Overview

The Sleeperz Hotel is a new hotel right next to the train station in Dundee. The staff were friendly, the hotel is very nice and well priced. The disabled access is good.

Transport & Parking

The hotel is in the centre of town so ideal for transport, right above the trainstation and a 5 minute walk from the bus station. There isn’t a car park but we were able to stop at the right side of the building by going down a different street.

Access

There is a big automatic double door to enter the building. It is unclear at first what to do as there was no signage, we figured we’d get the lift up to the first first floor. The lifts are very small, there are two next to eachother but one large lift would probably have been better! Myself, my carer and two bags barely fit in. The lift was just slightly longer than the length of my wheelchair and not much bigger than the width (see picture). We came out the lift and reception was right infront of us, there was a lower area of the desk which was great for filling the forms and communicating easily with staff. On the same level is the restaurant/bar area. The bar is very high, higher than my head, making it difficult to communicate and order. We were there for an event and the staff were very helpful so I didn’t need to order at the bar. The restaurant is very nice, a warm relaxing space. I managed to get around easily but as there was an event on the layout will be different normally so I can’t comment further on that. Most of the restaurant is accessible, there is a little sofa area next to a fireplace that is up a few stairs. The bedroom door is very heavy and I needed assistance to open and close it- but it makes you feel safe! The hall in the room is really wide with a good turning circle. The bathroom was on my left when I entered, entering the main area of the room- on the right there was a glass table and a chair, a mirror above the table and a kettle. The kettle was pretty high up and a challenge to reach, I also couldn’t see in the mirror as it was too high. The bed was a good height and next to the bed there was lots of room for my wheelchair, turning space, and it didn’t block the wardrobe space. There is space under the bed where a hoist could go or extra luggage! The red cord was at the more accessible side, there were also plugs which is ideal for plugging in my feeding pump over night. If you are on enteral feeding please note there wasn’t something I could hang my pump and feed on but a grip clip could easily be attached to the bedside table which was relatively thin glass. The bed and pillows were very firm, but comfy enough. I didn’t hear anything from other rooms in the evening and slept well. I could get round the other side to close the curtains but they were difficult to close and my helper had to do it for me.

Toilets

This is for the bedroom toilet as I didn’t use the restaurant toilet. The door to get in the toilet is a pull door which was a bit awkward, it also slowly closes when you open it. The toilet was very nice and clean, a good amount of space however not enough that the wheelchair would not get wet if left in the room when using the shower. There was a red cord and that hung down to the floor, the toilet was at a good height and transfer is from your right side. There was not a grab rail at this side though which could make transferring difficult- I tend to transfer from the front and swivel but this was not possible. The sink and mirror are at a good height and I could sit in my chair and do my makeup. The shower looked amazing, there was a fold down seat but no grab rails next to it which could be problematic if you are unsteady on your feet and also difficult for transfering. There was a rail on the side wall under the shower (a foot or two away from the seat) I don’t recall there being another one though

Staff

During booking I spoke to someone about the accessibility. My colleague was told there was no hoist (meaning she could not stay) and we were informed there were no twin accessible rooms. I asked about adjoining rooms which we were then offered but unfortunately told this is also chargeable, therefore when traveling with a carer- a person with disabilities will need to pay for two rooms. When we were there we were told they would be keen to hire a hoist in future, if you need a hoist and want to stay in the hotel I’d recommend phoning or emailing them and hopefully they can make this happen. The bar staff and reception staff were lovely, friendly and helpful

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I’m disappointed that a new hotel with 6 wheelchair accessible rooms have made all of them doubles, I would implore the hotel to change 2/3 of these to twin rooms, especially as an adjoining room would also have to be paid for. Many people with disabilities travel with carers and sharing a double room is not an appropriate situation. The door between rooms was still locked when we arrived at 6:30, when we returned to our room we asked at reception and someone came up with us to unlock it. I’d recommend fitting draw rods in so someone in a wheelchair can close the curtains themselves, and adding in even a portable grab rail to the shower to make this more accessible and safe. The door on the lifts closed so fast that it closed on us almost every time before we were in, this may just be a technical issue that needs fixed. I have feeding tube formula that needs to be kept cool, the rooms do not have fridges but the staff offered me the choice of putting it in their kitchen or having an ice bucket, I opted for the ice and this did the job. The staff were helpful with this which was great as this can be a barriet for me when traveling. I would recommend this hotel, the staff are friendly, the hotel is beautiful and clean and the price per night is good. However for wheelchair users, there are issues as I have outlined. I will mention the hotel seemed receptive to feedback and appeared to genuinely want to improve their accessibility. The seem to care about the city and about their customers.

Photos