Dulles Airport, VA - Hotel (Marriott Washington Dulles Airport)

These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Marriott Rooms and Suites at Dulles Airport, serving Washington D.C.

The hotel is the closest to Dulles Airport - you could walk (or wheel) from the hotel to the terminal if it was not for the American penchant for ignoring pedestrians when laying out roads and walkways. I'm not sure there is a footpath (sidewalk) that would bring you all the way. However, the hotel offers handicapped accessible hotel shuttle to the airport so you can swap independence for comfort.

Front entrance is level. Lobby is level and fully accesible, as is the restaurant. The bar is off the lobby and accessible via a ramp. The hotel is low (2 floors) but large which means you may have a long wheel to your room through thick pile carpet which can be exhausting.

My room (single king bed, accessible, bath) was large and comfortable. There was plenty of circulation space. The workdesk was a little small but usable. It had a pull out table that offered plenty of room for a computer at a comfortable work height.  Electric sockets in the desk lamp (2) were easy to reach. Wired Ethernet (additional charge) was available and easy to reach. TV controls were left on the bed in easy reach. Coffeemaker easy to reach also.

The air-conditioning controls were perfectly located at a comfortable height.

The bed was a little high but transfers in and out were not difficult. Bedside light easy to reach from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). There were two closets. Both usable, and a comfortable height for hanging clothes.

The bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. The grab-rails by the toilet were a little too high for comfort and I found transferring on and off to be a bit difficult as a result. The sink was located outside the bathroom, sort of in an alcove off the bedroom. Sink was comfortable with plenty of knee space underneath. My room had a bath rather than a roll-in shower. The shower rose was hand-held and wall-mounted too high to reach when seated in the bath, or even when seated in your chair outside the bath. The grab rails around bath were fine, with different height bars at each end of the bath according to your preference. Towels were placed at a comfortable height and easily accessible. The closet in the bedroom had a shower seat stored in it which saves having to ask reception for one - I liked that touch.

Not all the shuttle busses are handicapped accessible. If arriving at the airport, you need to call the hotel and request that they send a handicapped shuttle. If at the hotel, going to the airport, give them 30 minutes notice so they can make sure it is available for you.

Note that if you plan to stay in DC, Dulles airport is a good distance from downtown and poorly served by public transport. I would not recommend this Marriott for a stay in DC. However, although it can be pricey depending on time of week and year, this Marriott offers great convenience for handicapped travellers flying to or/from Dulles.

(Note: the hotel also offers park and fly rates including up to two weeks parking).

Washington DC - Hotel (Capitol Hilton)

The Hilton Capitol Hotel is a full service, pricey, hotel located just a couple of blocks from the Whitehouse in Washington D.C. Indeed, you have a pretty clear view of the Whitehouse from the street in front of the hotel giving you a great sense of being in the nation's capitol! These notes refer to wheelchair accessibility in this hotel.

The hotel offers (very expensive) valet parking only. There is a narrow kerb cut in one location in front of the hotel. Access from the pavement to the lobby is level. The lobby is large and level. The bar and restaurant are up two steps. There is a ramp.

Elevators are large. The room was a comfortable size and slightly over furnished. The web site states that the accessible rooms have a pull-out sofa. This is not true.

The work desk was a comfortable height, and sockets easily reached. Room lights could not be controlled from the bed. The bed was quite high but getting into it was not too difficult.

Bathroom was a comfortable size. Toilet was at wheelchair cushion height. Sink was acceptable, with plenty of knee room underneath. The bath had some badly positioned grab bars (better for ambulant disabled than a wheelchair user). The shower hose was of the hand-held type with the option of placing it on a rail or on a fixed mounting that was too high for a wheelie to reach. (Of course, the cleaning staff placed it on the high fixed mounting!)

A/C controls were at a reasonable height and TV controls in easy reach.

I felt the hotel was over-priced for the quality of accomodations but I guess you pay for location, location, location!