The Goal
- Modernise 7 passenger lifts in two of Sydney’s most popular hotels with minimal disruption to service.
- Improve reliability and ride quality.
- Decrease energy consumption and improve power quality.
- Minimise ongoing technical support and issues with aged spare parts.
Novotel and Ibis Sydney had an elevator problem…
The Novotel and Ibis, two of the most popular hotels overlooking Darling Harbour in Sydney, offer sweeping harbour and skyline views. Guests in this busy tourist destination appreciate the adjoining hotels’ proximity to many of Sydney’s best attractions, including the International Convention Centre, Powerhouse Museum, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, and the Wild Life Sydney Zoo.
The hotels’ original, nearly thirty-year-old passenger lifts were experiencing reliability issues, requiring ongoing support and spare parts that were becoming increasingly difficult to source. In addition to these issues, these busy lifts were consuming a significant amount of energy.
When both the property owner and the hotel operator Accor Hotels determined it was time to modernise the lifts, they needed a contractor who could complete the project in a short time frame to keep the hotels running smoothly without inconveniencing their guests. A total of seven lifts were in need of modernisation.
Through their elevator consultant, Accor Hotels engaged Liftronic Pty Limited, with the experience and flexibility to supply, install, maintain, and refurbish these vertical transportation systems.
Understanding the needs of the hotel industry
As with any modernisation project Liftronic Pty Limited undertakes, we had to consider how our work would affect the hotel’s business.
The hotel industry is built on service. While factors such as food available, friendliness of staff and cleanliness of the facilities play a great role in the success of running a hotel, the way the utilities function has significant impact on a customer’s experience as well.
If the lifts are not performing at a high standard it will affect a guest’s experience. For a business built on service, unreliable lifts are simply not an option. With that in mind, we came up with a way to modernise the existing lifts with reliable technology without inconveniencing guests.
How did Liftronic Pty Limited solve the problem?
Liftronic consulted Magnetek, a world leader in elevator drives, to determine the best control system to modernise the elevators in these popular hotels.
Magnetek is known worldwide for developing highly reliable, energy saving elevator drives that improve ride quality. With nearly 40 years of innovation and more than 100,000 elevator drives installed across six continents, Magnetek is uniquely qualified to provide expertise regarding modernisation solutions.
Controller featuring Magnetek Quattro Drive.
So why modernise your lift? The truth of the matter is that all lifts will eventually need to be modernised over time, especially when they are essential to a property functioning smoothly.
In this case, Novotel and Ibis Sydney needed their elevators operating efficiently in order to provide their customers with a positive experience, thereby keeping their business in the future. Modernising the lift would result in:
- Greater energy efficiency and lower running costs.
- Improved safety and reliability.
- Smoother operation and correct levelling at landing point.
- Improved aesthetics, increasing the value of your asset.
- Faster travel time between floors.
Using their proprietary Energy Savings Calculator software, Magnetek estimated the amount of energy consumed by the hotels’ existing elevator drives and compared it to the energy savings that could be achieved through the installation of new Magnetek drives, decreasing energy consumption by over 60%.
Upgrade of motors in motor room.
Paired with NewLift controllers and operating Kinetek PM Machines, Magnetek’s Quattro AC Cube PM Elevator drives provide exceptional ride quality and reliability. Custom designed harmonic filters significantly improved power quality to the point where Total Harmonic Current Distortion is less than 5% to ensure compliance to Australian standards and the consultant specification.
The final result
The modernised elevators.
Quattro AC Cube PM Drives are the latest evolution in Magnetek’s line of technologically advanced, green elevator drives that offer clean harmonics, lower installation costs, and superior ride quality.
The elevator drives’ precise, accurate control provides smooth acceleration and deceleration, resulting in significantly improved performance. All drive components, regen, contactors, and fusing are integrated into this space-saving package, eliminating the need for multiple external modules and costs for panel mounting and component wiring.
In addition to improved ride quality and reliable performance, Accor Hotels is extremely pleased that they are now consuming less energy.
Are you in need of elevator modernisation? Speak to the team at Liftronic Pty Limited to learn how we can make your elevation system work for you.