Almost Stuck In An Abandoned Hotel Elevator

Last Updated on January 3, 2020 by Urbex Underground

Dumb doesn’t begin to describe most of the situations I find myself while on adventures. This story is no different. But what we ended up finding in this abandoned hotel made the sketchy elevator ride all worth it.

Are You Sure This Hotel Is Abandoned?

The outside was sealed shut, which led us to some unconventional methods of entry – all which failed. Long story short, try the paths of least resistance first, before climbing through the parking garage ventilation shafts..

Upon entry we heard one of the worst sounds you could hear in an abandoned hotel. Alarms.

Carefully making our way into the lobby, the alarms get louder. We quickly realize these were service alarms. One for the partially powered elevator system, the other for fire suppression. (Since the water was turned off.)

We meander around the dimly lit lobby, avoiding the windows and looking for a way up to the main floors. But everywhere we looked, there were no stairs. How could this be?

Any doors that could have been stairs were sealed shut. This left us with two options. Leave completely defeated, or attempt to see if any elevators were working.

Not OSHA Approved

We walked over the elevators where an alarm was going off and did what anyone would do, started pressing buttons. Most of the buttons were unresponsive, but one to our surprise, lit up.

An elevator made it’s way to the lobby and opened its doors for us to get on. But do we? With alarms going off and the other lifts not working, this didn’t see like a smart option. Myself and half of the others reluctantly boarded the elevator and tried to go up a floor.

A service key was lossless plugged into the elevator with a wire going up into the ceiling. The card reader that would have restricted certain floors was ripped apart. This didn’t make me any more confident. I really wished I had paid more attention to that video on elevator hacking.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator began to go down, not up as we told it to. The entire lift shook violently as we arrived at floor 2. The doors opened and we weren’t greeted with rooms, but another elevator lobby with sealed doors.

We tried pressing floors 3 and 4 but the elevator didn’t budge. Were we now trapped on a floor with no way out? Slightly panicked we press P for Plaza and the elevator finally rattles shut. After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally arrive at the hotel plaza.

A Lonely Lobby

The only light coming in was from the front windows and the emergency exits. The hotel had been sitting for about 5 years, but everything inside was well preserved.

Stacks of dusty furniture and paintings lined the conference room, with their price tags still on them. It appears that the hotel attempted to liquidate everything right before it closed. $35 for some curtains, $100 for a love seat, $40 for a painting. Not bad if you’re bargain hunting.

I did some digging and this place had quite the reputation. Dozens of 1 star ratings lined their Yelp page. Complaints of mold, old broken furniture, and even blood stains littered the review section.

The hotel once was one of the most prominent and expensive places you could stay, but with the changing economy and an uninvolved out of state owner, this place took a nosedive fast.

After failing to find the stairs yet again, we piled back into the elevator. This time we took it right to the top. Floor 18.

The Most Pristine Thing I’ve Ever Seen

There are some things you just don’t expect to find in an abandoned hotel, and I’ve seen it all. Dead animals, walls covered in every bodily fluid you can imagine. But when we turned down the hall into the meeting room I was pleasantly surprised.

A massive dining table set for 12 was covered in a thin layer of dust. The table had napkins folded and plates set as if everyone vanished just right before dinner.

It was one of the strangest yet most unique things I’ve come across in an abandoned hotel. Based on when the building closed, the least amount of time this could have been sitting for was 4 years.

I’ve always loved finding abandoned places that were untouched by humans. It’s fascinating to see how little or how much things change when undisturbed by nothing but time.

When Places Have Power, They Come To Life

You’d expect an abandoned hotel to a pretty quiet place, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. When the power is left on, machines that are left plugged in start to have a mind of their own.

There was a loud roaring sound that echoed down one of the darkened hallways. When this place was left behind many of the AC units were left running.

After years of begin left on they begin to moan and wail throughout the building. It’s something that can take you by surprise if you’re not expecting it.

A Baby Grand View

On the very top floors the halls were cold, not from the weather outside but from the massive air conditioning units that were still humming in the background.

Across from the bar a baby grand piano sits tucked away in the corner. Albeit slightly out of tune, it still sounded great. Maybe a bit hollow with all of the furniture missing around it.

We ended the adventure on the rooftop in an empty pool. We all took a break, admiring the view of downtown from above. The risk vs reward paid off, this time.

If you enjoy abandoned hotels, be sure to check out the time we visited an abandoned penthouse.