Overview

I visited the hotel as part of a volunteering event and met with different volunteers from the local area and local charities and organisations who were also attending.

Transport & Parking

I travelled to the hotel by car, but parking was a bit of a challenge as they accessible parking spaces are not Well marked. I am not sure how easy it is to get by train or by bus as I didn't see any bus stances outside the hotel.

Access

The hotel had a ramped side entrance which is shown in the photographs. This took us into the bar area of the hotel. The lady who was running the volunteer fair met me in this area. Member of staff, then took me to a boxed in platform lift this was quite a challenge to operate as you had to hold your finger down on the button to call the lift. Once inside you then had to hold your finger down on the floor that you want to go to. This could be quite challenging for anyone with a grip or hand strength issues. The platform lift once inside was very small. I had to move back once inside to make sure that my feet didn't catch on the wall of the lift, which made the journey very bumpy and uncomfortable. Once I came out of the lift on the third floor, I accidentally reversed into a chest full of linen which was directly across from the lift as I reversed. The room that the event was on was quite spacious and had tables around the outside of the room. They were also round tables at the top end of the room for people to have tea and coffee and biscuits.

Toilets

The accessible toilet was very small, had plenty of handrails. I had to reverse up to the left-hand side of the toilet to be able to use my transfer board. The sink in the bathroom was very small, which I struggled to get my knees under and so struggled to reach. The hand dryer and the hand soap were fastened to the wall and so were difficult to reach also. The toilet didn't have a red emergency cord which is something that I would recommend the hotel traced address as if anyone fell in the toilet. They have no means of asking for help.

Staff

The staff were very pleasant and helpful in helping me find where the event was. Most of the staff didn't know what was happening at the event which was quite disconcerting.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The hand sanitiser dispensers in at different points within the hotel, which was reassuring.

Photos