Although red emergency cords are not typically found in hotels within the United States, they are found in various hotel and resort properties around the world — including in executive lounges and even next to bathtubs…
Stupid Tip of the Day: Do Not Pull That Emergency Cord Unless In an Emergency
…but what if that cord next to the bathtub is not colored red; has a pull chain on the end similar to that of a way to switch a light on and off; and no signage clearly indicates that the cord should only be pulled in case of emergency?
A person I know went to Italy for the first time with her family and told me of her experience with an emergency cord at which she can laugh now — but it was not funny when it happened.
After checking into the hotel property, she entered the room with her family and — like any guest — looked around the room. Prior to meeting with some people to dine out at a nearby restaurant, she needed to use the bathroom and saw a long cord hanging in the shower area with a little pull chain at the end — similar to one found on a ceiling fan, for example.
As there was no sign indicating exactly what was the purpose of that cord, she decided to pull it out of curiosity, wondering if it was a switch for a light.
At that moment, a loud alarm suddenly went off. It wailed continuously.
She immediately called the front desk to alert the personnel that the cord was pulled by mistake. Completely embarrassed, she blamed her toddler.
Members of the staff of the hotel arrived with a key to turn the alarm off.
Summary
If you see a cord and you are not sure of what purpose it serves, do not pull it…
…and in case you are wondering, the person who told me that story vowed at that point never to pull strange cords again.
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
