Wheelchair friendly hotels

bogmanfan · 02-12-2014 12:17pm #1

Hi all. My Dad has been in a wheelchair for the past 2 years as a result of a blood vessel bursting in his spine. While he has adjusted well to life as a wheelchair user, his love of travel has suffered. My mum is nervous about travelling with him as there are so many uncertainties with regard to hotels. He uses a shower chair for the toilet and would need a roll-in shower.

So, my wife, sister and I are looking to take the 2 of them to a hotel down the country for a few days. We're thinking that once the short trip is a success they can start to look at going abroad again. So has anybody any recommendations for hotels in Ireland that cater for wheelchair users. As I say, he would need a roll-in shower, and obviously wheelchair access into the bar, restaurant etc. Not too pushed on location, but within 3 hours of Dublin ideally.

Apologies for the long post, and thanks in advance for any replies.

rubberdungeon · 02-12-2014 12:21pm

You could try the Hodson Bay Hotel

http://www.hodsonbayhotel.com/retreat-athlone.html#.VH2gWPmsUlI

whomitconcerns · 02-12-2014 12:24pm

any hotel I have stayed in in ireland has wheelchair accesible rooms. I am guessing to avoid the smaller family ones, if only as they may be a little more awkward, but no doubt they will have facilities also.

tmh106 · 02-12-2014 12:40pm

I'd imagine that any reasonably modern hotel will have wheelchair access - I think it's now part of the building regulations/planning permission. Just decide where your parents would like to actually go, and then once you have decided that just do the normal hotel search. Pick a hotel you like the look of and call them/email to confirm wheelchair access.

For travel abroad, the US is very good for wheelchair users (or at least, it is if you stick to larger cities). Europe can be a bit more iffy - a lot of the older hotels in cities tend to have small rooms, small lifts, if any and are not really well suited to being adapted for a wheelchair. But again, I'd imagine newer hotels would be wheelchair accessible.

Good luck.

tmh

RainyDay · 02-12-2014 1:35pm

tmh106 wrote: »

I'd imagine that any reasonably modern hotel will have wheelchair access - I think it's now part of the building regulations/planning permission. Just decide where your parents would like to actually go, and then once you have decided that just do the normal hotel search. Pick a hotel you like the look of and call them/email to confirm wheelchair access.

For travel abroad, the US is very good for wheelchair users (or at least, it is if you stick to larger cities). Europe can be a bit more iffy - a lot of the older hotels in cities tend to have small rooms, small lifts, if any and are not really well suited to being adapted for a wheelchair. But again, I'd imagine newer hotels would be wheelchair accessible.

Good luck.

tmh

whomitconcerns wrote: »

any hotel I have stayed in in ireland has wheelchair accesible rooms. I am guessing to avoid the smaller family ones, if only as they may be a little more awkward, but no doubt they will have facilities also.

Yes, many newer and larger hotels have what they call 'wheelchair accessible' rooms. However, accessibility varies with personal need. What is accessible for one wheelchair user may be useless for another. For example, door width is a big issue for those with larger, powered wheelchairs, as is room to spin around in a bathroom or bedroom.

OP - please be as specific as possible when you are contacting or checking out hotels. Clew Bay Hotel in Westport might be worth checking out, given that they participated in this video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHSIdRIlI9k

Here's a good source of info about accessibility of hotels in Cavan

http://www.disabledgo.com/places-to-go/venue-search-results?campusId=9d866f32-c4ba-4688-b5ab-44bbabd0415b&subDivisionIds=4fe5b05c-54a3-4d92-9c4a-8c348793438b&categoryIds=a271b305-af5d-486e-8d3e-72b2394a237e&searchTerm=County+Cavan&displayLocation=County+Cavan&displayTerm=Hotels%2c+Hostels+and+B%26Bs

Johnboy1951 · 02-12-2014 2:42pm

It might even be possible to get some pics of the facilities/rooms from some of the hotels which would be helpful when judging suitability

My biggest gripe ....... deep pile carpet along corridors to the accessible room ...... almost impossible to push a chair along some of them .......

danidanu · 09-12-2014 2:59pm

Bogmanfan

Despite current legislation, as a wheelchair user who travels at least once a week, finding a truly wheelchair accessible hotel can be difficult.

My advice is ring first and ask about your specific requirements. Often you will find a roll in shower with no/ inadequate shower chair or a bed that you cannot get the chair around due to an excess of furniture in the room.

You will be unlikely to find a nice hotel without awful carpet, so this may be a barrier that will need overcoming... Maybe emotion wheels or a wee motor if a manual chair user.

Finally to tackle europe ( or America) will take far more adjustment, a wetroom/ roll in shower can be as rare as hens teeth. Baths with a bath board tend to be utilised far more... Something I really struggle with however I have learned to compromise so I can continue to travel. I hope your dad manages to adjust to travelling as a wheelchair user.

Wheelchair friendly hotels

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