It'sHip2B^2

I have no problem with it assuming that it is the last available room of your desired type. I've done it several times when the room was the only king left or the only non-suite left.

In my experience, those rooms usually only show up when you either search specifically for an accessible room or the other inventory for that room type is sold out (this isn't always true at hotels with lots of unique room types).

sethb

No, it was both of them. Either one could have avoided the problem.

CNWO4LIFE

Correct, but that poster was laying the blame at the feet of the person he felt "screwed over" a handicap person.

Doc Savage

State laws often require a property to have a certain number of accessible rooms built, even if that number is greater than the number actually needed for handicapped guests. Properties will know how often the accessible rooms go unused based on sales over however many months, and likely have a metric determining at what price inventory can best be managed.

escapefromphl

The accessible rooms at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort are 6k points cheaper (+/- 40k vs 46k points). When you go to book the room you get this message:

"This room has features for guests with disabilities. If you need these features, or there are no other rooms available that meet your needs, click Proceed. Otherwise, select a different room."

Kinda irritating.

troyintn

Makes sense never really thought about it until now. Learn something everyday.

jsmith50

I too have found accessible rooms sometimes less expensive. Still, I have usually only booked an accessible room if that's all the hotel showed available, then on check in asked for a regular room or asked about upgrade possibilities. Worst case scenario, you end up in a accessible room...no big deal (unless someone else needed that room, of course).

Tizzette

At a Hilton I like the only queen/queen rooms are handicapped accessible and some of them are for the hearing impaired, which means there is hardly any difference in appearance or fixtures. It says something general like "book these rooms if you need the special accommodations". A lot of people feel they need the queen/queen because they have 4 people and queens are comfortable two to a bed. All the other two bed rooms are double/double, not so comfortable. I am sure the hearing impaired are not the only ones snapping up these rooms because the availability disappears way in advance, and they actually sell for a premium.

aroundtheworld76

As this has come up twice in 48 hours, I would like to get input from FT folks about the ethics of booking accessible rooms when one does not need those particular features.

On Tuesday, I ended up needing to stay near DTW last minute. The HH phone app showed a reasonable rate at the Hampton Ann Arbor south while most other HH properties were either sold out or ridiculously expensive. I clicked through and the only rooms available (at any rate) at all were accessible rooms, complete with the "if you don't need this, please select another room" message. I called the property and they said not to worry, as they had room inventory not reflected online. So I booked it and sure enough ended up in a regular, non-accessible room.

Today when attempting to book a one night points stay in HNL I was flustered to find the points rates available on click through to be dramatically higher than those indicated on the search results page. I posted this frustration here on FT and was very helpfully advised that the lower rates are only available for accessible rooms. Hearing impaired at one property, roll in shower at another.

So, do my fellow FT'ers book such rooms? 50k/night vs 100k/ night is a pretty significant savings.

Despite my girlfriends insistence that I only hear every third word she says, I'm not actually hearing impaired. I would never want to deprive someone who is of a room that meets their needs. However, if nobody needs that room on that night, I'm happy to sleep in it.

jerry a. laska

I book accessible rooms if they are the only ones available and I often note in the comments that I don't need the accessible room. When checking in I also let the desk know that I don't need the accessible room, often I am moved to a regular room or a diamond upgraded room.
See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...-upgrades.html

darthbimmer

Would I book an accessible room when I don't need its accessibility? Absolutely, if those are the only rooms left. Many of my bookings are last-minute, when hotels are nearly full, so that happens occasionally to me. Who am I depriving of the room? If the hotel's booked full, presumably nobody. Unless somebody who needed an accessible room booked an ordinary room before me. Really that's their fault, but I cater to the possibility I always ask to be reassigned at checking. I tell the FD, "I don't need the accessibility, and I'd hate to think I'm depriving somebody who does need it." Usually they find an ordinary room for me. Unless they are booked full and I'm one of the last customers arriving for the night.

writerguyfl

As a former Revenue Manager, if it's the only room left or the cheapest rate, I say book the accessible room. Simply add a note to the comments indicating that you don't need it. There are always more accessible rooms than needed. As proof, here's a comment I made on similar thread in the SPG forum:

"In the 11+ years I worked in hotels, there was only one single night we ever needed all of our accessible rooms. Once in over 4,000 nights."

Link to that thread, if you care: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...i-reserve.html

Sisosig

It works the other way too. Had two stays with Marriott this month. In both cases was given an accessible room, without the front desk telling me. I felt extremely tired on both days, so I was happy to be able to just take a shower and jump into bed with the bonus of not running into any object.

Booked both stays to be certain my points would not expire, and so I think - given this great unpublished benefit (free unrequested upgrade to a handicapped room) - my next stay with them could be anywhere within the next two years.

darthbimmer

As an aside, I actually hate being assigned an accessible room. I always ask to be moved. One of the reasons is that some of the adjustments made in the name of "accessibility" are actually unsafe. For example, "roll in" showers are great for people confined to wheel chairs, but for anyone else-- including those who can walk, but barely, and use a walker or cane-- typically such showers have no barrier against water pouring all over the bathroom floor. The ensuing puddle is an enormous hazard. At least twice my mobility impaired wife has nearly slipped and fallen in a bathroom supposedly designed for her benefit.

IsleOfMan

I've asked to be moved a few times when receiving accessible shower rooms un-announced, but only because my ex wife had a hang-up on baths vs showers.

I have experienced the roll-in shower flood as described and on once occasion used a line of rolled-up towels as a barrier to channel water to the drain which was, inexplicably, in the middle of the bathroom itself instead of in the shower. That said, a shower with a seat is great after running a half marathon, even though a bathtub full of ice water would be more productive.