The main entrance is at the top of a large flight of stairs,
so we politely asked the doorman where the accessible entrance was. He rudely
asked if we were staying at the hotel and after hearing that we were not, he
told us there was no other way in and went back to his conversation. We were
left stunned at the hotel’s rejection and disappointed that such a thing could
happen after the success of the London 2012 Paralympics. While still in shock,
two different men kindly offered their help to get in the hotel, but I was not
prepared to let them risk injury (of themselves or me) just because the porter
was so unhelpful and lazy.
As the shock faded, I decided to ask the porter how we would
get in if we were staying at the hotel. He mentioned a ‘stair climber’ but
still did not offer to get it. We then told him we wanted to go to the bar and
he reluctantly said he would go and get it.
Eventually, when the stair climber appeared, the porter
tried to make a sarcastic joke as we climbed the stairs. We found it to be in
bad taste after the way he had treated us and there was no offer of an apology.
Once finally inside the hotel, the bar staff could not be more
helpful and the wheelchair access throughout was great so it was disappointing
one person’s actions could ruin a very accessible venue which is proud of its access improvements.
As a full time wheelchair user, I have never felt so
humiliated and met anyone so ignorant. We had never met the porter before so he
did not know how much money we were planning to spend or if we were even guests
at a wedding which was being celebrated the same evening. He would have been
happy for my friend and I to find another venue if we hadn’t have spoken up and
as a large London hotel, he gave a terrible impression to any disabled tourists
who may have tried to get in.
Have you had a bad experience with a hotel porter or been denied access due to your wheelchair in the past?
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