Overview

The Crowne Plaza's Stephenson Quarter location is uphill from the River Tyne. We didn't catch the fog on our visit, but we found it to be a nice place to stay, offering an accessible room, a restaurant, and a bar. It's a little out of the way from the town's bars and restaurants, with only a few nearby. However, it is an 8-minute walk from the train station. The downside is the parking, as it is not free for Blue Badge holders in the adjacent multi-storey, and on-street parking is limited.

Transport & Parking

This venue does not have its own parking facilities; however, attached to the building is a public-use multi-storey car park with 360 spaces. Parking can also be paid for at the hotel and costs £12 for 24 hours. I'm unsure how many accessible parking spaces are in the car park, as we were lucky enough to find parking on Forth Street, where all spaces are standard sized, but there was no charge to blue badge holders. There is small drop-off area outside of the automatic doors at the entrance, as well as just downhill from the entrance. The nearest train station is Newcastle Railway Station, which is 640 metres away. You can also access the Metro from the train station.

Access

The access overall is a little mixed. The lifts are spacious, with Braille markings on the buttons, a hearing loop, and a perimeter rail. My room was on the first floor, and the door to the corridor was pinned open. Card keys need to be tapped on the door handle to open the room door. The door is heavy upon opening but also features a slow-closing mechanism, which makes leaving the room a little easier. I was advised that there are six accessible rooms, distributed across the floors. We were given a double bed, but there is only enough space for a right-side transfer as the bed was close to the window. The curtains are hard to access when seated in a wheelchair. The main foyer is spacious, with smooth flooring throughout and automatic doors at the entrance. There's also a lowered section on the counter for wheelchair users. The bar has some carpeted sections, which I always find a challenge in a manual chair. The restaurant, where we only had breakfast, does have enough space for a powerchair, but it can get quite busy, and I had to ask a few people to move to get to my table. À la carte food options are available if you'd like something hot brought to you. The restaurant is buffet-style at breakfast. I had to ask for help to pick what I wanted to eat, as the hotplates were set far back. I expect the real reason for this is to protect small children, but it is frustrating when everyone else can freely help themselves. Signage is minimal, with no alternative formats used.

Toilets

The accessible toilet in the accessible room is a spacious wet room, with plenty of room to manoeuvre most, if not all, mobility devices. There are two sinks: one next to the toilet and another next to the shower. The toilet seat has space for a left-side transfer and white grab rails on both sides, set against grey tiles. The sink next to the toilet has a small basin, a lever-style tap, and rails on both sides. The emergency red cord is on your left when seated and was not tied up, which we love to see. The shower features grab rails, a shower seat, and both a static shower head and a shower hose. Sadly, there isn't a hoist, which is a real shame. The door opens outwards, into the room.

Staff

The staff were friendly, helpful and eager to receive feedback.

Photos