Newport, RI, USA - Hotel (Marriott)

These notes refer to the Marriott, Newport Rhode Island. They are intended as guidance to wheelchair users or disabled travellers thinking of using this hotel. They do not address general service issues which are more than adequately covered in reviews on other sites such as this one.


There is level access from street level to a front lobby. Reception is up one floor, and there is a long ramp to the elevator from the front door. (It is actually easy to enter from the parking lot, as that door brings you directly to the elevators). Once at reception, there is level access to the restaurant, bar and shop. I was directed to a room on the same level as reception, down a long corridor with a carpet that had a pile that was difficult to roll-on.

My room (double, accessible, bath) had a bit too much furniture for the size but it was still possible to get around. The work desk was a good size, easy to access, and all plugs were at desk height and easily reached. Wired Internet (extra charge) did not work at first but a visit from a service person determined that the plug at the desk level was not working, and he plugged directly to the difficult to access wall point instead. Closet was a high and difficult to hang and remove clothes. Air conditioning controls were on the wall and could be reached from a chair. TV controls were by the TV and easy to reach. Room light switches were easy to reach, but not from the bed. The bed was a good height and easy to transfer in and out of.

The bathroom was a comfortable size. Plenty of knee room under the sink. Mirror was not tilted and was ok for viewing head and shoulders but not much else. Toilet was standard height (not raised) with well positioned grab-rails. My room had a bath. Grab rails were well positioned. Shower hose was fixed to the wall and directed at a very poor angle. I was unable to adjust it. Water controls were easy to reach while sitting in bath. Towels were left at an easy height to reach.

All in all, the room was an average ADA accessible room with some annoyances (e.g. the closet). Access into and out of the hotel, including the long trip to the room, would make me avoid this hotel on future visits. Service, staff and restaurant were excellent.

Hamburg, Germany - Hotel (IBIS Hamburg Alster)

These notes refer to the IBIS Hamburg Alster and are intended to assist other wheelchair users or handicapped travelers considering staying at this hotel. This review addresses only issues related to access. For general information and reviews about this hotel go to tripadvisor.

The hotel is situated close to the centre of Hamburg, a few meters from the Alster river. Access to the hotel is level from the street pavement through automatic doors. There is no curb cut in the pavement outside the hotel, so if you arrive by taxi you will need some assistance to mount the curb. Inside, the lobby, bar and restaurant are all on one level and access is easy. There is a handicapped toilet off the lobby.

The lift (elevator) is too narrow to turn in, but quite deep so there is plenty of room. My room was close to the elevator on the first floor (one above ground floor). The room itself was very small and compact and just about big enough to get around. There was really only access to one side of the bed. The workdesk was small but usable. The electric sockets could not be reached easily. Wifi Ethernet (extra charge) worked well. The window was open when I arrived, letting in a lot of noise from the train tracks behind. It is not possible to close and secure the window from a wheelchair.

The bed was a double, and at a comfortable height for transfers. All lights in the room could be controlled from a switch by the bed. The TV controls were left on the bed, and the A/C controls were at a comfortable height. The closet was perfectly positioned for access and use, although it had no door.

The bathroom was large enough to maneuver in – just! Sink was a good size with plenty of knee room underneath. The toilet was beside the sink making transfers on and off a little difficult. A well positioned fold-up handrail provided good support while on the toilet. The shower was a roll-in type with a small plastic fold-up seat attached to the wall. A fold-down grab rail provided stability in the shower. The handrail and shower controls could be reached easily from the shower seat. The shower hose was a hand-held mounted on a rail at a good height. The towels in the bathroom were a little high, but two extra towels were left in the bedroom in an easily accessible location.

IBIS rooms tend to be basic, no-frills type accommodation and some I have stayed in were smaller than this. I would recommend this hotel to wheelchair users, and would stay there again if visiting Hamburg.

Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland - Hotel (Mount Errigal Hotel)

This entry describes my experiences at the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny and is intended to assist wheelchair users or disabled travelers considering this hotel. I do not address general features of the hotel - you can find plenty of those reviews here.

