Fiona Jarvis September 2, 2024 0 Comments

We have been asked to nominate some new (‘ish’ up to 14 months old) hotels in the Americas that have good design and accessibility. We’ve asked a contact in the States to research, the results are numerous and they’ve given us ideas for an Accessible Autumn break in the USA. Read on……

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawai’i

We’ve visited the 1Hotels in New York and Mayfair and they are very accessible. A tried and tested brand with sustainability a key ingredient. We’ll be writing about them soon and here’s the accessibility detail for 1Hotel Hawai’i………..

    • #1 Ranked New Hotel by T&L. Luxury Hotel that also paid attention to accessibility in the design, during their massive renovation.
    • The main level and lobby, Wailena Terrace, Neighbors cafe, concierge and spa are all accessible without stairs. You will need to use the elevator to get around the hotel and use all of its amenities, but that’s a norm for all guests, and there are ramps and sidewalks on the pool level, along with lifts into the pool.
    • The hotel also has multiple accessible rooms with features such as raised toilets, low-level sinks, roll-in showers, grab bars and more. The hotel asks that you list any accessibility needs in the “special requests” section of the website when booking.

 

Bowie House, Ft Worth, Texas

    • The hotel offers a variety of accommodations for travellers with different needs. These include wheelchair- and hearing-accessible studios with manoeuvrable space, roll-in showers and toilet grab bars as well as visual alarms and TTY phones.
    • Bowie House has a wheelchair-accessible driveway and entrance as well as valet parking. Elevator buttons are within reach of those in mobility devices and there are accessible public bathrooms on the ground floor. There is also a chairlift into the pool and a grab bar for aid in entering the Jacuzzi.
    • We asked about the Roll in showers as their images show a step and they said ‘We have rooms with accessible roll in showers that do not have any step and can be accessed by wheelchair.’

Raffles, Boston

    • Throughout the property are wide doorways and hallways, and spacious elevators for any wheelchair users. The hotel offers accessible rooms with mobility and hearing access across several room categories, including a deluxe king room (which can also have two queens), premier king, grand king, and signature and premier suites. All are equipped with roll-in showers and tub grab bars. The pool and hot tub both also both have chair lifts. This article tells you more about the hotel and the reasons why it’s the ‘best place’ ever!

The Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica

  • The Georgian may be historic, but the vintage building is fully wheelchair accessible, with an elevator, and City Kings, City Double Queens and Ocean One-Bedroom Suites that have roll-in showers or mobility bath tubs. There’s more information from a wheelchair user here.
  • We really like the look of the Georgian as it has old school art deco glamour and isn’t that expensive considering it’s footsteps from the beach.

The Schoolhouse, W. Virginia

  • A number of people have told us how this hotel has been designed to be accessible and they that during,

” the design phase of our hotel, we took great strides in making sure all persons will have access to the hotel and its restaurants and amenities.”

The former shoolhouse for White Sulphur Springs it was bought by the Disability Opportunity Fund, and in 2020 it was converted into The Schoolhouse Hotel.

They describe their accessibility on the front page of the website, see here. A good sign and they go into some depth. They have rooms with RI (Roll In) or Transfer showers, (where you have a fixed  bench in the shower that you shuffle/step onto). They also have bath lifts. The design is quite plain so people with neurological conditions can feel safe,

‘Interior surface colors are within cool range (blue, green, brown, black). Limited graphics on wallpaper, flooring, ceilings, etc.’
They have thought of everything so it’s hard to complain!

Warren Street Hotel, New York City

  • The Accessible Superior Room is spacious and light with high ceilings and full-length windows. The guest room features accessible tables and a wide entry door and restroom door (greater than 32”). Door handles are also ADA friendly on self-closing doors. The room features a beautifully designed granite bathroom with a large roll-in shower and phone (no image of shower or grab bars means you can’t be sure it’s right for you! They need an Access Gallery).  The hotel’s accessible guest rooms are rooms 202, 206, 302, 402, 502, 602, and 703.
  • Additional features: ADA Friendly Flat screen TV with open and closed-captioned capabilities; Bed shakers available on request; Fixed strobe fire alarm
  • The company has ensured that public spaces are also designed to accommodate people of all needs, with space for wheelchairs to navigate.

These all sound great and they all need Access Galleries to know before you go!! An Accessible American Autumn is definitely on the cards.

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