All Handicapped rooms are not created equal
September 12, 2010
Recently my husband and I traveled to Asheville North Carolina, which involved stopping one night on the road and a hotel stay of several days in Asheville, NC.
Because I use a wheelchair, I am always concerned with my accommodations. Since we didn’t know how far we would get the first night, we didn’t bother to make reservations. So as we approached the area where we decided to stop, I started calling around. First, I called major chain motels, thinking they would offer the best chance to accommodate a wheelchair, only to be told, “We don’t have ADA rooms”, and in the other instance, they were all booked. Strange – one didn’t have any and the other seemed to be hosting a convention of wheelchair bound travelers. So I kept on calling until I found a very modest motel whose personnel knew what I was talking about and had a room available! You never know what you are going to find on the road.
I thought my problems were over once I arrived in Asheville until I saw my room. There were grab bars galore, except that there was a bath tub with no visible means of getting in.
When I called the management, I was told the only room with a wheel in shower was taken! I was reminded once again to be specific about your needs; otherwise you will end up like me with a bath chair that tipped forward when I tried to sit on it.
Luckily, the people checked out so we could have their room with the wheel- in shower. Unfortunately, the room was on the first floor right next to the entrance at the rear of the hotel, so I heard the door opening and shutting all night.
The moral of this story is simple: whether you plan or not, there are bound to be surprises on the road.
