To want to book disabled accomidation and be able to take my whole family

[TheHumancatapult]

Have spent the day trying to sort holiday next year only to be informed that Im sorry we can only sleep maxium of 4 people in disabled accomidation so thats leave the carer and a child at home then .Yes i know if not disabled we have no problem and can have6 .Butlins im looking at you but your not alone seems be a big isssue

And then again short break premier inn or Travelodge inform me i can only have two to a room for disabled room but can have 4 in a family room .Yes but i cant get into a bathroom in a family room

I would ahve thought this day and age companies wake up to fact disabled people have families to

So AIBU

Indeed THC I think you have to challenge them as you say to let them know there is a demand.

Although being a campaigner all the bloody time, for what others take for granted must be exhausting!

yabu to expect accomodation, not because expecting accomodation is unreasonable but because services for disabled people are so crap. there are many, many reports about it on the radio, services that are advertised as accessible and then turn out to have some barrier or other to mean that it is not really.

I just wanted to add my support and to distinguish myself from a poster on this thread with a similar user name.

YANBU companies who make token gestures at accessible rooms are as bad as those who don't bother at all, the lack of thought put into some arrangements leaves me speechless. It's all about a company having the right attitude and wanting to help, where there is a will there is always a way.

Hope you find something and have a great holiday.

Just from the viewpoint of a hotelier;

My rooms are a fixed size. I can't change that. In order to increase the size of a room I would need to lose another one, which is an unreasonable cost, given that the demand is minimal.

The HSE decides room capacities. We don't have accessible rooms as such (well we do but they're not on ground floor, so I don't advertise them as such as if there were a fire, there would be no escape). My regular rooms accommodate 3 people. An extra bed can be put in the room if needed. However, if there is a person in a wheelchair the room cannot take an extra bed as it takes too much floor space. I have to have evacuation plans for each room and combination. An evacuation plan just isn't possible with the extra bed and wheelchair. We do have superior rooms, which will take a wheelchair and extra bed because the room is larger, and the floor space allows an unimpeded evacuation. There is no option other than this to offer people.

I imagine it's the same principle at Butlins, they would usually have an extra bed in accommodation that size that can't be used with a wheelchair.

It's not businesses trying to be awkward or difficult. Complying with H&S & fire regulations is important for a whole myriad of reasons, which you would be thankful for if you are ever in a situation requiring an evacuation. If you were to be unable to exit the room because your path is blocked by a bed etc the hotel are at fault.

I know Alton Towers have rooms that sleep 6 in one of their hotels, but the accessible rooms only sleep 3, although I think some of them do interconnect.

Am I right in thinking one son has fits hence not really wanting two rooms? Would interconnecting rooms, with a carer and children in one, and you in the other with the remaining children work? Assuming the connecting door was wide enough?

YANBU, when I took bookings for Alton Towers hotels a few years ago, I'd regularly get asked:

Why not more rooms that sleep larger families?
Why are these rooms not accessible?

So obviously, at least there, there is the demand.

The airbed thing, at least for us, was a safety thing, we had a max capacity to do with evacuating in a fire and staff ratios etc.

Try Haven again but ask for a caravan that is owned by someone. If you get one owned by another wheelchair user it should be accessible. I know it might not be.

If they say they don't have any then ask them to pass your details on to an owner. Some owners don't rent there caravans out but might becaus you know how rare that accomodation is and that you will look after it.

Also have a look at couchsurfing.

Have a look at Hilton - I know they are expensive but I complained that there accessable room only had a double bed and I didn't want to share a bed with my male carer. They offered another room at no extra. They also have rooms with interconnecting doors, You might end up in a non accessible room, connected to another room, but with a key for the accssessibly one so you can use the bathroom. Not ideal, but at least they try.

And YANBU

squidgy

I accept in smaller hotels and private Hotels that it is an issue but I would imagine that you have a safe refuge area in case a guest has mobilty issues but not a wheelchair user

but am talking the larger chain hotels and they all have evucation procedures for disabled guests as in a lot disabled rooms can be on floors 1-5 so, and in for example premier inn and travelodges .you have door into room then bathroom of corridoor then double bed with space for a wheelchair at the side then pass foot of the bed and theres a sofa or chair on the other side .and since there often not ground foor would not matte rthat side is blocked as wont be going out the window and often window ledges are to high anyway

So infact escape into main corridoor would still be possibile .Then I would be relying that hotel have evucation plandsand a safe refuge area and I always ask on check on especially if not on ground floor .And I will refuse if they dont have one to be on anythiong other than GF as my main concern especially if on my own with younger two is getting them out

Loolipops on a weekend break it is just me and my two younger children and your right ds does fit .And at a push i woud consider interconnecting as drum into DD that the door to corridoor must not be used and leave it open to my room .But i resent paying more for two rooms when we can fit in one

your right and i am challenging them as its the only way they will learn rthere is a demand there.Centre Parcs mange to have disabled villas at all levels sleeping 6 or 8 people .sSo can not see why other big Holday parks can not do it .And Centre parcs always fills up you often need to book months in advance as demand is so high

on longer breaks in ideal world yes two rooms inconecting doors in in a hotel or at Holiday parks enough room for 6 of us same as non disabled accomidation and will be checking out sizes of accomidation

Sashh will have another chat with Haven but the problem with carvans is the shower as they tend not to be roll in .And while having a seat in them is good .But a step first is one step to many

sash will also Look at hilton

Oh and premier inn/travelodge can not hide behind a lack of room and wheelchair being H&S issues as I can book a Family room no problem at all .Only problem then is the bathroom or lack Of in my case and thats then one double bed and 2 singles in the room and me plus wheelchair

I have stayed in a Travelodge Disabled friendly room with my family, the individual hotel (Bournemouth) let us put our own ready beds on the floor. I think we may have struck the right time and got a friendly manager

We're not a tiny hotel! I've got 60 bedrooms, a few bars and restaurants and function rooms. The principle is the same, regardless of hotel size, because a hotel is a fixed building, the only way to increase the size of a room is to lose the one next to it, which going off an average of £70 room rate would result in a loss of up to £25k per year.

It isn't the hotel or the guest who gets to decide how many bodies can be in a room, it is the fire officer! We do what we can to accommodate people, and I would generally offer interconnecting rooms.

FWIW, if I had mobility issues I would never stay in a room that I couldn't get myself out of, so anything above ground level would be out.

They can say it is a space issue.

They have to gain approval from HSE and the fire officer to sell a room as accessible, and there will be conditions imposed on them in doing so. Floor space and occupancy will form part of those conditions.

Aside from that, if you choose to stay in a regular room instead, you have made that decision so the hotel aren't at fault if anything were to happen.

Squidgy I don't always have that option lot of hotels don't have gf suitable rooms which does not make sense really but I also can't live my life advoidibg all risks I just make sure they are minimised where possibile

Squish if I can't book a disabled room I have no other option it's that or don't go anywhere and I do not let my wheelchair rule my life