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?

gpy

I stayed at a HP in NYC and they upgraded me to the 21st floor which turned out to be terrible luck as the next day I waited 10 minutes for the elevator before finally taking the stairs with my luggage. When I finally got to the ground floor I discovered that the elevators were not only slow but completely out of service. On check out, the front desk agent just smiled and told me they just wanted to make sure we were all safe so they were doing elevator maintenance. On both elevators. At prime check out time.

CloudCoder

Most full-service hotels have separate elevators for housekeeping staff. But at hotels where staff uses the same elevators as guests, I think it causes the elevators to be very slow. Just the other day, on the 5th floor of a 5-story hotel, I waited 8 minutes for an elevator and none appeared. I decided to take the stairs ... and have a look at each floor (to find out why the elevators would not work). As it ends up, both elevators were in use, with objects blocking the doors (so they would not close), and housekeepers making several trips to a supply closet to load things into their cart. So they wheel the cart into the elevator, position the cart so that the door won't close (thus taking the elevator out of service), then make several more trips to the supply closet for other items. While this may not be the case at ALL hotels, it was certainly the reason why both elevators were tied up the other day at a smaller hotel.

notquiteaff

777 global mile hound

This thread had me bust out laughing but this is about more than anything else keeping new build limited service properties more cost effective with construction
And gerbils like the slow ride.Not so much the guests
Elevators are very expensive to purchase and maintain

txhyattlvr

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.

HoustonConsultant

I chuckle each time I see "King Bed, High Floor", because a high floor at a HP is more punishment than upgrade.

777 global mile hound

Very true! A blessing or a curse
I'll take the slow elevator just give me a breakfast I can actually eat like the full service properties

fcs659

BurBunny

Gads! I didn't need to read this today... am staying at a Hyatt Place later this week in DTC. As a woman, I always request high floor for safety reasons, though different from fcs659. Guess I will pack my patience as well as my sweaters for Denver!

netopia

I've noticed this trend at HP and also it is standard practice at Aloft hotels which are in the same vein. I've no doubt that slow elevators are cheaper to build and probably to maintain as well, I think this is the explanation.

Dianne47

I sometimes stay at the HP Midtown South in NYC. I always ask for the lower floor, usually #3 . I can head out by the stairs in the morning when the elevators never seem to arrive. I also ask for lower floors for fire safety reasons, as pointed out above by fcs659. Ladders on fire trucks can only reach to floor 8 in most cities.

mangoMan

Timely thread. I just stayed at the HP in Santa Cruz and noticed the slow elevators. And we were only on the 2nd floor

chadnw

I have stayed and two Hyatt Place properties, Eugene Oregon and Downtown Denver (which is actually a combo Hyatt Place/House) and both had pretty speedy elevators, Denver has 4 high speed elevators for 22 floors, and Eugene has 2 elevators for......3 floors.....they occupy floors 5-7. Im kinda into high speed elevators, so I notice the fast ones, and I guess I have gotten pretty lucky most hotels I have stayed at are pretty quick.

mnredfox

Try the stairs, great exercise.