Why Hotels and Motels Are Choosing Cellular

Keeping Your Elevator Phones Up to Code and Upgrading your Service.

For many independent hotel and motel owners, especially those operating older or legacy properties, staying compliant with elevator phone requirements can feel like a constant battle. Aging copper lines fail, monthly phone bills keep rising, and inspectors have become far more strict in recent years. Yet safety codes have not relaxed; every occupied guest-room requires a reliable emergency communication path, and that includes the elevators your guests use every day.

At Destra Business Services, we work with hotels and motels across California and the western U.S. that are dealing with the same challenges: deteriorating copper lines, repeated inspection failures, and skyrocketing carrier costs. Most of these buildings were never designed for today’s communications standards, and many owners are understandably cautious about major renovations. Fortunately, the solution does not require construction; it simply requires replacing outdated phone lines with a modern cellular solution such as our Mobile Connect 2 service.

Why Copper Lines Are Failing in Older Hospitality Buildings

Properties built in the 1960s through the 1990s tend to rely on deeply buried copper infrastructure. Over time, moisture, corrosion, rodent damage, and years of patch-work repairs take their toll. You may have noticed symptoms such as:

Static or intermittent elevator phone connections
Elevator phones failing inspection despite passing the previous year
Local carriers refusing to repair lines or quoting extremely high service charges
Surprise outages after storms or construction nearby
Repeated trouble tickets with no permanent fix

Telecom providers have also been retiring copper service in many areas and shifting attention to fiber and wireless. This means repair times stretch longer, parts become harder to get, and reliability declines further. For hotel and motel operators, this creates more risk during inspections and more frustration from guests when an elevator unexpectedly goes out of service.

How Cellular Solves the Compliance Problem

Modern cellular emergency phone adapters like Mobile Connect 2 deliver a clean, code-compliant dial tone specifically designed for elevators, areas of refuge, and pool emergency phones. Because the system bypasses copper entirely, it avoids all the common issues that cause inspection failures, including line noise, voltage drops, and carrier-related outages.

Key advantages include:

Guaranteed line-seizure for elevator phone code requirements
Stable dial tone certified for emergency use
Automatic connection to 911 with location support
Fast installation with no construction, conduit, or rewiring
Hardware built for harsh environments — elevator machine rooms, roofs, and equipment closets

Most properties see immediate improvements in reliability. Instead of failing an elevator inspection because the phone could not maintain connection, you have a dedicated cellular line built specifically for emergency communications.

Passing Inspections Without Last-Minute Surprises

Nothing is more stressful for hotel owners than an inspector arriving during peak season. And when an elevator fails because the phone line won’t stay connected, it usually results in:

Re-inspection fees
Revenue loss from taking the elevator out of service
Guest complaints and lowered satisfaction scores
Unnecessary delays when rooms or floors must be closed

With cellular, the connection is predictable and easily testable. Most inspectors immediately recognize today’s cellular elevator phone systems and know they meet ASME, A17.1, and relevant state codes. One quick test, a clean connection, and your elevator is back in service.

Reducing Costs in Older and Budget-Focused Properties

Many hotels and motels pay $60–$120 per month per elevator for a single copper phone line — often for a line that barely works. And when owners try to switch to a VoIP phone provider, they often discover that VoIP is not allowed for elevator emergency phones under most local codes.

Cellular solves both problems:

Lower monthly cost compared to copper
Predictable flat rates with no taxes, surcharges, or surprise fees
No VoIP, no SIP, no dependency on your internet service
No line-maintenance charges from carriers
Tax credits and deductions may apply (ADA-related accessibility improvements often qualify; always discuss with a tax professional)

For older buildings running close to the margins, these savings compound quickly. Many owners recover their investment in under a year.

A Clean Modern Upgrade Without Renovation

One of the most appreciated benefits among hotel and motel operators is the ease of installation. Mobile Connect 2 units install neatly in the elevator machine room or communication closet, usually in less than an hour. No changes are required inside the elevator cab itself. Your guests will never know anything changed, but you’ll know the system is finally dependable.

This type of upgrade is especially helpful for:

Roadside motels with older wiring
Multi-building hotel properties with inconsistent phone quality
Budget hotels managing tight operating expenses
Boutique hotels preserving original architecture
High-traffic buildings that cannot afford downtime

Future-Proofing Your Property

The retirement of copper is accelerating nationwide. Carriers have announced that in many regions they will not guarantee repairs at all. Hotels and motels that act sooner avoid being forced into an emergency installation during a failure or inspection.

Cellular prepares your property for the future:

No dependency on legacy wiring
Not affected by copper theft, flooding, corrosion, or construction damage
Ready for modern code changes
Designed for long-life reliability

Your elevator communication becomes something you can set and forget, rather than a monthly battle with the phone company.

Partnering With Destra Business Services

As a hospitality-focused telecom provider, Destra Business Services understands the unique challenges facing aging hotel and motel properties. We handle everything: equipment, installation, testing, documentation for inspectors, and ongoing service. Our goal is simple: keep your elevators compliant, operational, and cost-effective.

If you have one elevator or ten, we can help you modernize without renovation and without disrupting your guests. Cellular isn’t just an upgrade; for many properties, it’s the most dependable way to protect your guests, pass inspections, and reduce operating costs year after year. Try our Savings Calculator to see how much you can save.