You shuffle into a hotel elevator carrying bags and discover—a quiet of melody swirling in the background. Maybe it’s something jazzy or a tune you recognize but cannot exactly name. It fills the small area exactly so, so diffining the silence. Quite surprisingly, it seems friendly. That elevator music is silently working to give the transition from lobby to room vibe some grace – our site.

People abound in jokes on “elevator music”. Others think it trite or forgettable. But you know how bad a ride can be with simply unpleasant glances and shoe gritting. One taste of music releases that load. Perhaps even unconsciously tapping a foot, everyone immediately seems more at ease, awaiting their floor with less frustration.

The tunes you come upon in the elevator are not selected at will. Someone, somebody spends time attempting to fit. A gentle combination of acoustic guitar or piano would work, even if a frantic pop tune might not. The secret is to keep cool but not bored. Though silence has a way of making a minute feel like eternity, nobody wants a song that will stick in their head for all the wrong reasons.

Hotels want to keep things current, hence playlists are constantly changed. One day you hear light jazz after simple instrumental music. Diversity counts even in the brief exchanges. Just enough variation to make a return trip seem new, without shocking frequent visitors from their comfort zones.

Not only a mood booster, but elevator music provides a diversion from less pleasant sounds. All of them are hidden when a song substitutes creaking wires, squeaking pulleys, the odd bump. It is not necessary reminding guests that elevators are odd mechanical objects.

People will talk about how peaceful or inviting a hotel feels, even though they might not comment on the music itself. These are the little victories that great background music compositions serve to polish the guest experience. Not only marks time, it reenergizes people as they go from one place to another.

So try to catch yourself either just feeling a little lighter or humming along the next time you ride upstairs. Good elevator music is like always setting the scene—never in the foreground. One of those components that taken together transforms hotels into houses one short trip at a time.