Hospitality Storage Tips and Best Practices

Wanting to learn more about the ActivRAC system, Askew contacted the Seattle-based Spacesaver distributor. The distributor sent a design consultant to the property to assess the space and discuss options with Askew and other decision-makers. They quickly decided that ActivRAC was the way to go, particularly when they learned that their existing racking and shelving could be mounted on the system.

Because a number of details must be considered when designing and installing a compact mobile storage system that moves on rails, Spacesaver’s design consultant visited the property several more times to gain a thorough understanding of the existing space and the items to be stored. For instance, the building was constructed with post-tension framing and a poured concrete floor, so the ActivRAC’s rail system had to be designed to avoid the cables embedded in the floor. Other architectural and design considerations included the room’s odd triangular shape, the location of various support columns, and the sprinkler system.

Winning Over the Staff

“I have to say, our team was skeptical at first,” Askew said, referring to the staff’s reaction to the news that an ActivRAC system would be installed to move their existing pallet racks along rails in the floor. They were concerned that those pallet racks, when loaded with tables, cleaning supplies, and other heavy items, would be difficult or impossible to move. “It wasn’t something the team had seen before, and change in general is a scary thing. We were talking about coming in and taking out everything that they knew and replacing it with something completely and totally alien to them.”

But the staff immediately realized that the system’s mechanical assist handles allowed them to move thousands of pounds with minimal effort. The system also removed the time-consuming and potentially dangerous situations posed by stacking bins and tables on top of each other.

The Spacesaver consultant also worked with the staff to optimize storage on the mobile racking. He and the installation team removed shelves in some areas to accommodate large tables, and they added shelves in other areas for cleaning supplies and other smaller items. They installed hanging rods so staff could hang freshly pressed table linens, as well as protective rails to keep tables from falling off the shelves. When everything was in place, team leaders photographed the well-organized shelving areas and posted the photos near the ActivRAC handles to demonstrate which items should go where. The system is fully configurable, so staff can rearrange shelving as their needs change over time.

Askew said the staff was quickly won over. “The ease of movement is fantastic for them. When we’re setting up a room for an event, we need so many different parts and pieces. If a client changes their need, we’re able to accommodate that need at a moment’s notice. The fact that it moves so quickly, and the fact that it helps with organization — you don’t have to hunt for things, it’s at your fingertips when you need it — that’s the best part.”

It worked so well — and the staff liked it so much — that he installed another. And another. Plans are in the works to add a second tower at the property, so now even more ActivRAC projects are on the drawing board.