A Much-Needed Wake-Up Call
In society, accessibility has improved greatly over the years. However, when it comes to hotel room accessibility, an overhaul is needed.
Having a grab bar in a bathroom and a lower placed peep hole, does not constitute “accessible.”
Pulling into the hotel parking lot, the very few handicapped parking spots are all taken. Being that it is the middle of winter, having to park further away from the entrance just makes things that much more challenging.
Once at the entrance, the very small automatic door button, is placed in such a spot where I cannot reach it. My helper has all the luggage - including my lift - so their hands are full. Thankfully someone is coming out and opens the door.
The room that we booked was supposed to be an “accessible” room. The entrance is very narrow and hard to get through. This is a rough start to the stay.
Hotel room design is extremely poor when it comes to beds. When travelling, a lot of equipment has to come with me—my powerchair and my lift are some of the bigger items. With two beds, plus my equipment, most of the time I can barely navigate.
Most beds have a platform under the bed and the lift cannot pass through. This makes it extra difficult for me and my helper. It takes a lot of maneuvering on my helper’s part, because I am further away from the bed. This creates hardship, both for me and my helper. At home, I have a bed where the head and feet can both rise. This takes the pressure off my back and legs. Due to the fact that I have to lay flat on a hotel bed, I am in pain for most of the night and get little sleep. My back is so sore in the morning that it takes about an hour to loosen up.
Carpet is in 97% of hotel rooms. With me using a lift to transfer, having to move the lift on carpet is extremely difficult. It would be great if one day, all accessible hotel rooms had a no carpet mandate.
Alex and his helper Karen inside a hotel elevator.
Hotels sometimes feel that they have a great idea for giving disabled individuals more space. This is done by having an accessible room, that only features one king size bed. Yes, this does give the room more space. However, what if the guest and helper, don’t want to sleep in the same bed?
The way that the bathrooms are designed needs a lot of improving. The toilets can be placed where there’s little to no grab bars to use for support. This makes the situation difficult for those with weak balance. Also, the fact that some bathroom doorways are narrow can make things extra challenging. When I have to transfer to the toilet using my lift, if there is little room, the situation can be high stress and almost impossible to accomplish.
Another annoyance is the sink. In almost every hotel room the sink is solid underneath. This causes me to be unable to wash up by myself.
In my ideal world, there would be a chain hotel that provides a lift, shower commode and an adjustable bed, for its disabled guests. This would ease a lot of stress and effort during a stay.
This may sound surprising, but in the year 2025, there seems to be a big shortage of these rooms. A person has to call months ahead to get a room booked. Hotels should have more accessible rooms to provide. These rooms seem to be in big demand, so why not have more?
Whether it’s for work, pleasure, or just because, disabled people will always need a place to stay.
The people who design these rooms have to start taking into consideration that accessible is not just a word, it is a right!
All of this might sound like a lot, but these changes will allow disabled guests to experience a level of comfort, that is usually only found in a dream.
About the Author
Alex Lytwyn is a disability advocate, writer, and owner of Willpower Media, based in Winnipegosis, Manitoba. He is also a former ambassador and current board member of Manitoba Possible.