How to Find the Best Hotels for Wheelchair Users

Ask questions

Finding specific information about a hotel's accessibility features is time consuming. Unfortunately, most hotels do not post photos of their actual accessible guest rooms and the bathrooms online.

If you have questions, call the hotel directly — not the corporate reservation line. Get the name of the person you talk to and their email address. Take the time to patiently explain your specific needs. For example, some wheelchair users need open space under a bed for a Hoyer lift.

Another way to find an accessible hotel is to book hotels through accessibleGO.com. The company, part of the Priceline Partner Network, has collected access data on approximately 4,000 hotels in 45 U.S. cities. It's important for travelers with accessibility requirements to know how seriously the properties will take their requests: “Asking for a roll-in shower or accessible tub with grab bars is light-years away from requesting a late checkout,” says Miriam Eljas, accessibleGO's cofounder and CEO. “Hotels don't always register the severity of the need.”

We've seen some standouts. We've stayed in Aloft Hotels, a Marriott brand, in Chicago, Corpus Christi, Texas, Minneapolis and Munich. Each time, we've been impressed with how well the modern accessible rooms are designed. The new 14-story Holiday Inn Express Houston Galleria, an  IHG Hotels & Resorts brand, has a sofa sleeper in the accessible king guest room — a great feature for families. Our room at the elegant Waldorf Astoria Chicago, a Hilton brand, had a cozy in-room fireplace with a roll-in shower and a bathtub — a rare combo.

When asking your questions. consider these issues:

Room configurations when traveling with others. Wheelchair-accessible guest rooms, especially those with a roll-in shower, routinely have a king-size bed. A room with only one bed is awkward for anyone who travels with a companion. And families typically need more than one bed. Paying for an extra room is expensive.

One solution is to request a roll-away bed. Call the hotel to ask whether it offers this amenity — many do not — and, if it does, ask if you'll be charged extra for it. Consider booking an all-suite hotel (also known as extended stay properties). These hotels are more spacious and some of their room configurations include a separate living space with a sofa sleeper. Brands to compare include SpringHill Suites, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Place, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Residence Inn and Comfort Suites.

Guest room obstacles. Not every access issue is covered by the ADA. Bed height is not, for instance, even though it can dramatically affect someone's hotel stay. As luxury beds get higher and higher, wheelchair users find transferring from their chair to the bed impossible. “If I can't get into the bed, I can't sleep,” Sears says. “Usually the hotel is willing to remove the bed frame to lower the bed. This works well because it takes about 8 to 10 inches off the height. But some frames are fixed and can't be removed. Then I need to remove the mattress and just sleep on the box spring."