There are occasions when flicking a power switch can send a user into a world of bork-related pain, so it is sometimes worth taking a step back and reconsidering one’s life choices.

So it is with this elderly hotel switchboard, spotted in Italy by an eagle-eyed Register reader.

The device is mounted to the wall behind the reception desk, and is accompanied by a fax machine and an electric typewriter. The switchboard, with its rotary dial and chunky audio jacks, likely takes the crown of the most retro example of technology at any hotel in 2026, even if it is unlikely to have seen telephone action recently.