Originally Posted by
HoustonConsultant
I think it is generally recognized that HP elevators must be built and maintained by Slow Elevators Inc., but have any of you ever had to opportunity to ask or find out why that is the case?
When I asked Thursday, the desk agent just said, "Yeah, lots of people say that, but I don't know why they are slow."
It is not like my life is so crazy that the extra 2 minutes to go 7 floors greatly impacts my day, but I do not understand the rationale for it. I cannot think of any other elevators I regularly encounter that are this slow.
Safety issue? Desire to have people enjoy the HP ambiance as long as possible? Do the gerbils just get tired?
There are two major types of elevators: piston/hydraulic fluid and the cable/counterweight variety. Piston elevators push you up from the bottom, whereas cable elevators pull you up from the roof. Each major type has several sub types but those are the two major types. Buildings with fewer than 5-6 stories are almost always piston driven (cheaper) and these elevators are SLOW/jerky/etc. Piston elevators are MUCH slower, but this doesn't tend to matter as much when you are only going up or down a few stories. Every HP I've ever stayed at had piston elevators and no obvious staff/cleaning elevators. The combination = slow.