They are on the beach or at the mouth of a canyon, in the center of the city that never sleeps or in the middle of nowhere, boutique properties or sprawling casino resorts. But all of them are all wonderfully accessible to people who use wheelchairs for their mobility.
They are members of our top 10 list of hotels that combine location, charm, luxury and down-home comforts with barrier-free features that go far above and beyond the typical standard of wheelchair accessibility. (Accessibility at a hotel or inn is crucial for Heidi, who uses a wheelchair for her mobility because she has had severe rheumatoid arthritis for more than a quarter century.)
Our accessible top 10, each in a different state and representing everything from huge chains to mom-and-pop operations (rates listed are for accessible accommodations, per room):
1. Big Island, Hawaii: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Fourteen of its 243 rooms are barrier-free suites with large roll-in showers and plenty of room for wheelchair maneuvering. The rooms are spectacular, airy and gorgeous. Think slate floors, a generous sitting room, functional patio furniture and dreamily comfortable beds. The luxury resort has a portable pool lift for each of its five pools. The lift and beach boy attendants gently placed Heidi in the fabulous waters of the oceanside Sea Shell infinity pool. The granddaddy of all the pools is the King’s Pond, which has 2.5 million gallons of saltwater contained by lava rock and stocked with 3,500 fish representing 40 species. With the assistance of a beach boy, Heidi was able to float among all sorts of sea creatures. A network of paved, wheelchair-accessible paths cover the lush and expertly tended grounds. From $450; off Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway on the Kona Kohala coast; 808-325-8000.
2. Miami Beach: Casa Grande. Two of its 34 rooms are wheelchair-accessible with large, roll-in showers with built-in seats. The exterior of Casa Grande is an inviting, subdued Mediterranean style. The inside offers pure luxury in a quiet oasis off bustling Ocean Drive. Suites are spacious, with full kitchens, two bathrooms, huge bedrooms and roomy living rooms. Staying at Casa Grande is like having use of a wealthy friend’s hip South Beach condo–one with plenty of room for a wheelchair. As far as access, the bathroom was the highlight. It was huge with araised commode, grab bars and, best of all, the tiled roll-in shower with hand-held wand. The suite’s gorgeous wood furniture and tile floor give it the feel of a tropical villa. Best of all, the villa is only a short walk or roll from the beach. From $315; 834 Ocean Dr.; 305-672-7003.
3. Logan, Ohio: Inn at Cedar Falls. One of its six house-size cabins is barrier-free. Guests can access RedBud, the wheelchair-accessible cabin, via a smooth wooden ramp that blends seamlessly with the huge sitting porch. The first floor includes a bedroom, roomy bathroom with roll-in shower, full kitchen with stove, refrigerator and dining table and two beautifully furnished sitting rooms. The second story–accessible only by stairs, but perfectly suited as separate quarters for an opposite sex personal care attendant traveling with a disabled person–is a sunny loft with a bed and a full bathroom. The Inn at Cedar Falls is located within the Hocking Hills, a recreational area about 60 miles from Columbus, Ohio. Within the area are a number of state parks, including a few with paved, wheelchair-accessible trails. The inn’s main dining room is in a house-like building accessible via a ramp. Accommodations include breakfast. From $175; 21190 Ohio Highway 374; 740-385-7489.
4. New York City: The Benjamin. Twenty of its 209 rooms are wheelchair-accessible one-bedroom suites, which have barrier-free bathrooms to serve disabled guests. The suites are huge by Manhattan standards and have baths equipped with grab bars, bath benches and shower wands for accessibility. The ornate rooms also are equipped with galley kitchens, a fax and spacious sitting room. The location, in a classic 1927 skyscraper at Lexington Avenue in Midtown, is perfect. We noted the small lobby is easy for wheelchair users to negotiate, and the doormen are quick to do their duties. From $299; 125 E. 50th St.; 212-715-2500.
5. New Orleans: Queen and Crescent Hotel. Eleven of its 196 rooms are wheelchair-accessible and equipped with roll-in showers. The European-style boutique hotel is in a renovated building that used to be a railroad office tower. The best thing about its location in the Central Business District is that it is close enough–about two and a half blocks–to the French Quarter, but far enough from its noisy partying scene to make for a good night’s sleep. From $89; 344 Camp St.; 504-587-0700.
