Overview

As a wheelchair user I have often stayed at “accessible” hotels to find that upon arrival it is far from accessible. This was not the case with the Union Jack Club which I had not visited since becoming a wheelchair user. So on arrival, you are presented with a flight of steps up to the entrance, however I did not need to crawl up the steps lugging Whilma my trusty wheelchair behind me, for there was an external wheelchair lift just big enough for Whilma, myself and my suitcase which took me up to the entrance. There was just a slight issue negotiating a gate between the street and the entrance to the lift which a member of hotel staff was able to help me with and could be rectified if the gate opened out onto the street. Check in was a breeze, reception changed my room to an accessible one, the duty manager accompanied me up carrying my luggage for me and showed me how to use the card to access the room and all the facilities within it. I was not disappointed. The room unlocks with the use of a card which then automatically opens the door inwards for you to enter, the door will then automatically close behind you or you can press a button on the wall to close the door. The room itself apart from the usual things one would expect, was a good size with plenty of room to get around both sides of the bed in my wheelchair and plenty of storage space not just for my luggage but also Whilma so that she wasn't blocking my way to anything. The room featured two single beds that had been put together to make a king size bed, each bed had its own independent control to raise it at the head and/or foot end. The windows opened automatically and the curtains closed at the touch of a button, not that I required privacy 13 floors up!! The en-suite bathroom was accessed through a sliding door, and consisted of large wet room space with fold down shower seat and also a body drier which was the first time I had used one. There were two sinks one at normal standing height and one at wheelchair height with mirrors above both. The toilet had pull down bars at both sides. It was clear that a lot of thought had been put into the planning of this room. Getting around the Union Jack is very easy in the main. There is another wheelchair lift in reception that takes you up 4 or 5 steps to the lifts which take you to your room, bar and main dining area. Getting around the bar and dining area can be quite difficult at peak times, this is a very popular place for the Armed Forces family to gather in London and not everybody is self aware of the obstruction they are causing. However the staff were very obliging and you only had to ask and it was done. One of my main problems was using the self service breakfast area which required me to go take a look at what was available and then ask a member of staff to get it for me. What really let the Union Jack down was the lack of public lift to the function room in the basement, the only access available was via bar lift. Despite this I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and look forward to returning in the future, safe in the knowledge that my needs will be met.

Transport & Parking

Directly opposite the entrance to Waterloo station or short taxi ride to Euston.

Access

Toilets

Staff

Photos