Business, Health, Social Commentary

Stairs

12 Comments

How to make them irresistible.

This is a pet peeve of mine. For anything less than four or five floors, I much prefer stairs to elevators, not just for health reasons, but because it can be faster than waiting for one, but in a lot of places, they make it very hard. I just found the stairway here at the Broadmoor Conference Center, but it’s very clear that they’d prefer the guests not see or use it. At the Grace Inn in Phoenix, where Space Access has been for the past few years, they lock the doors to enter it from the bottom, so you can go down, but not up.

12 thoughts on “Stairs”

  1. A lot of hotels make the doors at stair-bottom exit-only when they make for an alternate entrance to the building. Inconvenient when you don’t want to wait for an elevator to go a floor or two, yes.

    Space Access this year is at the InnPlace Hotel Phoenix in Metrocenter, by the way, lest anyone be confused and show up at the wrong place…

    1. You realize they keep those ground floor stairwell doors closed for occupant safety? The LEOs have nicknames for rooms at the end of a hall, near stairwells?

      Meth Mansions.

      Murder Mansions.

      Rape Rooms.

      Hooker Hammocks.

      All named so, based on the easy egress those stairwells provide. And I’m not a LEO and never have been, and I learned those just because I lived in hotel rooms for 5 years working on the road. I’m betting as with all ‘work groups’ they have more such slang we don’t know.

  2. All you have to do to make them irresistible is import a few of hte old-style non-stair-climbing Daleks. All fixed.

  3. Its a security issue. They don’t want folks going up them to rob guests. The assumption is that crooks will be seen going into an elevator and most due have security cameras these days. However they have to leave the doors unlock going down due to fire safety rules.

    BTW at many of the Las Vegas hotels the elevators won’t even work unless you put a key card in.

  4. But shouldn’t the stairs always be open from the bottom as a safety issue in the event of a tsunami or flood, or do they think such events are unlikely in the Rockies?

    1. If a tsunami reaches the Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs (over 6000 feet above sea level), then we have bigger problems than the fate of a few hotel guests.

  6. Of course, beauty won’t be the only factor in persuading people to take the stairs; the elevators in the building will require key-card access. If you don’t have access to the elevator, you won’t be able to resist the new stairway.

    I’m sure they figured out ADA access, but this seems typical of the ideology behind this building. Force people to use the “right” choice, even when people don’t want to.

  7. Hmm I thought it was going to be something about short skirts or tight jeans. And before someone accuses me of misogyny, I know women like to admire men’s backsides. Secret is out ladies.

  8. They’re talking about Seattle. That “irresistible” panorama will be overcast most of the time.

    And what about acrophobia?

  9. Rand, if you are still at the BroAdmoor, as they insist on spelling it, Heinlein’s old house (1951-1965) is a short walk off the back of the property, 1776 Mesa Ave. You can still see the street number sign he put up and the reflecting pools he built by hand.

    If you keep going a little further, to the first cross street and turn right, you will see the most amazing wind sculptures, for lack of a better term, on the former property of Starr Kempf. Well worth the five-minute walk.

  10. What are people who have to carry stuff supposed to do?

    I often have to carry things between floors where I work. I’ll go down the stairs to the next floor if I’m carrying something in one hand, but if I don’t have a hand to hold onto the rail, I take the elevator. Also if I have a box or a cart, the route is obvious. (We require a key card for the elevator OR the stairs – security measure.)

    Generally, I’ll avoid stairs anyway when I can. I’ve fallen (and gotten hurt) enough times throughout my life that it’s just instinctive to avoid them. (I don’t mind up. but I hate down.) Some of the other women I know at work avoid the stairs because they have arthritis and it’s too difficult/painful, with or without carrying anything.

    I agree with Rand that the stairs should be available to those who want to use them, but trying to force people to use the stairs is asking for trouble. Somebody’s going to end up getting sued, and deservedly so. >:-(

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