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Can you take a shower in a hotel?

girlfromessex

I frequently travel and even when a hotel says that it has an accessible room, I find that too often the shower is over a bath so I cannot shower while I am staying there. This even applies to many of the larger chains such as Travelodge and one had me right up the end of the corridor, through fire safety doors that I couldn't push open on my own.

On other occasions my room has been fine, but it was upstairs - in a fire, how would I get out if I cannot get down the stairs?

Scope needs to work with the hotel chains to raise this issue. I accept that not everyone with a disability needs an accessible room or has a problem climbing over the side of a bath, but many of us do and it makes staying anywhere for more than a day or two really unpleasant if we cannot wash properly, despite asking and paying for an accessible room.

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Comments

Ami2301

Hi @girlfromessex welcome to the community!

You make a very good point! I am staying in a hotel next year and I cannot get in and out of a bath

cmci

I've only holidayed in France - be aware accessible room could be (has been) being able to get through the door and nothing else. I always ask for a wet-room because I was in the wheelchair - showers can't have a lip/step to get over and so small. Few have ground floor rooms but every hotel I've stayed in have the rooms marked in their evacuation plan.

Markmywords

When they claim that it is accessible, I don't think they have ever actually asked someone who is significantly disabled if it really is.

At home I have to have a sturdy step with a high handrail.

cracker

girlfromessex said:

I frequently travel and even when a hotel says that it has an accessible room, I find that too often the shower is over a bath so I cannot shower while I am staying there. This even applies to many of the larger chains such as Travelodge and one had me right up the end of the corridor, through fire safety doors that I couldn't push open on my own.

On other occasions my room has been fine, but it was upstairs - in a fire, how would I get out if I cannot get down the stairs?

Scope needs to work with the hotel chains to raise this issue. I accept that not everyone with a disability needs an accessible room or has a problem climbing over the side of a bath, but many of us do and it makes staying anywhere for more than a day or two really unpleasant if we cannot wash properly, despite asking and paying for an accessible room.

Here in the US, giving Reasonable Accommodation applies to public buildings and work places,but not to hotels. We have to approach them one at a time.

Most restaurants have made their businesses wheel chair accessible. Renovating a hotel's individual rooms, corridors and exits would probably involve considerable expense, which i;s no reason not to make their rooms safe for people with disability.

When I had to use a wheel chair, I could not even get into my own bathroom.

I agree absolutely that Scope should and act on this.

Sam_Alumni

I know @mossycow has mentioned inaccessible hotel rooms before, do you have any thoughts on this?

mossycow

Hi there,

Information, information infornation.

And more information.

There's just no such thing as 'accessible' and 'not accessible'.

My strong feelings are that bricks and mortor can be nudged along Scope and those needing services can and should be complaining to hotels and helping nudge it along.

BUT!

What is very very cheap and just as vital is accurate, honest and comprehensive info.

I've just been working with a local theatre group in making access guides for their venues as I strongly believe that it is only for the user, the disabled person to decide what is and isn't accessible.

In terms of hotels, we're not away that often but over the last 6 years it has built up.

Like every other service we use, we need information. The ideal would be lots of information pictures and descriptions on line or on paper. (because I don't know about you guys... But I get sick of discussing my toilet needs with random strangers on the phone....)

The hotel should NOT be saying we have a room that is accessible but... "Room that has a wide door, about 30inches wide that does not automatically.... Etc"

Then patrons can decide whether or not they can use and will vote with their feet (or wheels)

mossycow

Stuff we've learnt/what we do for hotels

(just my collection.... Would love to read yours too....)

+ Think about what you do and don't need.... E. G. Dimensions of your wheelchair, do you need a loop system or braille in the lift or menus, what space do you need in the room, do you need electrical power points, room for a carer/assistance or an adjoining room etc.... Basically make your rider! (like on Spinal Tap with brown m and ms.....)

+ Google search 'name of hotel and your condition/needs etc' e. G. I always goole 'springvale hotel + wheelchair' then any reviews with those words in come up....

+ Call the hotel - I use www.saynoto0870.co.uk so try and get a free number OR I call them and ask for a direct line or a call back.

+ Have a list of questions you need answering before you decide if it is the right hotel for you.

+ If they say 'we are are/are not accessible' ypu could say 'that's great to hear thanks but I'm sure you'll agree that all disabled people are different so I need to ask specific things on the phone now so that we don't have problems to sort when we get there" etc.

