Before And After Modernization: North Tower Otis Elevators At The Westin Seattle, Seattle, WA

Taken June 24th, 2016 (Before) & March 22nd, 2018 (After).
I am aware a few frames dropped in the before portion of the video, but KZbin didn't let me download it in 60fps, here is the original video of these elevators in original condition: • AMAZING 1982 Otis Lexa...
More vids of these when original: • Otis Traction Elevator... , • Video
Well, guys, The Westin Seattle, home to some of the TALLEST Otis Lexan Elevators has changed COMPLETELY!!!! And sadly, the Lexans' are no more. :( This hotel has changed a LOT since 2012, first in 2013, they gutted and renovated all of the guest rooms and hallways completely, in 2014 they REPLACED the North Escalators, in 2016, the replaced the key card readers and did minor renovations in the hallways, and as of 2018, the are replacing the South Escalators and Completely Renovating the Lobby and Fitness Center. However, the most recent thing that is going on here isn't the sad part. Throughout 2016 and 2017, they COMPLETELY MODERNIZED ALL OF THE ELEVATORS!!! (Except the service ones) :( Thankfully, this year wasn't my first time visiting Seattle, and I got the pleasure to ride these in June 2016 before they all got completely modernized during the Summer-Fall 2016 Season along with throughout the following year, 2017. These were indeed some very fun elevators, but sadly, they have now been completely modernized. All that is left of the old elevators now is the original door track, the outside doors, and the skelatons of the elevator cars themselves. Other than that, the cabs, motors, call stations, lanterns, controllers, fixtures and EVERYTHING has been completely replaced!!!!!
These obviously were Otis Lexan as seen in the video, with the RARE dissapearing IEE indicator, installed in 1982, but with the more 70s style Lexan, but now are Otis Elevonic 411M with MAD Touch 2 Go COPs, and Series M2 Call Stations. Overall, I really am not happy about this mod, and wish they left these alone, and I was told originally that these were going to be getting Otis Compass, and that they would go faster, but INSTEAD, they got this Touchscreen junk which is for whatever reason a trend on lots of modern elevators, and they seem to go MUCH SLOWER than when they were Lexan!!!! With that being said though, I am glad these are still Otis, and that the company who installed them did they damage and they didn't get a KRAPNE replacement. And the new cabs are MUCH nicer than the old cabs!!!! Still, I wish they kept the Lexan and kept these original, but with this all being said, it could have been MUCH WORSE!!! Also, thankfully, the Service Elevators are still original with the Lexan buttons, but staff wouldn't let me ride them due to heavy construction going on in the lobby and they were behind locked doors. Also, I do apologize for my original 2016 take when these were original being shaky, but I was still amateur at filming, and My time was limited, and they were really busy and Obama was about to come to the hotel!!!
Anyways. With that being said, let me know what you think about this mod in the comments below, and stayed tuned for the South Tower, Parking Elevators, more 2018 vids from Seattle, and more vids from Vancouver, and vids from Victoria!!!
Installed: 1982 (1970s Style Otis Lexan with IEE Dissapearing indicators and Relay Logic Controllers) (Seen in before part of video.)
Modernized: June 2016 (Start Date)-December 2017 (Completion Date) (Otis Elevonic 411M With MAD Touch 2 Go Touch Screen fixtures and MAD BS Moon door controls, and Series M2 Call Stations, and new cabs, solid state microprocessor controllers, motors, everything!)

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

ELEVATORS AGE. I can’t believe no one knows this. THAT’S WHY THEY’RE CONSTANTLY REPLACED. The older an elevator is, the more it costs to maintain it, and it eventually gets to the point where maintenance is so costly that replacing them is a better option. When elevators don’t get replaced despite a building’s renovation, they become the building’s Achilles’ heel. I can’t believe everyone’s irrational about elevator replacements.

[@JimLiElevators]

As for the before video, I honestly the quality was fine to me. Still, I do get your point!

[@FloridianElevators]

JimLiElevators Well I'm glad you enjoyed it!!!

[@DanfossDrivesAmerica]

Canadian Otis Traction Elevators with MAD BS Moon buttons that are cute. I love the modernization.

[@Thecaliforniaelevatorchannel]

The schindler 6400na is not canadian only any more. I found some on maui, and in all 50 states.

[@DanfossDrivesAmerica]

@@Thecaliforniaelevatorchannel I know that.

[@TechNerdNolan]

I LOVE that DC motor!

[@SpeedVator]

They should have modded these with Compass or compass plus and made these elevators go 1000-1200 fpm because of the amount of floors it serves

[@SpeedVator]

also, did you get a take of the south tower elevators?

[@FloridianElevators]

SpeedVator I did, video is on my channel

[@CAelevators.]

As much as it sucks to see the Lexans go you have to admit that touch screen is pretty cool! There supposed to put in some touch screen elevators here in Sacramento!

[@FloridianElevators]

CAelevators Yeah, I really don't see the point of it lol. Unless its destination dispatch. And they aren't ADA Compliant either. It's interesting, but I don't see the point of using a Touch Screen as the COP....

