Being accessible means that everyone has access!
There really isn’t anything like being able to get away for a bit. Whether it’s overnight in a new city or a week-long break of holiday bliss. Everyone likes to break away from the norm, from the routine and to just let their hair down.
Sadly, this isn’t the case for everyone. The luxurious hotel room that you or I may be used to, is fabulous but not everyone can access it and enjoy it. Unfortunately, we have found that those living with a disability or limited mobility such as wheelchair users are left frustrated and angry due to the inaccessibility in most hotels.
The accessible rooms that we see advertised on hotel websites and social media don’t always live up to what was promised.
After speaking to a number of our loyal customers, we have learned that upon arrival to their hotel, they have found themselves in very upsetting and frustrating situations. Having to start their break away with a negative feeling of being letdown and misinformed.
How Accessible are Accessible Hotel Rooms?
While A+ intentions may be present in the planning and designing of accessible hotel rooms. Many neglect to involve those who the room is actually being designed for in the planning process. You wouldn’t go out and design, make and pay for a stick shift car when the person you buy it for can only drive automatic would you?
Below, I have a list of the issues we have heard our customers face over the years when it came to accessible hotel rooms and just how it makes them feel.
Raised Doorways
In some, not in all, the doorway thresholds are raised. While this may make sense to exclude draft, it makes it near impossible to maneuver a wheelchair over it without assistance, especially if the doorway is not wide enough. Not exactly a relaxing hotel stay now is it?
Baths & Showers
Bathing/showering can be difficult if not impossible for disabled people to enter or exit, sometimes forcing them to accept that they may not be able to wash up and relax during their stay. I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t be able to relax and unwind.
Bathroom Doors
Some of our customers have shared that the bathroom doors have had to be removed in order to gain access to the facilities. This has a knock-on-effect as their privacy is also removed if they are sharing a room. We all like our privacy for these intimate moments and not being able to close a door can make for a tense and uncomfortable stay.
Bed Heights
Forgetting to look into the actual height of the bed cab make things difficult and potentially upsetting for a disabled person. Not being able to get into or out of their bed without a considerable amount of help – who would they be able to call if they are there alone?
Location of Room
While accessible hotel rooms are on the rise, they weren’t thought of when many hotels where being built. This means that many are add-ons and potentially far away from:
- Elevators
- Hotel entrances/exits
This can make it difficult for those who need them. There is usually a luxury carpet or rug on hotel floors. This can be the stuff of nightmares for a wheelchair user.
The entire point of a hotel stay is to relax and unwind. But when every asset of the stay involves anger, frustration and anxiety, you certainly won’t be returning home happy.
The Common Area
Sometimes it’s not just the hotel room that is inaccessible, the common areas have issue too. The bar, coffee shop, restaurant, swimming pool and spa may not be accessible for a wheelchair user either. With narrow doorways, raised thresholds and lacking help with facilities this can cause a lot of tension.
Managers & Their Staff
Now this isn’t in all hotels, we just wanted to mention what we have heard from our customers. In some, there is an overall lack of consideration and awareness displayed by managers and their staff.
Some staff are not aware of what exactly is in the accessible hotel room. Others may not even know where they are on the premises. This is guaranteed to create a sense of exclusion which can take the disabled person to the edge of despair.
What Can Be Done?
When designing accessible rooms for disabled people, it’s not a lot to ask to be considered. To be taken into account when its a room specifically designed for them.
There are charities and organisations that advocate for disabled people and work hard to implement these changes. If you work in the hospitality industry and would like to know more about what you could do to make everyone’s stay more relaxing and enjoyable, you can read more on NDS website. You could talk to your own past customers about their stay and what they would recommend.
One thing we can certainly recommend is that you don’t forget about assistive technology when designing these rooms. This would involve mobility aids to make like easier such as a reaching arm beside the bed, or the Uccello Kettle on the coffee table.
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