How to Find a Wheelchair Accessible Hotel
The last trip my mother and I took together, she needed the assistance of a wheelchair. As her travel companion and the girl in charge of the chair, I was concerned about finding wheelchair accessible accommodations.
Since then, I have found a couple of sites that provide assistance in this area. Please keep in mind that I did not use the sites and/or their advice myself so I am not comfortable rating them but I do think it is worthwhile to pass their hints/online tools along in hopes that some of you might find them helpful. If you do use the sites, we would love to hear from you. Please let us know if they were helpful and whether you yourself would recommend them.
Mobility-Advisor.com recommends that you start narrowing your hotel choices and once you have a list you are comfortable with call the hotel directly. They report that “asking the following questions can quickly determine if the hotel is disability friendly and right for you.
- ‘Do you provide special disability services?’ This should be the first question you ask. The answer you receive will immediately indicate the property’s experience and desire in assisting disabled travelers.
- ‘Which floors are disable rooms located?’ It is important to be on or near the ground floor in case of emergency, especially when elevators are not in service.
- ‘Are the disabled rooms ADA compliant?’ If the answer is yes (and it should be), ask for specifics on how the room is equipped to accommodate ADA guidelines.
- ‘Can the beds and other furniture be moved in order to make the room more comfortable and accessble?’ Depending on the room size and configuration, you may not need to make any adjustments. Yet, it is a good question to ask if you are unfamiliar with the hotel brand.
- ‘Does the hotel provide a wheel chair accessible shuttle to nearby tourist attractions and public transportation?’
- ‘Is disabled or handicap parking available”‘ You may want to follow-up asking how many spaces are allocated per wheelchair accessible room.”
Please access the article online for full details and their other valuable information.
Mobility-Advisor.com referred me to www.whenwetravel.com who provides a list of worldwide destinations with links to wheelchair accessible hotels. Many are well known American chains (e.g., Hyatt, etc.) but some are brands I would not have known to try myself.
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