6. Springdale, Utah: Zion Park Inn. Five of its 120 rooms are wheelchair-accessible–two with roll-in showers, three with bath benches. Located just a couple miles from Zion National Park’s gates, the inn has barrier-free rooms and elevator access to all parts of the property, including a fabulous cathedral-ceilinged great room overlooking a 1,300-foot sandstone wall. The inn also has wheelchair-accessible facilities such as a laundry, convenience store, gift shop and restaurant on site. The Switchback Grill serves a great fill-you-up breakfast buffet plus Southwestern-accented lunches and dinners amid airy, ski lodge-like decor. From $88; 1215 Zion Park Blvd.; 435-772-3200.
7. Las Vegas: Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. Thirty-five of its 1,907 rooms are wheelchair accessible–half roll-in showers, half with bath benches. The Nugget, with its glittering gold and fine Grecian marble decor, is by far the most opulent of the downtown Las Vegas hotels. Rooms are large, accessible and extremely quiet–which is of utmost importance when the ears cannot take another assault from a clanging slot payoff or a lounge singer’s howling solo. Disabled travelers will also love the simply efficient lift that provides easy access into the property’s Olympic-size outdoor pool. The Nugget’s small, cabaret-size showroom can be reached by elevator, and it offers an accessible seating area with good, unobstructed views of the stage. All restaurants on the property are barrier-free. From $79; 129 E. Fremont St.; 702-385-7171.
8. Beverly Hills, Calif: Beverly Hilton. Ten of its 581 rooms are accessible, with bath benches in the tub showers. The Beverly Hilton’s barrier-free room was more than adequate with features such as wider doorways and grab bars. In fact, when Christopher Reeve made his dramatic appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards, he chose to stay at the Hilton because of its accessibility. From $205; 9876 Wilshire Blvd.; 310-274-7777.
9. Detroit: Atheneum Suite Hotel. Twelve of the 174 rooms at this all-suite property are barrier-free, with large transfer benches that provide access to spacious shower-baths. The huge accessible suites feature two beds, a separate sitting room and plenty of space everywhere for wheelchair maneuverability. The huge bathroom has elegant glass block around it. The commode has grab bars and raised seat. The sink has room for a wheelchair to roll up to it. The architecturally restored Atheneum is within the Greektown district, downtown Detroit’s vibrant area of restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries and more. From $195; 1000 Brush St.; 313-962-2323.
10. Boston: Le Meridien. Sixteen of its 326 rooms are wheelchair-accessible units with two double beds and extremely well-designed roll-in showers. Housed in a former Federal Reserve Bank, a national architectural landmark building, the hotel earns high marks for being within walking and rolling distance of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. From $229; 250 Franklin St.; 617-423-2844.
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Wright and Johnson-Wright are frequent contributors to the Tribune on accessible travel. Their e-mail address is takingflight@msn.com.
CHECK IT OUT BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Six tips to help make sure a property is accessible:
– If a reservation clerk isn’t able to answer your queries, make him or her take down a list of explicit questions and have the proper person call you back. Make sure the lobby, restaurants and public areas are accessible. Ask about measurements, including width of door openings to your room and bathroom. Find out if the rooms have anchors in the ceilings that allow portable lift devices to be installed for the bed and toilet.
– If you travel with an assistance animal, carry a copy of the legislation that guarantees your right to have the animal in your room and in public areas such as a coffee shop or f restaurant.
– At a historic property that hasn’t come into the 21st Century in terms of accessibility, negotiate with a hotel manager to get him to rent or purchase items such as a bath bench, commode riser or transfer board. Remind him that it’s good business to offer these items and that the equipment can be used again and again.
– If a lack of barrier-free access in the room and on the grounds will ruin your trip, hedge your bet with portable equipment. There’s no question that hotels should provide the necessary equipment to make their rooms accessible to all customers, but rather than getting caught up the creek without a paddle, plan ahead. Lightweight, collapsible shower benches, step stools and reachers are available and can be rather inexpensive.
– Get it in writing. In addition to price and arrival date, request that your confirmation letter contain language that speaks to in-room equipment, level or ramped lobby entrance, number of beds (accessible double rooms often have a single king or queen instead of two twins), space to maneuver through the room and any other specific accommodations promised. This may also keep innkeepers from giving out the precious few accessible rooms before you arrive.
– Local tourism and travel offices or convention and visitors bureaus often offer free guides that list wheelchair-accessible properties. These brochures are rarely detailed enough to base a decision on, but they provide an inexpensive way of narrowing down the choices.
S.W./H.J.W.
