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Passenger elevators are a must for any large-scale hotel. Hotel lifts provide guests with a simple means to travel from one floor to another without having to descend, enhancing the overall experience. A hotel lift can also improve the effectiveness and customer service of your company’s operations.
An autonomous vertical transportation system that connects floors is known as a hotel lift. It is a useful method for facilitating people’s quick and secure access to several floors inside a single building or structure.
Hotel lifts include synchronised safety features that make them secure for usage by the general public. The seamless and silent working of these cutting-edge technologies adds to the sumptuous feel of the ride.
But where to start with hotel lifts? What type of lift should you choose? What are the different sizes and capacities? This guide covers everything a hotel owner or facilities manager needs to know — including the sizing calculations that most generic guides leave out.
Types of hotel lift
The range of applications for the various lift system types in the hotel business, from luxury hotels to boutique hotels, is extensive.
General elevator systems are not always the same as hotel lifts. They tend to be more expensive since they need to bear heavier use cycles — a hotel lift may run 18 or more hours per day, compared to 8–10 hours for a standard office lift. This sustained demand means hotel lifts are specified to higher duty ratings and require a more frequent maintenance schedule.
The two most widely used hotel lift systems are hydraulic lifts and electric MRL (machine-room-less) lifts.
MRL vs hydraulic: what’s the practical difference for hotels?
Electric MRL lifts are the most common choice for new-build hotels in the UK. Because the drive machinery sits at the top of the shaft rather than in a separate machine room, MRL lifts free up floor space — a meaningful consideration when every square metre has a room rate attached. MRL lifts also offer smoother acceleration and deceleration, which matters for the quality of the guest experience. A mid-size hotel MRL lift (8-person, 630 kg) typically costs £35,000–£65,000 installed.
Hydraulic lifts remain the better option when structural constraints make a full shaft impractical. They generate less overhead clearance demand and can be installed with a shorter headroom. The trade-off is higher energy consumption and the need for a hydraulic fluid reservoir. For hotels in listed buildings or conversions where the shaft dimensions are fixed, hydraulic is often the only compliant option.
Panoramic lifts
A panoramic lift has a sizable glass-panelled cab that offers guests a view of the lobby or atrium as they travel between floors. They are popular in boutique hotels and heritage properties where the lift itself is part of the design statement.
One practical note for hotel owners considering a panoramic lift: the glass cab and exposed shaft create additional maintenance obligations. The glass must be cleaned on a regular schedule, and the shaft walls need to be finished to a standard suitable for public view. Factor this into your ongoing maintenance budget.
Service elevators
Although hotel service lifts and goods lifts are sometimes confused, there are a number of key differences between the two.
Hotel service lifts are dedicated passenger lifts reserved for staff. They need to be deep enough to accommodate bulky goods like mattresses, laundry trolleys, and housekeeping carts — typically a car depth of 2,200 mm or more. Running service operations through the guest lift creates wear, prolongs cabin degradation, and is a DDA accessibility issue if it reduces lift availability.
The hotel service elevator lets employees move around and transport goods quickly without disturbing guests or visitors.
Your hotel lift size guide
Sizing in metric: what UK hotel standards require
A typical UK hotel guest lift is designed to EN 81-20 (the European standard for passenger lift construction). Standard car dimensions for an 8-person (630 kg) hotel passenger lift are approximately 1,100 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep. A 13-person (1,000 kg) car is typically 1,600 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep — large enough to accommodate a wheelchair user alongside other guests, which satisfies Part M of the Building Regulations.
Note: older US-sourced guides quote hotel lift sizes in imperial (6’8″ × 5’5″, 3,000–4,000 lbs). UK hotel projects should specify to EN 81-20 metric standards, not US guidelines.
How many lifts does your hotel need?
The rule of thumb — one lift per 75–80 rooms — assumes a standard 8-person (630 kg) lift and a hotel where most guests are simply travelling to and from their room. In practice, the correct calculation is based on peak traffic intensity: lift consultants use the 5-minute handling capacity (5-MHC) method, where the lift system should move at least 12% of the building population during the morning peak period.
