You’re tired dragging a bag; the elevator doors close behind you. From that cramped box, what disturbs the quiet? Soft, calm songs drifting over the speakers. Not the stuff you would dance to, but enough to let you release. Hotels know that background music in the lift serves more purposes than just filler. They are part of the atmosphere, so they affect the attitude during such quick vertical climbs – helpful resources.
About so-called “elevator music,” people are not quite sure. Some dismiss it as a dead custom, dull. Contrarily, consider the silent journey with merely awkward shifting and bag handle squeaking. Music helps ease suffering even if the tune rarely connects in your conscious mind. A little lighter, guests follow something beautiful to find their rooms.
Still, choosing these songs is hardly a slapdown chore. Families on vacation, harried businessmen, honeymooners, and lone adventurers make up the great pool of potential listeners. a high- paced pop song? Excellent for a gym; maybe not so fantastic in a small elevator at midnight. Traditional weight? could seem like stuffiness. Moderation is the key: delicate rhythms, non-intrusive arrangements, combining every note so it soothes rather than upsets.
Many hotels change the tunes, combining soft jazz, chilled-out electronic, or light acoustic. This helps the music from turning boring. Though most people only catch a minute at a time, a small variance goes a lot. One day you would hear quiet guitar. Still another day, a subdued marimba. Just enough to provide variation from the repetition.
One practical benefit also is sound masking. Those who know old elevators most certainly have heard their unusual hums and clatter. Music conceals these mechanical anomalies and substitutes something far more appealing for clanks and whirs. If you’re half awake and walking down for coffee, listening to a tinkling piano is far more pleasant than cable noise.
People do observe. Possibly not right away, but it shapes their impressions of the land. It all comes back to that visitor who recalls how laid back everything felt—the group laughing between floors and realizes they are humming along. Visitors highly cherish little, intangible gifts made possible by music.
The next time, stop riding up or down and listen. Pay attention to more than what your thoughts or to-do schedule demand. That subtle background is the handshake of hospitality, one song at a time. And if a stray song lingers with you all day, well, the elevator has accomplished more than only transportation.