long forgotten hotel mail chute

Long forgotten hotel mail chute.

I was like a kid in a candy story when Lisa from Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offered to show me the long forgotten hotel mail chute. And by ‘show’  I mean actually open it up and see inside; a behind the scenes look at how it all works.

Properly known as the Cutler mailing system, after James Goold Cutler who invented this type of mail box in 1883, these mail chutes were installed in the majority of Canadian Pacific Hotels across Canada in the early 1900’s.

They were also installed in large office towers and apartment buildings in the USA that were over five stories in height, making it easy for mail to be posted as people didn’t have to go outside let alone go all the way to the lobby level to post a letter. It was gravity that acted in the role of mail carrier.

A classy mail box.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise had the mail chute system installed in the Barrot Wing in 1925. The receiving box, shown above, is located on the main lobby  level, next to the elevators. Guests from any of the eight floors can pop a postcard into the mail slot outside the elevator doors and down the chute it will fall into the receiving box.

The door was incredibly heavy. Made of brass it took some effort to swing it open. Not only functional, but the design and intricate detailing on the mailbox gives any lobby a regal and elegant air.

A witness to history through the ages.

Over 100 years old, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise has a rich and fascinating history.  The Cutler mail system has been a stable fixture to it all, as hollywood stars, royalty, political figures and outdoor enthusiasts alike, all passed by and maybe even posted a letter in the gold mailbox.

Not completely forgotten, the mailbox is still in use today. I was thrilled to see that there were actually a few postcards already in the receiving box.  Don’t you just love the vintage looking postcards?  They are available at the lovely shops inside the Chateau.

A clog in the chute.

The front of the mail chute is made of glass. The reason for this is that it allowed postal workers to locate and remove any lodged mail. Today, staff at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, pick up the mail daily and take it into the village to be posted.

Back in the day, when the office towers used the mail chute system, the volume of mail falling down the chute sometimes caused blockages. It led, in some extreme examples, to mail being stuck and undelivered for many years.

Postcards are still a thing.

If ever you stay in a Fairmont hotel, the majority of those in Canada that were originally Canadian Pacific Railway Hotels, have the Cutler mail system still in use today.  How cool is that?! I even mailed  a postcard to myself, just for fun.

As we are approaching summer time and travel plans, might I suggest that postcards are still a thing. I encourage you to send a postcard, use these ideas for what you can do with postcards after your trip or maybe you will be inspired to find the location on your postcard in real time.  Of course, if you can find a mail chute to use, all the better!

Have you seen a Cutler mail chute before?

P.S. A huge thank you to the amazing staff at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Service was impeccable, Lisa and colleagues went above and beyond in supporting my love of all things related to the lost art of letter writing. Thank you so much.