By the time I got to the curb in front of the Pendry Manhattan West on a sticky night last July, I was trying to hide my exhaustion. I had been up since the early morning in California to cross to the opposite coast alone, and I was doing it as a physically disabled woman.
In the homestretch of any journey, my cerebral palsy is often under the most stress between the street outside my hotel and my impending sleep. No matter how much I plan, I can’t quite predict how accommodating a hotel will be.
“The United States is arguably the most accessible country globally, largely due to social movements that led to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),” says Arturo Gaona, chief partnerships officer at Wheel the World, a worldwide booking platform that ties accessibility to hotel and tour recommendations. “However, the ADA has notable limitations that fail to account for the complexity and diversity of individual needs.”
If I had an accessibility checklist for a hotel to tick, it would come down to this: Ease above all, plus style if the hotel can swing it. The Pendry Manhattan West exceeded my expectations, starting with a ramp leading to a lobby adjoining a bank of elevators.
Every detail, including room features I’ll explain later, appeared to promote the ease of as many guests as possible. In hotels like that one, the ADA seems like a floor, not a ceiling.
“Accessibility isn’t a checkbox, it’s integral to customer service,” says Maayan Ziv, founder and CEO of AccessNow, which maps the accessibility of businesses and public spaces. “Disabled travelers don’t want to have to troubleshoot, call the front desk three times, or take measurements before booking. Like everyone else, they want to arrive and exhale.”
Considerations for disabled travelers can prioritize accessibility and be universally appealing—look at wheeled luggage, spoken GPS guidance, and even texting as examples of inclusivity that blend right in.
Considerations for disabled travelers can prioritize accessibility and be universally appealing—just look at wheeled luggage, spoken GPS guidance, and even texting as examples of inclusivity that blend right in.
To delve into the specifics, I looked at my own experiences and spoke with other disability advocates and hotel chains to share where improvements can be made, and how some are already being implemented.
Accessibility starts online
Booking a hotel these days usually starts and ends on a screen, and disabled travelers often struggle to know just what they’re reserving online until they arrive. While hotels commonly offer static imagery of their accommodations, it would be more inclusive to the one in four Americans who identify as disabled if these images were accompanied by specific measurements—and better yet, video tours.
These points give disabled travelers more confidence to book and greater autonomy upon arrival. (Side note: The website should be ADA compliant and designed for tools like screen readers, too.)
“It’s helpful to include descriptions of bed height, door widths, transfer spaces, bathroom layout, and shower types,” Gaona says. “Your booking engine should also let guests filter options based on accessibility features, such as ‘roll-in shower’ or ‘hearing accessible.’ Offering live chat or email support for further questions is ideal, especially if staff are trained to handle accessibility-related queries.”
Properties would benefit from illustrating public areas more clearly as well. Disabled travelers will be paying attention to how firm and even the flooring appears to be (wheelchair users will note the added force that carpeting requires), how bright or dim the hallways seem, and how often directional signage can be spotted. The less guesswork that goes into what to expect during a stay, the better.
At the Pendry Manhattan West hotel, an ADA suite has a lip-free, walk-in shower—and so did one traveler’s non-ADA room.
Courtesy of Pendry Hotels & Resorts
Accessibility isn’t one size fits all
Accessible rooms fulfill a law, not necessarily a lifestyle. “The listing may say ‘accessible,’ but accessible for whom?,” Gaona says. It may seem as though bases are covered when a space is built or retrofitted to meet ADA requirements, but those standards don’t reflect the daily lives of all disabled travelers.
For advocate and content creator Chelsea Bear, who has cerebral palsy and uses a mobility scooter, two components that deserve more attention are beds and doors.
“I frequently encounter hotel beds that are extremely high, even in ADA-designated rooms, which makes it difficult for me to safely get in and out,” she says. “I’m usually fine opening doors independently, but some are so heavy that it becomes nearly impossible when I’m alone.”
Ideally, the height from the floor to the top of the mattress would be between 20 and 23 inches with at least 32 to 36 inches of space on one side of the bed, Gaona notes. And doors would have a button to automatically open it—from the main entrance and bathroom to a patio or balcony.
Bear works with hotels and tourism organizations to provide direct feedback, and she has found that Walt Disney World resorts provide automatic doors and Marriott has ideal bed heights (although the latter isn’t consistent).
