Trouble at the Hotel Parisi
I arrived to check into the Hotel Parisi early in the afternoon of December 25th,ready to relax and rest before joining my daughter and family at her mother-in-law's house in nearby La Jolla. I pushed the button in the underground parking structure; a woman answered and instructed me to take a ticket and park in a designated Hotel Parisi space, then take the elevator to the second floor.
Holding my handbag, suitcase and check-in paper, I stepped into the elevator and pushed the second floor button. The door slid shut, the lights flickered rwice, then went out. I was plunged into ABSOLUTE blackness; the one-piece metal door closes sideways into the wall, with no sliver of light available. I stood fighting panic, realizing that there was little likelyhood that anyone would be around to hear me (I was alone in the nearly deserted garage when I parked). There did not seem to be any way I could communicate with the hotel on the second floor, although the woman who had answered at the parking gate would most likely realize that I was in the structure or the elevator.
I very carefully unzipped my purse and felt for my cell phone, aware that if I dropped it, I would have to crawl and feel on the floor for it. I turned it on, and was able to see a few inches in front of me. I pushed the elevator buttons, but they were dark and silent.
I took a deep breath and dialed 911, praying that I could pick up a signal in this underground steel tube. It worked! I heard the voice of a very calm lady (in San Diego); she transferred the call to the fire department; I was able to give them the address.
I lay on the floor and waited to hear sirens coming. I made one more call, to my daughter, who came as quickly as she could.
Two fire trucks worth of help and many minutes of trying to force open the door, and I was freed.
The manager was apologetic but not overly concerned (I realize that the La Jolla-area power-outage was not his fault); my daughter suggested that he upgrade my room assignment, which he did. Nothing else momentous happened; I had a nice Christmas with my family, a fitful night's sleep, and left via the stairs the next morning, although the power (and the elevator).
was restored.
My daughter felt that the hotel should not have charged for my stay; not required, of course, but would have been a nice gesture, as I was obviously somewhat traumatized by the elevator incident (about 20 or more minutes in there, I would guess). I wouldn't have died or been undiscovered forever (although I lay on the floor to conserve the oxygen available). I did not throw a fit or panic; I am grateful I had a working cell phone; without that, it would have become a lot more unpleasant.
The manager said that someone was coming to "look at" the elevator; the fire department was concerned that there was no emergency system, or if there was, it failed.
Should the hotel have offered my stay without charge?
