't be impacted because it's so small.

Problem with the electrical outlet. It might be cutting in and out. It might be ground fault protected, it might be on a switch in the room, but then it would likely just stop supplying electricity altogether.

Problem with your phone or charger. Unfortunately for you it sounds like the phone and battery is probably the culprit.

Well, I am an electrical engineer.

No, electricity can't be slowed down. Technically it travels at a group velocity that's close to the speed of light.

Now many of the other answers are likely: 1) the outlet is switched off when you turn off a switch somewhere or requires a keycard when in the room. Some even use motion detectors. I've had laptops go to sleep and deplete when I though they were charging. 2) Unlikely that the socket is on a dimmer - most dimmers do bad things to switching power supplies and even linear ones don't like it as they modifiy the shape of the sine wave power. 3) Brown outs are unlikely also, you would notice this in the room and it would be big news. Brownouts can cause major havoc with equipment - so much so that power companies perfer to use rolling blackouts in most places I'm familiar with.

So, really nothing Marriott - or any other hotel would or could do to slow down the charging rate on your charger. Something is different - for sure - but it's not the electricity. If current was being limited (typically with a fuse or circuit breaker) it would simply go off. These items, like others have said, consume very small amounts of power.

What is true is that not every power supply is equal. If you plug an Ipad into some USB ports, the ports can't supply enough power to both charge the Ipad and run the Ipad. The Ipad has a way to detect this - it's in the USB standard) - and the Ipad itself does not recharge unless it's turned off. Other devices can do the same. If you use an Ipad charger with an Ipad though - it should charge and run at the same time.

I realize you said it's the same equipment - but something is different if it won't change there and only there.

Billy

sorry to tell ya but on this forum credentials, experience and logic will not be deferred to................it's due to all that slow electricity between the ears!

Well, I am an electrical engineer.
No, electricity can't be slowed down. Technically it travels at a group velocity that's close to the speed of light.

I plugged my small cellphone in for 3+ hours here at the Key West Marriott and it still wasn't charged. Hotel is definitely slowing down electricity, I assume to save money.

Is this a standard hotel practice in this gadget era we live in?
It's also caused by Martian space ships hovering outside the window. But, that can't be blamed on Marriott.

Switched outlet maybe?

I wear a tin foil hat but the TSA makes me take it off and I get zapped full of electrons every time

I plugged my small cellphone in for 3+ hours here at the Key West Marriott and it still wasn't charged. Hotel is definitely slowing down electricity, I assume to save money.

Is this a standard hotel practice in this gadget era we live in?

Wow, that ought to be worth a Nobel!

Have you tried getting a new battery?

Lol this thread is a classic... "slowing down electricity" is a good one. I have an EE background as well, like Delta3MM. Your phone charger is either working or it isn't... there is no way to make it charge slower without hacking the thing apart. If the voltage in the socket is within range of the power supply to operate, then it will. Most likely a case of user error with it not plugged into the phone just right so it stopped charging, or the outlet was on a switch in the room that got turned off.

I wear a tin foil hat but the TSA makes me take it off and I get zapped full of electrons every time
If you run a cable from the tinfoil hat to the cell phone and stand outside in a lightening storm, you can beat the "slow" electricity inside and charge your phone !

Are your cords straight?
You are probably getting kinks in your electricity.

Wow, that ought to be worth a Nobel!

Have you tried getting a new battery?

The Committee has already contacted me. I'm expecting serious consideration. ;)

While you folks are quick to point out my scientific errors, you don't seem to be reading the rest of the post. Let me make it clearer.

We tried charging two iPads with original iPad chargers and two blackberries with an original blackberry charger. These devices were plugged into at least two different outlets in two separate hotel rooms. The person in guest room 1 had the same problem as the person in guest room two. The chargers did work but the time to charge was slower than normal.

This makes suggestions like tangled cords, battery issues seem unlikely. It is possible the light switch impacted the outlet but wouldn't that make the outlet stop working? The outlet does work it was just slow. I tried another outlet which seemed to work better. Not sure if person in other room has tried another outlet.

Bottom line.... Minor issue. Just was wondering if there was something i wasn't aware of. Thanks for the remedial science lesson and the sarcasm.

checked out yesterday afternoon, I experienced no problems whatsoever with slow electricity and the ac was on full blast and freezing in my room

If there was so called slow electricity then the lights in the room should have been dim and the ac hardly working. I ddint experience either of these

2nd time staying there and will be back for more

If the voltage in the socket is within range of the power supply to operate, then it will.

Another EE here...

Since most chargers these days are designed to operate virtually anywhere in the world, they are designed for 100 - 240 volts AC. Unless the voltage drops below 100v (and you'd notice dim lights if that was the case), the charger is going to work.

Look elsewhere for the problem ... the hotel is not playing with the power delivered to the outlets.

Slow electricity.....next your be telling me how to put the magic smoke back in the wires.

Or possibly what I did one night, I turned off the light switch and therefor the outlet as well.

I plugged my small cellphone in for 3+ hours here at the Key West Marriott and it still wasn't charged. Hotel is definitely slowing down electricity, I assume to save money.

Is this a standard hotel practice in this gadget era we live in?

Slow electricity.....next your be telling me how to put the magic smoke back in the wires.

:)