Hotelier Thomas Fleetwood trapped in lift at Austrian resort of Bad Gastein for four days The Austrian ski resort of Bad Gastein near Salzburg. A HOTELIER said skills learned on a military survival course allowed him to survive four days trapped in the lift of his Austrian hotel. Swede Thomas Fleetwood was doing a final check at Hotel Eden in the Austrian resort of Bad Gastein when the lift broke down on him, it was reported in Swedish news site The Local. The hotel was closed out of season and the 58-year-old had left his mobile phone on his desk. Mr Fleetwood tried calling for help but his cries went unheard. He also tried unsuccessfully to escape through the roof. "The lift has never broken down before, I just hadn't expected anything to happen," The Local reported Mr Fleetwood as telling the Austrian Times. I broke a small glass panel at the front door of the lift and that gave me some fresh air, and tried to take off the roof of the lift to climb out, but that didn't help either. A friend delivering bread eventually alerted rescue services on Friday after noticing post piled up outside the hotel near Salzburg, western Austria. "It was foolish to have gone in the lift in an empty hotel without a mobile telephone, but I am proud of myself that I didn't panic and used my military training to get through," Mr Fleetwood said.