How many ways to turn on a lamp light bulb?

[LCC]

OK I admit this post is a little frivolous but I am sitting in the united lounge in Denver waiting for the Munich flight to board. I find that US hotels in particular love to make extensive use of lamps for room lighting and I have to confess to minor levels of anxiety each time I have to navigate the controls of such lights. Here are the variations I have found
1. Rocker or press button switch positioned just under the bulb base
2. Rocker or press button switch located on the electrical cord a few cms below the base
3. Press button foot switch on the floor at the base for some standing lamps
4. No seeming switch, just need to tap somewhere on the base of your bedside lamp to activate
5. The lamp which is partially connected to the wall switch, you just have to remember if you have manually switched off at the lamp as this disconnects from the wall switch (had my husband fooled he was changing the globe thinking it had blown )
6. Doozy this morning in our Denver hotel, the standing light came on automatically at 6am! Now we wanted to sleep through to 7am so hubby nicely got up to turn it off. No sign of a switch so he yanked the power cord out of the wall. On closer inspection later in the morning it had a black power supply brick attached at the base and you had to press on a green spot to activate it….who knew?

I don’t know if you have experienced other variations? Hopefully not it is already a chore on the first night to run through the permutations of how to get the darn light on!!

 

[RooFlyer]

On a similar theme, there is always the game of “find the light switches” at various locations around the wall and the bed sides ( why are they often asymmetric on different sides of the bed?) and then try to figure out which ones operate the same light on or off from different positions.

 

[Gold Member]

Not frivolous at all LCC - interesting hotel discussion.

It’s worth noting that a disproportionally high percentage of US hotels (compared to other DMs) have limited or no ceiling lights installed due to to original building designs saving on costs and maximising structure height due to minimal gaps between floors (where electricals et al would otherwise be run). It’s perhaps another reason why there’s comparatively limited vented aircon through the ceiling, rather a floor standing bed/window side aircon unit.

 

[RealtimeY]

3. Press button foot switch on the floor at the base for some standing lamps

+ Foot switch dimmer that you slide with your foot to turn on. That one really threw me.

 

[Scarlett]

Bah, switches are for amateurs: just wait until some near point in the future when you have to learn how to pronounce ‘illuminate’ in 15 different languages around the world… alternatively, don’t stay in the hipster hotels.

éclairer
verlichten
belysa
を明らかにする
menerangi
διαφωτίζω
रोशन
висвітлювати
روشن کرنا
angaza
lumiwanag

 

[p--and--t]

Wondering when, or perhaps if already done, where a hotel will introduce "google home" or equivalent in other brands.

Was at my parents home recently and mother called out "turn the light on", for a moment I thought how rude you could have at least said please to me, but the light came on via a google home device - no manual switches hand foot or wall involved.

 

[Matt_01]

On a similar theme, there is always the game of “find the light switches” at various locations around the wall and the bed sides ( why are they often asymmetric on different sides of the bed?) and then try to figure out which ones operate the same light on or off from different positions.

I have had this issue in the past, I have stayed at places which I thought I worked out all the on/off buttons. When getting into bed and turning off the last light another came on

 

[p--and--t]

I have had this issue in the past, I have stayed at places which I thought I worked out all the on/off buttons. When getting into bed and turning off the last light another came on

Or there are lights on all over the place and you want to reduce to one or two and flick one bedside switch - total darkness!

 

[LCC]

Not frivolous at all LCC - interesting hotel discussion.

It’s worth noting that a disproportionally high percentage of US hotels (compared to other DMs) have limited or no ceiling lights installed due to to original building designs saving on costs and maximising structure height due to minimal gaps between floors (where electricals et al would otherwise be run). It’s perhaps another reason why there’s comparatively limited vented aircon through the ceiling, rather a floor standing bed/window side aircon unit.

Thanks for this detail, I was perplexed when I stayed at US accommodation as to why many of them had no ceiling lights, it often leaves the room dark and dingy, especially annoying if it is a one bedroom suite with an inner kitchenette/lounge area

 

[tdimdad]

I have a love/hate relationship with new desk and bedside lamps. While it's nice that hotels look like they add some "design" in, the operations of those lights is often a mystery. Are you intended to tap on the base (and where there), lamp leg, the top, or where? Become a lamp whisperer? Recently I had one were the on/off was at the base but you could adjust the brightness by sliding your finger at the top of the lamp. Took too long to realise how to make it adequately bright.

The wall switch combinations are often such a puzzle that they could be made into a Japanese game show...