It’s Hell on Wheels When an Accessible Hotel Reservation Isn’t Honored

Our Takeaway: While this is only one person’s account, accessible reservations are not honored countless times a day leaving disabled travelers stranded with few options.  Non-existent training and a lack of awareness about the meticulous effort that wheelchair users expend to find a hotel room that fits their specific needs only to be turned away upon arrival is one reason why so few people with disabilities travel.

After nine hours driving across the southwest in my packed minivan, I could almost feel the hotel mattress by the time I rolled into the lobby of the Phoenix Hampton Inn. My achy shoulders and rumbling stomach subsided, knowing that after a week and almost 2,000 miles of driving, it was time for my Arizona vacation to begin. Five days in the sun, six baseball games and no responsibilities — I’d been looking forward to my first post-pandemic trip since I booked everything almost four months earlier.

I handed the receptionist my ID and credit card to confirm the reservation and watched her face change as she stared at her computer screen. I could feel my stomach and shoulders starting to groan again. Something was wrong. Read More.