Bathrooms are another potential pain point. Cory Lee is a full-time wheelchair user and disabled traveler who runs the award-winning blog Curbfree With Cory Lee. He has ventured all over the world (including national parks and Thailand’s cities and coastal towns) and also leads trips for disabled travelers.
But even he struggles with a certain finishing touch in bathroom design. “One of the biggest issues for me is finding an accessible roll-in shower,” he says. “So many have a little lip to get inside, and while that lip may only be a half-inch tall, it makes it nearly impossible for me to enter.”
Despite undertaking over 40 million trips across the United States and spending nearly $50 billion, approximately 80 percent of these travelers report negative experiences.
The same goes for paths, entrances, and hallways outside, he adds, so seamless connections are preferred. Surprisingly, Lee found that his overwater bungalow at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort showcased these amenities, while Disney’s Aulani Resort and the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa had similar features.
To make a hotel bathroom accessible, functionality is everything. Vanities should have enough clearance to roll under without hitting knees, plus fixtures and toiletries that are within reach. A roll-in shower should have a foldable bench and a handheld, height-adjustable showerhead, Gaona says.
“Grab bars must be securely mounted next to the toilet and inside the shower, with enough space for a 60-inch turning radius if possible,” he continues. “And the toilet seat should be between 17 and 19 inches high.” For his part, Gaona commends Hotel Riu Plaza Espana in Madrid and Cascada Hotel in Portland, Oregon, for meeting these standards. (Oregon recently became the first accessibility-verified state by Wheel the World in the United States.)
Lastly, lighting deserves proper consideration. Author and activist Fin Leary is autistic and has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and he appreciates when there’s a variety to choose from. “I often need low and dimmable lighting when I’m traveling,” he says. “Some of my friends require brighter or overhead lighting as an access need, especially blind or low-vision friends, so it really should be best practice to have options.” When hotels allow guests to set the right vibe, everyone’s mood stays even-keeled.
Inclusive design should be the standard, not the exception
Even non-designated accessible rooms should take inclusive design into account, simply because it’s often the most accommodating option. Seamless walk-in showers make for a safer transition in and out of a slippery space for all ages. Doors that open automatically take that task off the plate for someone juggling luggage or managing small sightseers. And practically everyone would rather turn off the lights from bed than navigate an unfamiliar path in the dark.
As a testament to the variety of disabilities, I almost never book an ADA-compliant room. Since they generally cater to wheelchair users, and that’s an aid I rarely use, there’s more clearance around beds and in bathrooms. Those additional inches often mean more unnecessary steps for me—and conserving my energy is a travel must.
At the Pendry Manhattan West, my non-accessible room fulfilled all of my personal needs, and its design still addressed basic usefulness for all: a lip-free, walk-in shower, a light switch panel above the nightstand, and a well-proportioned footprint.
In other words, the property got an A+. It greeted me with a rare type of comfort: Thoughtful design that looks as good as it feels.
How hotels are welcoming disabled travelers
Hotels that take a nuanced approach to accessibility usually have more than compassion in mind. Disabled adults spend about $50 billion on their own travel, according to the results of a national market study released last year by Open Doors Organization, and the accommodations they choose also impact the family and friends they might be exploring with. “Despite undertaking over 40 million trips across the United States and spending nearly $50 billion, approximately 80 percent of these travelers report negative experiences,” Gaona says. “This raises an important question: What is the potential economic impact for the industry if accessibility is prioritized? The evidence suggests a significant return on investment.”
In the past few years, Marriott has partnered with nonprofit consulting organizations like Disability:IN and individual advocates to create inclusive staff training, modify room designs, and provide real-time feedback of those upgrades. Hilton has worked with Be My Eyes to partner low-vision and blind guests with specially trained staff, and IHG-branded hotels provide property-wide details during the booking process in order to tailor stays to specific needs. Changes are happening, and more may certainly be in store. For disabled travelers like me, it’s always better late than never.
“The future of hospitality is inclusive, and the most forward-thinking hotels won’t wait to be told—they’ll lead,” Gaona says. “By proactively designing for all guests, [hotels] reach millions of travelers with disabilities, while also welcoming families, aging populations, and anyone who benefits from thoughtful design.”
