When guests arrive at your hotel, chances are they have at least one bag with them – often more. These bags tend to be heavy, cumbersome, and a pain to carry around for long.

After making their way to the front desk for check in, the very next thing your guests are likely to do is scan the room for the nearest elevator. It’s easy to imagine what they’d be thinking if they saw a big “Out of Service” sign slapped to the elevator doors…

How to Upgrade Elevator Bays Without Disrupting Hotel Operations

Like everything, elevators require maintenance, so there will inevitably be times when you must cease use of the elevator to make necessary repairs and upgrades. Not only is maintenance important for the safety of employees and guests, but it is also important for improving the overall efficiency and operability of your elevator.

As you plan an elevator bay upgrade, there are some simple steps you can take to minimize disruption to hotel operations while working on the elevators in a timely manner. Here are some best practices if you are upgrading an elevator in your hotel, condo or office:

• Plan ahead so you can work during the least busy times of use – This could mean tackling the upgrades during low season or working during the middle hours of the day when most guests have either already checked out or are away from the hotel for a while.

• Keep at least one elevator operational while conducting work on the other(s) – If you have multiple elevators in your hotel, stagger the work so you can always have at least one elevator be fully operational. You could also consider enlisting additional staff members to assist with luggage.

• Communicate clearly with signage – If elevators in one section of the hotel will be temporarily out of service, make sure signage is clearly noted in important locations throughout the buildings. Guests will be frustrated if they walk down a long hallway only to find out they must turn around again to find the nearest operational elevator.

Upgrades to elevator bays in hotels require proper planning and communication just like any other commercial project. By doing so, you can maintain a high level of service and operation even amidst a disruption.

For more questions about hotel renovations, get in touch with our team at Seacoast Construction.