Booking Hotel Accessible rooms

My mother-in-law had a shower chair at home after her stroke.
She could be wheeled in (like in a wheelchair) and found this easier than moving about within the shower - but who in their right mind would take their usual wheelchair into a shower???
Some of these are £1000 or more!

Totally agree…couldn’t believe the customer service relations manager when she said this….am feeling guilty that I m complaining about this when my daughter had done her research but now 2days with me standing and top and tailing

We stayed here with my mother-in-law once for a wedding:
burnhambeecheshotel.com/

It was before her stroke so I wasn't looking for grab rails. She was 100 though and traveling all day to get there so we booked a disability friendly room. It was very spacious and had seats in the shower. We paid the same price as we did for our room.
The staff were all lovely.

I called them to discuss what she needed - not far to walk after a long journey, no steps, somewhere to sit that wasn't the bed... I spoke to people at the actual hotel, not the booking line.

I wouldn't hesitate to go back.
Obviously her needs (in retrospect) were minimal (how little I knew) but I wanted her to have a really lovely stay.
From memory I think the shower had two different types in it.

I booked an accessible room at Milton Keynes Premier Inn a few years ago and it was a complete joke! the only accessible aspect of the room was the wider door leading to the bathroom where there was NO accessible shower - just a regular shower over the bath! The bed was so close to the wall that my wheelchair wouldn’t fit alongside for me to transfer to the bed. The corridors from reception were very narrow and trying together through the room door took several attempts. There was a wheelchair lift to the restaurant……..which didn’t work! And no doors were automatically operated…….they all had to be pulled or pushed manually……try doing that when sitting in a wheelchair!

Bea65 - surely if they expected you to wheel in they should provide a shower chair!

I would write to whoever owns it and tell them how much this is NOT a treat!
Your poor daughter too.

Accessible or not most hotels dont have grab rails if the shower is over the bath it that can make it quite difficult when the bath is higher than the floor, it's such an easy addition.

We have had accessible rooms and I dont remember seats its so easily and cheaply provided

Well after complaining, a freestanding Medicare seat was delivered to room much like the one I have at home-felt ‘normal’ again after having a safe shower …
Think hotels need a wake up call when selling rooms as accessible when they’re not ..

Astitchintime

I booked an accessible room at Milton Keynes Premier Inn a few years ago and it was a complete joke! the only accessible aspect of the room was the wider door leading to the bathroom where there was NO accessible shower - just a regular shower over the bath! The bed was so close to the wall that my wheelchair wouldn’t fit alongside for me to transfer to the bed. The corridors from reception were very narrow and trying together through the room door took several attempts. There was a wheelchair lift to the restaurant……..which didn’t work! And no doors were automatically operated…….they all had to be pulled or pushed manually……try doing that when sitting in a wheelchair!

Horrendous for you .. deters you from going away ..
I’ve stayed at Premier inns in Leeds and London and have to say, the bathrooms were huge and had grabrails around toilet seat etc.. and the height and size of bed was very suitable..

Bea thank goodness!
Now you can relax a little and feel more "yourself"
Excellent news!

I prefer to stay at home, everything is here. A stool in my shower, a raised loo seat and my shower over the bath left around 12 years ago with the bath.

Some entrances have one step which I can't negotiate so it is easier to stay here.

This is what deters me from wanting to go away with my DH who is disabled due to a stroke. He uses a shower stool at home supplied by the OT and has grab rails round the loo as well as other aids around the house. Am just thinking it would be too problematic to risk booking an accessible room only to get there and find out it really isn’t.

I would draw up a list of all the things he uses and call the places you are drawn to to see if they can meet his needs.

Then, if they say yes I'd send an email saying something like

"Dear X Hotel, on Wednesday 17th June I spoke to Y who said you would be able to find suitable accommodation for my husband and I.
I explained that, because of his disability he needs a, b and c. I am just wanting to check that these will definitely be in place for our stay.
If so, shall I make this booking directly with you (the hotel) so that no slip-ups occur to spoil our stay"

This way you have covered sll bases as much as possible.