What this means for hotel owners: a 120-room hotel with a single restaurant, conference suite, and spa will have peak handling demands well above 12% of room count at checkout and breakfast service. The 1-per-75 rule may be insufficient. High-traffic, full-service hotels often target 1 lift per 50 rooms for a premium guest experience.
For boutique hotels of 20–30 rooms across 4–5 storeys, a single MRL lift is usually sufficient — but access compliance still applies even if guest numbers are low.
What are the benefits of installing a lift in a hotel?
Installing lifts in a hotel is essential for meeting access requirements as well as improving the overall experience for your customers. Installing more than one lift will also decrease the wait times for your customers travelling to their room.
Even more benefits of hotel lifts include: improved functional efficiency, greater safety and security, and enhanced hospitality.
Functional efficiency
Hotel lifts are necessary for personnel to move quickly and deliver room service in a timely and organised manner. This also applies to any emergency services that your guests may require.
When the hotel’s operations are efficient and fluid, your workers can focus on hospitality and the guest experience. This also assists hotel administrators in streamlining all departments, increasing efficiency, and personalising the visitor experience.
A lift’s key advantage is that it is quick, efficient and a simple operation!
Security
Modern lifts play an important part in keeping visitors safe as they travel throughout the hotel. Modern lifts are outfitted with CCTV cameras, security alarms and emergency phone systems to assure your guests’ safety throughout their trip.
This also helps managers in keeping track of employees and other non-guests who may be intruding on the hotel’s private room spaces.
Hospitality
Your customers interact with every piece and feature of your hotel the moment they walk in. Whether it’s the furniture, the walkways, the corridors, or the lift, every aspect of design influences how successfully clients engage with your offerings.
Hotels are a great way to accommodate and simplify the movement of elderly guests, guests with disabilities, and guests with young children who may not choose to use the stairs.
Hotel lift maintenance: a higher standard than standard commercial
Because hotel lifts run longer hours and carry higher passenger volumes than office or retail lifts, they need a more intensive maintenance schedule. A quarterly (3-monthly) service visit is the appropriate baseline for a hotel with a single passenger lift serving 50+ rooms. A service contract for a hotel MRL lift of this type typically costs £800–£1,500 per year depending on lift age, model, and response time included in the contract.
Under LOLER 1998, all lifts carrying people must receive a thorough examination at least every 6 months by a competent person independent of the maintenance contractor. For hotel lifts, this LOLER examination is in addition to — and separate from — the routine maintenance schedule.
Looking for a modern hotel lift installation?
Elevators are available in a range of styles and functions to meet the needs of your hotel.
If you own a popular hotel with significant foot traffic throughout the day, you should consider investing in a high-capacity lift that can move 10–12 people at once between floors. This avoids bottlenecks in halls and corridors, making new guests feel welcome and at ease.
At Future Lift Services, we can offer a thoroughly personalised experience and incorporate your brand into our lift installations and lift modernisation projects.
We take pride in installing one-of-a-kind lifts that perfectly capture the individuality of the building and its people — because we think that a great hotel lobby design should do the same.
Our team of skilled and experienced lift engineers can advise on how to install or update a lift to meet your needs and create the aesthetic you want.
Hotel Lifts FAQs
Do hotels have elevators?
The most popular type of hotel lift is the passenger lift, which is used to move guests from one floor to another. They often have a sleek style and are outfitted with safety elements to assure hotel guests’ comfort and security.
Which type of lift is used in hotels?
When choosing a hotel lift, you must consider your needs and choose the appropriate system. Hydraulic lifts and Electric MRL (Machine-room-less) lifts are the two most frequent types.
How many elevators do you need in a hotel?
Most hotels should have one lift for every 75–80 rooms as a starting point, but the correct calculation is based on peak traffic intensity (5-MHC). Even if your hotel is only two levels, a lift is required for access law compliance. High-traffic, full-service hotels often target 1 lift per 50 rooms.
How often should I service the lift?
We advise contacting our team for a free consultation on what schedule is appropriate for your specific hotel lift.