Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

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Hilton Room Disappoints on Accessibility

Filed under: Living with a disability — by at 6:21 pm on Thursday, October 22, 2009

The bright lights and signs at the luggage carousel at the Las Vegas airport.Thanksgiving Day, Darrell and I made our third pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the BlogWorld and New Media Expo. The slot machines, bright lights and ads everywhere as soon as stepping off the plane is no longer overwhelming and makes our Vancouver International Airport seem boring and calming in comparison.

Statue of Elvis Presley at Las Vegas HiltonThis year we decided to stay at the Las Vegas Hilton, where Elvis had performed 837 consecutive sold out concerts, to be closer to the Convention Center for the three days of BlogWorld. (This photo was taken at 6am the morning we left, which explains why it is so dark.)

Our furniture-stuffed room at the Las Vegas Hilton We were looking forward to experiencing the poshness of the Hilton. We had visited the Hilton in previous years and were impressed by its overall accessibility. However, we were immediately disappointed by our accessible room. Two double beds, an oversized chair and ottoman, plus our two wheelchairs made for a rather cramped room.

Our accessible bathroom at the Las Vegas HiltonThe bathroom was more spacious, with plenty of room to maneuver our wheelchairs. Curiously, the grab bars were used as towels racks. Even though a bath bench was provided, the legs were not adjustable, making it impossible to place over the side of the tub and, hence, rendering it useless for bathing. When asking at the front desk, housekeeping did not have any other benches with adjustable legs.

Darrell in his wheelchair, sitting beside the bedThe worst annoyance was the bed’s height. The bed was higher than Darrell’s wheelchair wheelchair arm. How many accessible beds are that friggin’ high? Darrell had to transfer up to bed, on a rather soft mattress. As for me at only 5”3’, climbing into bed took on a whole new meaning! According to the front desk, all of the beds are this height.

 Automatic door opener at the Las Vegas HiltonBut, having said all of that, this was the first hotel room Darrell and I have experienced with an automatic door opener!

Bathing was dubious, getting into bed an effort, but, at least, we could leave the room with ease!

Even though we enjoyed the rest of the Hilton’s amenities and enjoyed being so close to the Convention Center, we will likely be returning to the more accessible Imperial Palace or another Vegas hotel next year.


Part 1: Hilton Room Disappoints on Accessibility

Part 2: Dreams Do Come True – With a Little Help from Friends

Part 3: Making the Impossible Possible – Not Always Perfect or Pretty

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2 Comments »

Comment by FlyPR_Ilka

October 22, 2009 @ 7:16 pm

We stayed at the Hilton for Blogworld Expo 09 too and also were not that impressed…but it was practically attached to the Convetion Center and that’s why I picked it. Bummer that the staff was not more helpful to you.

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