Holiday Inn Fixed Their Elevator. Here’s Why It Still Can’t Run.

All three elevators at the Holiday Inn on West Street went down, and that is how you end up with the fire department walking people out of a 14-story building.

We had Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti on the air this morning to chat about what happened.

This is the old Crowne Plaza. One West Street, right on Park Square. About 107 rooms, and 35 of them had people in them when the last elevator quit. Mayor Peter Marchetti said the city found out the hard way. "My sense is they discovered it because they had people in rooms that couldn't get out of the building on the upper floors." Fire and County Ambulance helped get them out. "Having a handicapped guest in a room other than the first floor is gonna need assistance to get them out." After that, the Pittsfield building commissioner shuts it down. You cannot operate.

He walked through how you even get to zero elevators. "They're mechanical, so one goes down, you don't necessarily fix it because you have two others. The second one goes down, well, you still have an elevator. When the third one goes down, oops." He does not know the hotel's exact situation. "What if it's an electrical issue? What if it's a panel and they're all connected and the electrical panel shoots out, then you lose all three. I don't know."

One elevator is fixed as of yesterday. It still cannot carry anybody. "It can't be used until after it's inspected by the state, and we're working with the owner of the Holiday Inn to encourage the state to inspect it sooner than later." November 1 is the first date showing for new bookings. "I would assume as soon as they have elevators that work, that day could come quicker." They have a big weekend already on the books, and the city is trying to help them open for it.

This is leaf peeper season. "I don't know if they'll book another hotel in Pittsfield or if we'll lose that revenue to just over the border in Lenox." And he said do not assume the repair is cheap. City Hall's elevator only runs basement, first, and second, "and it's not cheap." Then he said, "Imagine 14 stories, all the gears, all the stuff. Way out of my knowledge base, but my assumption is it's expensive."

The Pittsfield hotel will stay closed until the state of Massachusetts signs off.