I hope you get to do it, Fallingstar

I highly recommend the Colwyn Bay Travelodge. It has 2 accessible rooms. The rooms are huge and they have actual wet rooms. Big shower area, fold down seat and fabric shower curtains. Higher toilet seat with grab rails. 1 room is on the ground floor and the other is on the 2nd floor. There is a lift but the main internal doors are very heavy. The Receptionist will come and open them for you. The only downside is that there is no restaurant. I would recommend take a car/taxi as Colwyn Bay is built into a hill. The Welsh Mountain Zoo is well worth a visit, although some paths are very steep.
Gosh, I sound like Tourist Information. hugs

Am in NYC now enjoying part 2 of celebration trip and I have a huge shower room with grab rails and seat..🤩
Also a mini fridge under the basin unit for storing meds or …wine 🤗
haven’t come across a fridge in bathrooms before but very helpful and 😃

The problem with advertising 'accessible' rooms is that people have different versions of what they need, and sometimes hotels are surprised that one size does not suit all.

DianneAngel Thanks for the ‘Tourist Tips’ 🤗

My daughter has had very varied experiences with accessible rooms. She uses a wheelchair but can move around without it. She needs a shower chair and grab handles etc. Everything was fine in her most recent stay (I can’t remember whether it was Travelodge or Premier Inn) except that there was no power point near enough to the bed to plug in her CPAP machine (for sleep apnoea)! They asked about an extension lead but that was not available (probably a health & safety risk anyway).

Facilities for people with disabilities have improved over the years but not enough. More constructive conversations with accommodation providers is needed - and then action! Well done Bea65 for speaking up. Fallingstar, I hope you and your DH can find suitable accommodation and have a lovely break.

May I ask what hotel you’re in Bea65?
Maybe send a PM if you prefer.

Hi Bea, is your daughter driving?
Could you take a stool & some stick on hand grips (eBay). Really if its advertised as disabled they should provide all this equipment.

Accessible roons are designed by people who are not disabled. If you are in a wheelchair, you need to be able to roll that wheelchair under the washbasin, so you can brush your teeth. You need a roll in shower with a shower chair with arms, to lower yourself and push yourself up. The loo needs to be at least 19" high with a grab rail one side and a pull down grab rail the other. As mentioned, a socket by the head of the bed, and a bedside table at the right height for a urine bottle to use in the night.
I have to praise Center Parcs, all the above and an electric bed to raise the head and foot, which was fantastic. They also had a pool chair so that DH could actually be pushed to chest height in the pool, and a hoist to get him into the lodge's hot tub!

The thing that annoys me with Premier Inn is you can't choose bed type for accessible rooms, well not any we've used. So you can have king size, twin or family but if you need accessible it is double bed and that's it

Just had a google -
Tourism for All,
AccessAble,
DisabledHolidays.com,
and
The Sandcastle Trust—are all based in the UK.

They may be worth a look?

Also, I think when my mother-in-law had a stroke we were told to look for hotels or accommodation that offers "adapted" or "barrier-free" rooms rather than just generic "accessible" ones.

I had forgotten about that.

Also, these include "abroad" holidays:

www.enableholidays.com/?hl=en-GB

www.motabilityenterprises.co.uk/introducing-holidays/enable-holidays/?hl=en-GB

disabledaccessibletravel.com/

Bea65

Am in NYC now enjoying part 2 of celebration trip and I have a huge shower room with grab rails and seat..🤩
Also a mini fridge under the basin unit for storing meds or …wine 🤗
haven’t come across a fridge in bathrooms before but very helpful and 😃

That’s fab, a fridge 👍🏻
Have a super break 😊

Bea65

Well after complaining, a freestanding Medicare seat was delivered to room much like the one I have at home-felt ‘normal’ again after having a safe shower …
Think hotels need a wake up call when selling rooms as accessible when they’re not ..

I completely agree.