Entry to the hotel is via a very steep ramp from the car park. This is more than 1:12, maybe 1:10, and a hefty push to get up it. Once up, entry to the lobby is via automatic doors. Access to the reception desk is up two sets of steps, each set has a ramp to one side for us wheelies. These ramps feel like regulation 1:12 or perhaps slightly less and are manageable. The bar and restaurant area is off to the left. This also has several levels and each one can be accessed through doors from the reception. There is no ramp between levels within the bar/restaurant area itself - you need to go into the reception area to use the ramps to move between levels. The hotel seems to have many levels and all seem to be accessible, but the frequent ramps can be exhausting especially with luggage although staff will help you if you ask.

My room was a handicapped accessible family room. The reason we stayed at the Mount Errigal was because it was the only hotel that has a room available that was both wheelchair accessible and could sleep two adults and two children. The room was large and easy to get around. The two double beds were both accessible with adequate room between them to get the chair between. The workdesk was comfortable and easy to use. Electric sockets were easy to reach in the wall behind at desk height.  The closet made no concession to wheelies and was awkward to use. It contained a fold-out ironing board that I've never come across before, and I was able to use it to iron a couple of shirts with ease (or as much ease as ironing can be!). Bedside light switches were well positioned, but main room lights could not be controlled from the bed. There is no air-conditioning (not really needed in Ireland!) but a heater could be turned on or off easily. The TV controls were easy to reach.

The bathroom was very spacious with plenty of turning space. It had a bath, and was more suited to an ambulant disabled rather than a wheelie. The main thing lacking was appropriately placed grab bars. However, it was usable. The shower hose was handheld, and the rail was fixed to the wall and very high. The sink was tiny - this is a common feature in Irish handicapped rooms and is due to some daft regulation laid down by the authorities. Clearly the people who write the regulations are not actual users. This sink was slightly larger than the usual but still barely bog enough to wash hands or equipment. The toilet was easy to get to with well positioned grab rails. Towels were left at a low level and easy to reach.

To get to my room from reception involved going through a heavy set of doors, a short steep ramp (very steep) to a small lift (elevator). Up to the next floor, up two more ramps (regulation - not too steep) and around two corners over deep carpet. Good for exercise but certainly not conducive to running down to reception to ask a question!

The hotel staff were warm and friendly and the atmosphere was family oriented and relaxed - more genuine than the US chain hotels I'm used to, if quirkier. I would stay there again, although if I was travelling without the kids I would probably check out one of the more modern hotels in Letterkenny.

JFK airport, New York - AirTrain (SkyTrain)

I defy anyone in a wheelchair to get from Terminal 6 in JFK to any other terminal using the AirTrain (sometime called the SkyTrain), without asking for assistance. There are absolutely no signs indicating where to go. You arrive off your plane and head towards the exits. There are signs for baggage claim (don't want that, my bags are checked through), taxis (don't want those, I'm just changing terminals), ground transport (nope, not renting a car or getting a bus) and parking (no - no car here). But for the AirTrain or other terminals? Not a hint. The map is no good either, it is just a map of terminal 6.

If you do ask someone who looks official, they will point you to a door discreetly located past some restaurants, down a narrow corridor and suddenly you are through a double door (locked - but there is a TSA official who will open it for you) into the ticketing area on the land side of security. There you turn right and spot the very tiny sign pointing to elevators to the AirTrain.

Apart from the difficulty in finding it, the AirTrain is very accessible and easy to use. Easy to roll on, plenty of space on-board. The only challenge is trying to figure out which platform to use to get to the terminal you want. The secret is to listen carefully to the announcements as the train enters the station. Be careful. Boarding the wrong train will lose you a lot of time. Once who have boarded, look at the map on board and pay attention to the announcements to reassure yourself you are going the right way.

Sure beats the old JFK where I was once manually carried on some shoulders to get from one terminal to the other, while another person carried my chair!!

LaGuardia, NY - Hotel (Lexington Marco LaGuardia)

This entry describes my experiences at the Lexington Marco LaGuardia Hotel and is intended to assist wheelchair users or disabled travelers considering this hotel.

