The ADA needs to do something about this!

[HACKNSACK44]

As you all know my wife and I love to travel. I use a Hoyer lift to get in and out of bed when staying at the hotels. I spend a lot of time researching on the web for a hotel that will have a bed that will work with my Hoyer lift. We thought we found the right one in South Beach. The pictures on the website showed me exactly what we needed. I made reservations directly through the hotel and they confirmed we would have that bed. We show up and it's not the right bed! My lift would not fit under the bed they gave us. They said it was a accessible room but they had so much furniture in there I couldn't get around. Of course it was night time, big events going on down there so they said they would see what they could do in the morning. So I slept in my wheelchair. Which is not good! Anyway they couldn't find anything. So all we could do is drive 5 hours back home. They are refunding our CC. We are going after them to reimburse us for the tickets we purchased. I feel so aggravated! I did everything I was supposed to do and I still got screwed! Why does the ADA allow hotels to use platform beds or beds without enough clearance for a Hoyer lift in the ADA hotel rooms? This doesn't make any sense!


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[SCI-Nurse]

Well, first of all, you do know that there is no agency or policy body called the ADA, right? The ADA is a law, with regulations developed under the law by the Access Board. The Access Board does not have any enforcement authority though, so enforcement must be achieved by complaints through the Dept. of Justice (DoJ) or Dept. of Transportation (DoT) or Dept. of Labor, depending on what section of the ADA the complainant sees was violated.

Secondly, although the ADA regulations related to lodging establishments have guidelines for bathrooms, doorways, etc. there is nothing in the ADA that mentions or sets standards for beds. You can certainly contact the Access Board and ask that they address this in the next version of the ADA regulations/guidelines, but it will be an uphill fight against the strong lobbying forces behind the major hotel/motel chains. Similar problems have been encountered with the still incomplete regulations related to cruise ships; and those have been in development for over 15 years now.

Did you ask for a roll-away bed as an option? Did you ask them to remove the excess furniture? We have done both of these in the past (when I traveled with my mother, who used a lift). We have also demanded that they find us a suitable room at a different hotel since they violated their agreement to provide us a non-platform bed.

You might want to put the name of the hotel on your post. Shaming them may make you feel better, and will warn others to avoid giving them your business.

(KLD)

[Patton57]

I experienced something comparable and ended up asking to sleep on the cots they'll add to your room for an extra $10. I was staying in a $225/night waterfront room and slept on a $10 extra cot. The chair to bed transfer was a 10" difference. I can do 6" or less and encounter that frequently. This was the first 10" difference. I wonder if these high beds are set up this way to keep the staff from having to bend over to make the beds everyday.

Traveling for me keeps becoming more uncertain over time. Planning is becoming less effective as well but you still have to because if you don't then it is definitely your fault if it falls short.

[landrover]

Can I ask why you didn’t stay at the Gale again

[micah_d]

I experienced something comparable and ended up asking to sleep on the cots they'll add to your room for an extra $10. I was staying in a $225/night waterfront room and slept on a $10 extra cot. The chair to bed transfer was a 10" difference. I can do 6" or less and encounter that frequently. This was the first 10" difference. I wonder if these high beds are set up this way to keep the staff from having to bend over to make the beds everyday.

Traveling for me keeps becoming more uncertain over time. Planning is becoming less effective as well but you still have to because if you don't then it is definitely your fault if it falls short.

I hate high beds! One time I had to sleep on the pull out couch bed after driving 10 hrs.

[landrover]

I always email or call the hotel and speak to the housekeeping department (or dept responsible for the beds) directly. I never depend upon the reservation dept or front desk, and I never rely on the website pictures. With enough notice, I have found hotels willing to accommodate my bed needs with enough notice. I agree, it is a pain and an added stress when traveling. The first thing I do when arriving at a hotel is to check the bed clearance, and I breathe a huge sigh of relief when all is ok. I’ve often thought of petitioning hotels to request that they have one standard bed frame available.

[mrb]

Same problem in the UK. Like Landrover I always contact the hotel directly and explain my needs. I also ask them whether they have bed raising feet and if not could they source something. I've had many different bodges, reams of copier paper to raise bed or blocks of wood. Most of my travel is work related so I rent a hospital bed and air mattress, it makes everything easier from my comfort to my support workers moving and handling. Not cheap but well worth it

[HACKNSACK44]

Well, first of all, you do know that there is no agency or policy body called the ADA, right? The ADA is a law, with regulations developed under the law by the Access Board. The Access Board does not have any enforcement authority though, so enforcement must be achieved by complaints through the Dept. of Justice (DoJ) or Dept. of Transportation (DoT) or Dept. of Labor, depending on what section of the ADA the complainant sees was violated.

Secondly, although the ADA regulations related to lodging establishments have guidelines for bathrooms, doorways, etc. there is nothing in the ADA that mentions or sets standards for beds. You can certainly contact the Access Board and ask that they address this in the next version of the ADA regulations/guidelines, but it will be an uphill fight against the strong lobbying forces behind the major hotel/motel chains. Similar problems have been encountered with the still incomplete regulations related to cruise ships; and those have been in development for over 15 years now.

Did you ask for a roll-away bed as an option? Did you ask them to remove the excess furniture? We have done both of these in the past (when I traveled with my mother, who used a lift). We have also demanded that they find us a suitable room at a different hotel since they violated their agreement to provide us a non-platform bed.

You might want to put the name of the hotel on your post. Shaming them may make you feel better, and will warn others to avoid giving them your business.

(KLD)

Yes I know the ADA is a law. Thanks!

So what idiots make up the ADA regulations again? Lets see I can get into the doors, go to the bathroom, etc. but I can't get into bed. That makes a lot of sense!

Did you see my second picture? Where was a roll-away bed going to fit? The bed was attached to the wall. I couldn't even move around in the room.

[HACKNSACK44]

Can I ask why you didn’t stay at the Gale again

Because they decided to JACK their prices WAY up.

[HACKNSACK44]

I always email or call the hotel and speak to the housekeeping department (or dept responsible for the beds) directly. I never depend upon the reservation dept or front desk, and I never rely on the website pictures. With enough notice, I have found hotels willing to accommodate my bed needs with enough notice. I agree, it is a pain and an added stress when traveling. The first thing I do when arriving at a hotel is to check the bed clearance, and I breathe a huge sigh of relief when all is ok. I’ve often thought of petitioning hotels to request that they have one standard bed frame available.

Well from now on I will be asking for a picture with a measuring device to show me how much clearance there is.