[@exoticcar5482]

I won't be surprised if the touch screens breach, glitch, begin lagging, etc within a few years. As much as companies try to encourage us to embrace new technology, you just can't ignore these problems, all of which could be easily avoided with the older system. *Sigh* once again corporate greed takes over

[@FloridianElevators]

ElevatorMan5482 ElevExperiencing Productions So true my friend!!!! And that's the reason a lot of hotels that still have vintage elevators are independent and not owned by a major company

[@exoticcar5482]

Those hotels, as well as many smaller office buildings, don't have owners with the budget to mod their elevators. Sadly, even a lot of these such places don't always realize how much better their elevators run compared to modern crap. I know you once ran into a place in Canada that actually took pride in its 1960s era Otis and I'm pretty sure the mechanic that works on it is one not affiliated with any big business. I sure hope that someday, building owners will get the myths about old elevators out of their head and realize they were built to last

[@FloridianElevators]

ElevatorMan5482 ElevExperiencing Productions And that someday better be soon before old elevators go extinct!!!! Cause right now, Vintage elevators, ESPECIALLY Otis Touch Sensitives, Otis Pop Out Buttons, Westinghouse Selectomatics, Haughtons and Manually Controlled Elevators are dissapearing faster than the world's glaciers!!!

[@Anatole2201]

I don’t like this mod at all. Not only did it replace one of the highest lexans known but it also did Otis’ specialty of slowing things down. Not a fan of the touchscreen fixtures either. Those cabs also looked a bit better before the mod imo.

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

Stuff ages pal. Nothing lasts forever. The older something gets, the more costly it becomes to maintain it, the bigger justification for modernization. It sucks to see old things go, yes, but these particular elevators had another 10 years max in their operational lives. They’re from the 1970s, 40-going-on-50-year-old technology. You cannot reverse a machine’s decline. You can slow it down, but wear and tear is irreversible

[@user-uj5ly1eq5n]

Do you know if the service elevators are still original ?

[@liammcatee113]

After Modernization was recorded on my 13th birthday. March 23rd, 2018.

[@elevatorfilmersg]

Even the counterweight was replaced?

[@NWIndianaElevators]

Not a bad modernization, but I would keep these elevators original as they ran perfectly fine... what a waste of money on these modernizations!!

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

Wear and tear is REAL. Everything goes through it. Maintenance costs also soar once a machine reaches the end of its service life. NOT a waste of money with the modernization. A waste of money is spending more and more on rising maintenance costs for the older elevators.

[@nintendoisawesome]

Did you get the fairmont empress elevators? I rode them when they were original. (P.S. I am not a elevator photographer I just would like to hear the current status of them,.

[@FloridianElevators]

Nintendo is Awesome I did ride them. Video coming soon.

[@PNWElevatorAviation]

You thought they were gonna be Compass but nope. But Touch Screens are good, PLUS hey at least they chose OTIS and not KONE. But still, I like the Lexan better

[@FloridianElevators]

Train & Busfan3712 Agreed. All true

[@jamesc.6367]

Will you be posting more Seattle elevators? Or Vancouver?

[@FloridianElevators]

RandomFortnitePlayer 68 Yes, still have a bunch in the backlog

[@jamesc.6367]

Floridian Elevators Nice! Thanks for the info!

[@TechNerdNolan]

This would have been a needed mod if they modded this with Compass

[@user-uj5ly1eq5n]

What’s your obsession with destination dispatch elevators?

[@TechNerdNolan]

@@user-uj5ly1eq5n what 💀

[@carselevators930]

AWSOME MOD!!!!!!

[@BCsVators]

I may skip these if I’m going to Seattle.

[@FloridianElevators]

BC'sVators Ask the staff if you can ride the service elevators here, I couldn't for safety reasons due to construction

[@BCsVators]

Floridian Elevators Currently, I going there in the summer.

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

You are so delusional it’s not even funny. Acting like elevators last forever. NOTHING lasts forever. NOTHING. The sooner you realize that, the better off your life will be.

[@PAelevators]

It’s not a bad mod.

[@FloridianElevators]

PAelevators It could have been much worse, but not a fan of this mod still....or any mod really, unless it's badly needed.

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

@@FloridianElevators “Unless it’s badly needed.” You don’t know how bad they ran in their last years. Elevators need constant replacement because they have a lot of moving parts and are used super heavily in places like hotels and office buildings. When they start to function as efficiently as a McDonald’s ice cream machine, it means that they are nearing the end of their service lives. You have to take ALL possible factors into consideration before becoming judgmental

[@blueauraretriever]

Too bad it got modernized

[@FloridianElevators]

HC EleFilms by Technicalboy3000 It really sucks

[@matte5552]

Ugh, more pointless touchscreens! Has society graduated beyond "analog" buttons?

[@exoticcar5482]

They never realize that there's no such thing as graduation beyond analog. The older elevators would've lasted decades more but these touchscreens will begin lagging and glitching out within 5-10 years

[@nathanielcoleman5694]

@@exoticcar5482 You don’t have a clue how much longer they would’ve lasted. There’s this thing called wear and tear and everything, literally EVERYTHING goes through it. Nothing lasts forever. When moving things like elevators and vehicles start to function as effectively as a McDonald’s ice cream machine, it means they are nearing the end of their service lives. My guess is that these elevators would last another 5-10 years maximum. And before you say “Buildings don’t get replaced nearly as often,” that’s because buildings don’t have any moving parts. Elevators do. And you don’t know; maybe the guests were complaining about them to the point that they threatened to stay elsewhere had they NOT been replaced, and hotels desperately need their guests to stay with them or else they don’t make any money. You have to take all factors into consideration before becoming judgmental. These elevators were NOT gonna last another 20 years.

[@vancouverelevators_transit]

Yep. Slow junk