Entry to the hotel is via a very steep ramp from street level. This is more than 1:12, maybe 1:10, and a hefty push to get up it. Once up, entry to the lobby is via automatic doors. There is a restaurant adjacent to the hotel (the Magna) that is accessible direct from the hotel.

My room (Accessible, two doubles, bath) was large and easy to get around, although the two double beds took up some space. The workdesk was comfortable and spacious. Electric sockets were easy to reach. Closet was easy to access and use. All lights, with the exception of the work-desk lamp could be turned on or off from the bed - a rare touch that I like.

The bathroom was very spacious with plenty of turning space. It had a bath, and was more suited to an ambulant disabled rather than a wheelie. The main thing lacking was appropriately placed grab bars. However, I found it very usable. The sink had knee room underneath, the toilet was easy to get to and not too high. The shower hose was fixed to the wall and very high. Towels were left at a low level and easy to reach.

All in all a decent, comfortable, accessible room located in Chinatown in Queens. I'd stay there again.

Dulles Airport, VA - Aerotrain

Dulles International Airport (IAD), serving Washington D.C., recently unveiled its new Aerotrain for ferrying passengers between terminals. These notes reflect my experience using the train and are intended to assist wheelchair users using IAD. In summary, the train is accessible to wheelchair users, but you need to be careful to get off on the correct side of the train for elevator access. Details below.

The Aerotrain replaces the "moving lounges" that used to be used to go between terminals. These were essentially busses that you could board direct from the terminal. The moving lounge is still used going to and from terminal D and for international arrivals to go to the immigration hall. Terminals A, B and C are served by the Aerotrain.

The Aerotrain runs underground - one line from the main terminal services A and C and another line services B. (You can still walk from the main terminal to terminal B through an underground tunnel).

Access to the train is via elevator. After ticketing you get an elevator to the security area. After passing through security, you take a further elevator to the train platform. Signage is not good, and it can be frustrating trying to find the elevators.

The train is fully accessible, getting on is easy. The train is level with the platform and the gap is small (a few cm, 1.5"). There is plenty of room on-board to park your chair and the ride is comfortable and fast. Where the designers get you is in disembarking at the terminal. You must disembark onto the central platform when you arrive at the terminal. If you don't do this you will find yourself either at a dead end with no way out except an escalator, or facing a long steep ramp which is very difficult to wheel up - especially with luggage. Only the central platform has elevator access. To trick you into disembarking on the wrong side, the doors to the non-central platform open first. You have to wait, hanging grimly to your spot against the tide of frantic humanity that presses off the train, until the doors on the other side of the train open, allowing access to the central platform and the elevators. This is not signed anywhere and I found out only by trial and error and several visits. (If you do end up in a dead end, your only option is to wait for another train and then pass through once both sets of doors are open).

There are significant distances to wheel to and from the Aerotrain so give yourself plenty of time if transferring at IAD.

The Flying Circus 7 - Coping with jet-lag

There is no easy solution for jet lag with the kids. I have read that it takes roughly one day to adjust to a one hour shift in time, and my experience backs this up. As an adult you can do various things (ensure you sleep and wake in the new times as fast as possible, get plenty of sunshine and fresh air during the day in you r new time zone etc.) but your kids won’t do this. They will go to slepp when they are tired (their old bed times) and wake when they’re not (they’re old wake times) and this can really screw up your day. All you can do is try to work them into the new time zone a little bit every day, putting them to bed as close as possible to an appropriate time for your new time zone and insisting they stay there (even if they don’t sleep). Get them into the fresh air and outside as much as possible during the day in your new time zone. Try to maintain a routine as much as possible. It definitely helps if you are staying at the same location (hotel or friends’ house) for the first 3 or 4 nights to establish a routine. Make sure you bring some night-time stuff from home – a favorite teddy, or blanket, or pajamas, and try to keep the same night time routine as you use at home.

Frequently, my wife and I end up staying in the same hotel room as the kids. We learned quickly that they simply will not go to sleep if we are in the room. This has led to several unromantic evenings spent in the bathroom of the hotel room with the lights off waiting for slumber to settle in the bedroom. Nothing like sitting on the toilet sharing a glass of wine with your beloved! If you can afford a suite take it!