Sidewalk Lift for Hotel Basement Access

A major hotel chain recently purchased a historical registry building in downtown Cleveland converting it to an exclusive high end hotel. The hotel will be among the thriving downtown area that supports tourism, shops, sports complex, convention center, and the nearby Rock & Roll Hall of Fame facility. The hotel needed a solution for their servicing and receiving area because of their limited access to the hotel basement.

There were several challenges facing this project.

1. Limited access to the hotel basement area.
2. The building facade could not be modified.
3. Sustain minimal impact to the property grounds.
4. Provide a high level of security from outside access.
5. Cleveland’s unpredictable weather.

Our dealer, Jim Doyle of The Henry M Wood Company in Cincinnati worked together with the architects and general contractor to define the project scope which included:

1. Location of the lift to be placed in an existing shaft way.
2. Establishing a time-line for equipment delivery.
3. Coordination of the equipment installation with an on time completion.

An Autoquip sidewalk lift was chosen for the project that included a modified triple pantograph scissor lift (Model T3-132-60), and a boxed in enclosure for protecting goods and supplies as they are being transferred. The sidewalk lift is a non-rider piece of equipment and contains enclosures on all sides with bi-parting interlocked doors on front and rear. The interlocked bi-parting doors provide security from the street level access while also providing a high level of safety within the interior shaft-way. The roof features a bow that triggers the sidewalk doors to open when raised to street level.

The level of safety equipment integrated into this lift was extensive including;

• Outside bi-parting doors
• Interior access swing gate
• Platform mounted bi-parting doors

All lift doors must be completely closed, latched and interlocked for safe operation of the unit.

From the interior side of the lift, an additional level of security was implemented to include a key lock which prevents unauthorized usage. Once unlocked the lift can be called or sent to service either level from the push button pendants furnished both indoors and out. At the upper level items are placed on the lift, doors are closed, latched and interlocked then sent to the basement for unloading.

Through our great partnership with The Henry M Wood Company, we were able to satisfy the project requirements and provide a solution for the hotel that would help them operate more safely and efficiently.