The elevator doors close behind you; you’re exhausted hauling a suitcase. From that claustrophobic box, what disturbs the silence? Gentle, mellow tunes floating over the speakers. Not the stuff you would dance to, but enough to let you exhale. Hotels understand that background music in the elevator is not only filler. They are part of the atmosphere, thereby influencing the attitude during those brief vertical trips.

Regarding so-called “elevator music,” people are somewhat dubious. Some write it off as a dead custom, boring. On the other hand, think of the silent ride with just uncomfortable shifting and bag handle creaking. Even if the song hardly registers in your conscious mind, music helps remove pain. A little lighter, guests head to their rooms guided by something pleasing.

Choosing these tunes is hardly a slapdash task, though. There is a huge pool of possible listeners: families on vacation, harried businesspeople, honeymooners, and lone adventurers. A pop song with high tempo? Good for a gym; perhaps not so good in a small elevator at midnight. Classical heavy? may come across as stuffy. The answer is moderation: soft rhythms, non-intrusive arrangements, mixing every note so it soothes rather than disturbs.

Some hotels often update tunes, combining light acoustic, chilled-out electronic, or mellow jazz. This stops the song from becoming monotonous. Though most individuals only catch a minute at a time, a little variation goes a lot. You would hear a soft guitar one day. Still another day, a quiet marimba. Just enough to break up the monotony.

There’s a practical advantage too: sound masks. Those who know antique elevators most likely have heard their strange hums and clatter. Music covers these mechanical oddities and replaces clanks and whirs with something far more inviting. Hearing a tinkling piano is far more pleasant if you’re half awake and headed down for coffee than listening to cable noise.

People do observe. Possibly not immediately, but it permeates their opinions of the property. It all comes back to that visitor who notes how laid back everything felt—the group joking between floors and realizes they are humming along. Small, intangible gifts created by music are highly valued by visitors.

Next time, stop riding up or down and listen. Pay attention to more than what your to-do list or ideas call. That delicate background is the handshake of hospitality, one song at a time. And if a stray song stays with you all day, well, the elevator has done more than just carry you.