+ with specifics if needed, I'd suggest you ask to email and they email you back (or have something ready to write down when you call). E. G. I've had places measure door gaps, take a picture of the bathroom for me.

+ Ask about parking, where ypu might be eating and checking in.

+also you could ask about local travel, taxi numbers, nearest accessible train station etc etc

+ This sounds like we're making a fuss... Well.... It only had to go wrong once before I decided it was worth it! For me and for the hotel and I've rarely had anyone unable to help.

+ ask if they have any info or pictures online. And a designated person helps too so they know you.

We ask about late check in and out too as we're often unpredictable. Ask if they can keep your bags after check out as this is a godsend...

++ we usually stick to one chain that has done us well... (and Lenny Henry seems to like it....) Their rooms vary massively so its just a case of saying what we need.

+* Get a feel of their general attitude .And if it is not good enough speak to a manager. Good customer service is a learnt skill and we may need more customer service than others... And that's OK. We're paying for it.

+plan for the worst.... And expect the best! Take your own electric adaptor.... Dry shampoo.... Make sure your phone is charged... Just in case... But also know that there are people in that hotel happy to help.

+ feedback good and bad customer service. Be kind but honest.... Use Google, TripAdvisor, email hotel manager..

Cos I just feel that every contact with someone 'not average' helps change a tiny bit....

axwy62

My experiences of hotels have been mixed, and the price level of the hotel is generally irrelvant - the best room I ever had was in a budget hotel, the worst in a 4 star.
I've had arguments with Reception staff who insisted the room I'd been given was accessible as it had 'passed the inspection' even though my (smaller than average) wheelchair couldn't get into it, I've had rooms described as 'wheelchair accessible' with the dreaded shower over the bath and even an 'accessible room' that was down three steps and had a bathroom 1 metre by 3 metres.
I've also stayed in rooms which were easily big enough to get around with a wet room I'd love to have at home, in other words, pretty much perfect.
I always read the reviews - add 'wheelchair' or some other key word to the search as mossycow suggests, ask questions, and if in doubt, book somewhere else - and I always write reviews to help anyone else wanting to book in future, with the added advantage of where things have gone terribly wrong (like the one down 3 steps) I'm often offered a refund without asking, and I've occasionally been offered a voucher or even cash compensation, which I always accept on the grounds that if a problem is hitting them in the pocket, they're more likely to do something about it.
This doesn't just apply to hotels either, I recently wrote a very detailed review of a holiday rental described as wheelchair accessible because though technically it was just about accessible, it wouldn't have been if I had, for example, been in a manual chair rather than powered because of the very steep access ramp, and using the bathroom was only possible because I can walk a few steps. The non-disabled owner was actually grateful and updated his website with a lot of the information I provided.

girlfromessex

This is clearly an issue for lots of people. We booked an accessible room in the Hotel du Vin hotel in the heart of Cambridge over the weekend. We arrived in the evening, soaking wet, the hotel manager was in a terrible state because he had 70 people in the adjoining bistro and he had just had to park someone's car, so he was soaking too! He took one look at me, I use a walking stick, and told me that we were in the attic 'OK', I said, as we had been told there was a lift.

The lift only went up to the top floor, and to get to the attic meant two short flights of stairs. At that time of night, what could I do, other than get on with it so with a lot of help from my hubby I made the stairs,and complained when we left. They showed us that our request for an accessible room had not been entered into the system by the hotel chain, so they had no idea that I needed one. Like a lot of these chains you book through a call centre, not directly to the hotel.

If I had arrived in a wheelchair, what could I have done? Slept in the lobby?

They said they would get back to us, presumably with an apology, but what good is that? We paid well over the odds for that room, and yes, it was very nice when I got up to the room, except I couldn't have a shower in the morning because the shower was in the bath and because of the stairs I stayed there and our romantic dinner ended up being a McDonalds and a cheese cake from M & S, brought in by my husband, as I didn't want to go down the stairs again until the morning. So much for a romantic weekend!

axwy62

girlfromessex you really must complain. Whilst it may not directly be the hotel's fault that your request wasn't passed on, it's simply not good enough to be treated like that. I find a review on Tripadvisor usually gets their attention.

Sam_Alumni

A great list there @mossycow I dont think it sounds fussy at all, its just a shame you need to go through all that to just get a hotel room!

wilko

As a person who has to use a over the bath shower I use a bath board to sit on and swing my legs over into the bath stand to take a shower and reverse for getting out. I am sure these could be made available in all hotels and kept clean mine is all plastic so can and dose get steamed cleaned.