|
I arrived at the hotel at 8:00 PM. The grounds were well lit at night and the parking lot was almost completely full. I located the handicap parking spaces and ramp on the left side of the hotel from the main door entrance. This hotel had three marked handicap parking spaces. After parking, I went up the ramp and into the front door to check in at the lobby area. The handicap parking and ramp made it easier to maneuver a wheelchair or to walk up the ramp for a person with any type of disability.
I arrived at the front desk and after waiting two minutes, rang the bell for service. A female employee who had been standing behind me in the breakfast area greeted me. She said, "I am over here" when she heard the bell and immediately stopped what she was doing to come and assist me. She asked for my name and told me that the computers were down. She asked what type of reservation I had but stated that since they were almost completely full that she only had two suites left. I told her that I had a reservation for a handicap suite on the third floor that I had made with Jay. She looked at her notes and then said, "OK." She gave me a card to complete. She asked what rate I had been quoted and then gave me my room total. I gave her my credit card, which she processed and had me sign. She turned my credit card over to compare the signature on back with the signature on the form. She gave me a room key card, a form with my room number written on it and stated the room number out loud in the empty lobby area. She then wished me a pleasant night and told me to enjoy my stay.
I took the elevator up to the third floor. The elevator buttons were low enough to reach in a wheelchair. They were easy to push and the door opened and allowed me enough time to move in and out of the elevator. My room was located all the way at the end of the hall. This was not good for a person in a wheelchair or a person who had difficulty walking. The room was located too far from the elevator. The distance was too far to go for a person with a physical disability.
I used the key card to open the door. This was an easy process and I was able to turn the handle easily to open the door. The room was very large and spacious which was a surprise when I opened the door. The entry door had two viewers. One was for a person who was normal height and could stand and the other one was for a person who was wheelchair bound. This was a great feature in the room. I was able to see who was knocking on my door from a chair and did not have to strain or try to stand and look out the viewer.
After entering the room, the bathroom was located to my left. The bathroom door opened outward which made it very easy to enter or exit in a wheelchair. The door was easy to open and the knob turned easily. The bathroom was equipped with bars on the walls, by the toilet and by and inside the bathroom tub. The lighting was adequate except for one light fixture that was not working over the bathtub. There were three rails inside the bathtub. There was a rail on the wall across from the bathtub and there was a handrail as well as a towel rack by the toilet. These rails were within comfortable reach and made it easier for me to move around the bathroom. The bathroom floor was very slippery and this posed a hazard. The floor was not wet but had a slippery feeling to it as I attempted to walk across the floor. I had to use the rails due to the weakness in my legs to keep from falling. The sink was low and I could brush my teeth and wash my hands without very much effort. The wheelchair would fit close to the sink and allow enough space to maneuver if I were washing my face, brushing my teeth or using the hotel blow dryer to dry my hair that was mounted next to the sink. The day of checkout the bathtub was used. The three handicap bars allowed me to maintain my balance without falling. The removable hand held showerhead and the wide side of the tub allowed me to easily bathe while sitting down. I was able to easily move from the wheelchair to the tub and back due to the height level of the bathtub.
The bedroom/kitchen/living area was very spacious. A two-person dining area table was available to my left that was high enough to allow a wheelchair to be used during dining. The kitchen cabinets were too high to reach from the wheel chair and a hand extension gripper tool would be an added bonus feature for the ADA room. The sink, microwave on the counter and refrigerator were waist length and easy to reach from a wheelchair. I could wash my hands or dishes and it was easy to turn the faucets on and off. The closet door and main door handles were waist length, which made them easy to open or close by a person in a wheelchair. The window curtains over the day bed had a loop-ended wand, which made it easy to open the curtains to view the outside. The wand was easy to reach from a wheelchair. The daybed and desk was low so that I could easily maneuver myself from a wheelchair to sit by the window or in the desk chair if I chose not to remain in my wheelchair. The television was located on top of the closet. I was able to access the various channels with a remote control located next to the bed. The channel-listing card was on top of the closet by the television. I would not have been able to look at it if I had been in a wheelchair because it was out of my reach. It should be moved lower on the desk or near the remote by the bed for ADA rooms. An end table was located in front of the sofa bed. It could be picked up and moved for easier movement in a wheelchair if needed or to open up the sofa bed. The bed was low enough that I could move from my chair to the bed. The main room lights were located on the right side of the bed. I could turn on or turn off the lights at night without having to get out of the bed. I could turn off the television with the remote without having to leave the bed. The alarm clock in the room was not working properly. I was not able to keep up with the correct time without turning on the television to determine what time it was. It would flash constantly and change time. I was not able to use it to awake the next morning and had to call the front desk for a wake up call.
Overall, the ADA room made my visit to the hotel much easier. I was able to take care of myself without much assistance from family members due to the handicap room setup. I was able to tour the hotel inside and out and attend the breakfast session alone. I was able to serve myself because the counters and other items were accessible to wheelchair bound guests.
Back to Hotel Reviews
|
