Is this disability discrimination?

[Disabilitydiscrimination]

I have to have a night in a city but when I looked the only place I could afford was a youth hostel.
I booked and then emailed them to say I would need to have a bottom bunk due to disability. I explained I could do stairs but can't negotiate ladders which I'd need to for a top bunk. They took ages to reply and when they finally did they basically said they would try their best but couldn't guarantee it.

I genuinely don't understand why with several weeks notice they can't do this. Bunks are allocated so just allocate a bottom bunk. I could understand if it was last minute but it wasn't.

Is this disability discrimination?

I don't go away often and have learnt that next time I should check these things before booking but I really didn't think it would be a problem.

You should have contacted them before you made the booking not after.

I don't think it's discrimination.

I would definitely give them feedback. It's something they probably could change quite easily, even if their systems don't currently allow it.

Yes I should have. I already said that. Can I ask why you think it's not discrimination? I'm not asking for the world - just to allocate me a bottom bunk. They could give one to me or to someone else who could access a top bunk whereas I can't.

They can't make a guarantee as there may be more people requesting a bottom bunk on grounds of reasonable adjustment than there are bottom bunks. In that instance it isn't discrimination.

I find that highly unlikely.

Here's an example scenario I can think of.
The night before you stay the hostel is fully booked.
Those who check out the day of your arrival were all top bunkers.
Therefore although there is a bed to allocate to you it may be that a bottom bunk is not available.

And if others inform them they need bottom bunks for reasons similar to your own, after they have made bookings then I imagine it would be very tricky to organise.

I note that there is this article on accessible youth hostels which you might find helpful for future ref.

This is why I don't think it's discrimination, although I fully appreciate how utterly frustrating it must be to not just be able to book something and turn up, instead having to always plan further ahead and ask extra questions etc.

I've had to cancel going to a conference because of this. I'm really upset.

I can’t believe the only place you could afford was a youth hostel. There must be charity or something you could get? If it’s work related why aren’t your work place paying for it

I just think with several weeks notice they could work this out. It might take a bit of extra effort which I understand is frustrating on their part but it's nothing compared to the frustrations I have trying to access what I need.

What do you mean by get charity?

It was the only affordable place. I looked for several hours on many sites. There were 2 other affordable hostels but they were on the wrong side of the city and I couldn't really manage several changes of public transport.

Work aren't paying because it's something I asked to go to rather than them asking me too. Work policy dictates they will only pay for transport and accomodation if it's an event they have asked us to go to.

And believe me, I wouldn't have chosen a hostel if I could have afforded something else.

In my experience of hostels, admittedly this might be out of date or not relevant where you are, there are often triple bunks or lockers underneath the bunks which means fewer beds on the ground.

People prefer the bottom bunks for a variety of reasons and will insist on having them eg fear of fire and needing to get out quickly, bowel/bladder issues and needing to get to the toilet quickly in the night, sleepwalking, alcoholism and being at risk of falling out of bed.

As well as the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments, their own H&S Risk Assessments will dictate that certain people should sleep in certain places eg morbidly obese on the lower bunks so emergency services can get to them easily etc.

There are lots of complex reasonings behind where people can sleep in a hostel.

Two things.

If your work place don't need you to attend they are being generous in allowing you the time off and paying travel expenses for a want rather than a need.

In relation to the youth hostel they ate only obliged to make an accommodation for your disability if it's operationally feasible. It may impact existing bookings and they run on a shoestring. They have said they can't guarantee it rather than it won't be possible. If I were able bodied and were allocated the bottom bunk, I'd swap with you. Although to be fair, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than share a room with a stranger. On that basis, you must really want to attend the course and I am sorry your attempts are being frustrated.

I'm with you op. Your request does seem reasonable and you've given them plenty of notice. As others said, even if they didn't have a system in place currently the staff could reserve a bottom bunk for you without too much trouble by checking their reservations and ensuring that bed is off limits for the night you are there.

Premier Inn bent over backwards to accommodate my disabled husband and this was for a concert where every room in the city was fully booked a year in advance! My point being that there's always wiggle room if the person you're communicating with can be bothered to do a bit more effort. You may have read varying opinions about the concert on various mumsnet threads 😂

If it were me I'd email again or phone call so they can't ignore you and politely point out that is could be seen as discrimination. If that doesn't work then chalk it up to able bodied people not realising how damn difficult it is to plan anything as a disabled person.

I know my workplace were being generous allowing me to go and understand why they wouldn't pay for travel or accomodation.

I now won't be able to go as it can't be guaranteed. It needs to come from the hostel rather than me asking someone to swap because I can't go there without it being certain. Otherwise, I'd be stranded in a city I don't know with a bed I can't get in to.

It absolutely is discrimination. Ask them for their accessible room/bunk. Yes ideally this should have been done at the time of booking but if it is currently not booked then they need to be able to provide you with accessible accommodation.

It is feasible. They have a booking system. OP has specified her requirements can be met by having a bottom bunk allocated. They can do this. They just won't.

And if it’s already been booked or reserved?

if it is currently not booked then they need to be able to provide you with accessible accommodation

So if it's not then all their accessible accommodation is booked/reserved.

They can easily phone people and ask if they need the lower bunk or mind moving. They choose not to as they are lazy

YANBU, they should be able to do better.

Have you considered offering work a deal - they pay for a hotel and you work time in lieu to cover it. Explain why. Depending on whether you'd be prepared to do this of course.

They want you to go on the course, and I bet whoever suggested it did not mean to leave you so tight that you couldn't afford even the most basic hotel room.

It's great to hear good stories about stuff like this. I get more and more demoralised about my life as a disabled person - it's just so damned hard to do any of the things I enjoy. Thank you so much for your positive thoughts.

But what if they are all booked and people don't want to move? Maybe it's full of conference goers?

It is indirect discrimination under the equality act 2010, if you want to try again with the hostel.
Did you ask to speak to someone more senior?
The first person you speak to isn't always aware of the law, as you can see from the early responses on this thread.
It's important not to get disheartened by an unhelpful response- I know it is a common reaction but you have a right to accessible accommodation so I would push back and not cancel the whole thing.

Premier inn have reasonable priced rooms and are very good for disabled accommodation. I've always found them very very helpful

YANBU. If they said all of their bottom bunks are already booked and so it's not possible that would be different, but that's not what they're saying, they don't appear to have any system, so how do they make reasonable adjustments for people who need them then? Are they part of a larger company/organisation that you can complain to or make an official complaint to the hostel itself?