Upgraded elevators: experiential technology takes you higher

Typically, riding an elevator is a dull experience - it takes you up and takes you down. If you're fortunate, you might get some royalty-free tunes. Nonetheless, there's an opportunity to improve the experience. With a captive audience of guests, tenants, employees and other regular users, an elevator upgrade presents an ideal opportunity to engage, inform and inspire your audience.

Technology can transform a routine elevator ride into an immersive luxury elevator experience that informs, inspires and entertains guests

Experiential technology like elevator screens, elevator digital signage and audio can transform a static box into an immersive space. Imagine the difference captivating images, interactive touch experiences and themed audio could make to a mundane everyday journey.

Elevated experiences like these are essential for a guest’s journey. From curated content and storytelling to advertisements, building information, announcements and fully immersive experiences, there's a wide range of opportunities to engage, inform and entertain guests.

Upgrading to a luxury elevator isn’t just great for guests, it also yields substantial benefits for business. 

• Enhanced guest experience: Elevator screens, elevator digital signage, interactivity and immersive audio transform mundane rides. The engaging experience delights guests, leaving lasting memories.
• Brand continuity: Upgrading your digital elevator ensures seamless continuity of your brand throughout your building. Integrating consistent design elements, messaging and aesthetics into the elevator screen solution reinforces brand identity and values.  
• Improved return on investment: Elevated experiences protect and future-proof your investment. This ensures your property remains competitive, helping attract and retain more tenants and visitors.

How to create a luxury elevator experience

A digital elevator interior provides a unique canvas for creativity. Engaging elevator design elements, immersive technologies and premium materials can transform an elevator’s blank walls into a luxury elevator experience. 

Elevator digital signage is an essential component, providing important wayfinding and building information. Elevator screens create elevated experiences, adding excitement and entertainment to the journey. Elevator screen solutions featuring themed video and audio can build anticipation on the way to observation decks or experience centers. 

Personalization and tailored experiences add a further layer of luxury to custom elevators. Dynamic customized digital signage content can provide a uniquely welcoming experience for VIPs or different groups of guests. 

Creating elevated experiences doesn’t happen by accident. Elevator screen solutions have unique and highly complex design and technology requirements compared to other spaces. That’s why it’s essential to partner with an experiential technology company that understands the space and can provide expert advice, design, integration and support.

One World Observatory in New York City

View Boston in Boston, MA

Chevron New Energies Lobby in Houston, TX

An Empowering Workplace at the Gateway of Hudson Yards

Summit One Vanderbilt in New York City

The ins and outs of elevator digital signage

The best luxury elevator solutions maximize available space and take advantage of the unique creative opportunities. They also incorporate technology suitable for small, enclosed spaces. 

The most widely used elevator digital signage features LCD (liquid crystal display) rather than LED (light-emitting diode) technology. LCD provides better clarity where viewing distance in a small space is at a premium. LCD screens are also lighter than LED equivalents, which helps meet elevators’ maximum weight limits. 

Tailoring digital signage content to suit the elevator environment specifically is crucial. Since the audience will only see content for a short time, videos must be concise and any interactivity must be quick, accessible and straightforward. 

Content-specific audio must also be brief and delivered through speakers that do not overwhelm the audience in a small space. 

Key considerations when integrating elevator screens

Experienced designers take all those considerations into account when planning luxury elevators. That’s why it’s essential to involve an experiential technology company early in the process so that the technology solution is fully integrated with the experience design. 

Technology companies should provide a comprehensive end-to-end service that includes detailed technical design, build, system integration, project management and support. That way, the final result delivers the original design vision. 

The technology design must also include a content management solution and show control system to ensure the experience is simple to deliver and manage.

Elevated experiences in action 

To illustrate this approach to experiential elevators, here are four recent examples of luxury elevator experiences. 

View Boston: Guests take an immersive elevator ride to the 52nd floor observation deck experience. Fourteen 55-inch displays and synchronized audio showcase the city’s sights and sounds.

One World Observatory:  The Sky Pod travels at speed up 102 floors. Guests are surrounded by an immersive time journey that recreates the history of Manhattan across centuries, all in just 47 seconds.

Summit One Vanderbilt: During the ride to the 91st floor, special lighting effects and mirrors energize guests. As the elevator goes up, the lights go down and visitors see beams of light shooting to the clouds. 

Vue New Orleans: Two different experiences for ascending and descending journeys immerse guests in the history, culture and soul of the city, synchronizing the imagery with New Orleans jazz.

Next steps

If you want to speak to an expert who can help you learn more about experiential technology for your elevator, sign up for a complimentary creative technology session.