Hotel elevator design and modernization – completing the guest experience
Top tips to make sure the elevators do your hotel justice. In today’s digital world, every guest is a potential critic. Depending on their experience, they might praise or slam your hotel on social media and booking sites. So, it’s more important than ever to make sure they have a wonderful time during their stay.
When you walk into a Four Seasons hotel or Movenpick hotel, everything about the design - from the lighting to the furniture - screams luxury. You know you’re about to be pampered. Step into a 25Hours hotel, on the other hand, and you immediately notice the youthful, trendy aesthetic.
If you want your hotel to stand out from the one down the street, your design choices must communicate a clear message to guests. The most successful hotel brands have refined this message so well that you know the minute you enter the lobby what kind of experience you can expect.
Now, imagine your guest gliding through your beautifully designed lobby, calling the elevator and stepping inside only to be greeted by a plain box. Or worse, a shabby elevator that hasn’t been updated in 20 or 30 years. In a flash, all your hard work is undermined, and the guest’s positive experience fades.
By modernizing your elevators, you can avoid that scenario.
In this post, we’ll look at the role design, and elevator design in particular, has to play when it comes to creating happy campers.
We’ll cover three important areas:
- Choosing the right elevator interior
- Selecting fixtures that create the best experience
- Turning your elevators into an entertaining experience
1. Choosing the right interior
Elevators can be thoughtfully designed, but they should also reflect their main use. If it’s a cleaning or service elevator, then a robust, stainless steel design might be the best choice. Steel adds character while also minimizing potential damage from cleaning carts or equipment.
For hotels with dedicated guest elevators, the sky’s the limit. With a full elevator modernization, you can upgrade the interior with mirrors, glass, steel, vibrant laminate colors. Or you can design a custom interior that perfectly matches the design of your hotel.
2. Selecting fixtures that give the best experience
The fixtures in your elevator immediately tell your guests if you’ve modernized or not. Fixtures from the 90s are just as outdated as a Discman. But people don’t feel nostalgic about old elevator fixtures.
Some things to consider when modernizing your elevator with new fixtures include:
- Accessibility: Well-designed elevators help all guests move around your hotel. Fixtures with larger, or high-contrast, buttons, braille, and voice announcements make it easier for visually impaired individuals to use the elevator.
- Style: Fixtures come in many different styles. Half-height options are great if your budget is tight. Full-height fixtures that sit flush in the wall are the premium choice.
- Security: Many hotels use elevators to control floor access. This is done using card readers inside the elevator or a destination dispatch system that controls access from the lobby.
- Destination dispatch: For larger hotels, with banks of three or more elevators, a destination dispatch system is the fastest way to get guests to their room. Elevators are assigned based on destination. Since the elevator is assigned in advance, guests don’t have to scramble to get to the elevator with their bags and even robots can use your elevator.
- Communication: With screens, like the Linea 800 SmartTouch, installed directly in the elevators, you can share important information, such as check-out time and the location of breakfast, to keep guests informed during their stay.
3. Turning your elevators into a media experience
If you want to take things to the next level and truly wow your guests, digital technology has the answer. The Schindler SmartMirror and AdScreen fill an entire wall of the elevator with high-definition content. You can upload still or moving images to share information, promote products, or simply entertain guests.
Another possibility is to turn your lobby into an infotainment center. The Schindler DoorShow projects content directly on to the elevator landing doors. It turns waiting for the elevator, usually a boring necessity, into a visual feast.
With these digital products, the look and feel of your elevator can be easily changed using an online content management system (CMS). You can change the content to highlight specific services or set it to change at certain times of day. It can even be used to shout out guests who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary in your hotel. Now that’s personal service!
Modernize your hotel elevators
Bear these tips in mind and contact us when you’re ready to get going with your hotel modernization. By extending the design of your hotel to the elevators, you can make sure that all the reviews are five stars.