Originally Posted by kmj37
As a person with a disability, I consider it absolutely unacceptable to book an accessible room when one is not needed, no matter the circumstances or the price. It is the ethical equivalent of parking in an accessible parking space, whether it is illegal or not.
Those rooms are there for people like myself who require those design modifications in order to complete basic, everyday functions like taking a shower. It is possible that harm will come to me if I'm forced to use a shower or other facilities without these modifications.
In the end, it is possible that you end up screwing a person who really needs the room. What if your hotel is the only hotel in the neighborhood with appropriate accommodations in that price level?
Consider also that many people with disabilities are limited in their transportation options. Renting a car may not be practical. Taxi use may be neither practical nor economical. Public transportation is hit or miss depending on the city. That hotel may be the only one within reasonable distance of the person's final destination, and you have possibly taken the last room available to that person at that hotel, out of greed, laziness, or general disregard for others.
I have a wife who is physically challenged and have had occasion to try and get her a room that was accessible. While I FULLY understand why you are upset I think you are pointing your anger in the wrong direction. While the OP "did not do the right thing" by booking the room to save $100.00, it is the property management that is being greedy here. They are offering an accessible room, at a discount no less, to anybody willing to pay. More over, they are discounting that room to get it filled so they can get to THEIR financial goal of 100% of capacity. I happen to agree with you that these rooms should be "held" for someone who needs them but the property management is not willing to take the hit on those rooms when they have no physically challenged guests, so much so that they are willing to “auction” the room off by lowering the price. Trust me on this- if they had NOT sold the room to the OP they would have given the room to the next person who walked in the door if it were the last room in the house, period, end of discussion. The end result would be exactly the same whether the OP took the room or not. Moreover, I book my stays on the website 100% of the time and have it down to a science. I FLY through and book my room always ticking the cheapest price offered as that is the correct thing for a Diamond to do (you will always get the upgrade if available regardless of the rate paid) and I can not tell you honestly that I really don’t look at the description just the price. Does that make me just as bad as you feel the OP is? I want a room at the cheapest price possible and I expect Hilton TO DO THE RIGHT THING and keep us out of it. I think that this is what the OP was trying to say, though I do not agree with his/her methods. The parking space analogy is a good one. This is like the local shopping center using a plastic, removable, accessible placard on the parking spaces and removing them when they are really busy to get more people in the store. That is the despicable part IMHO and someone should propose legislation that states “just having accessible rooms is not enough; they must be designated for use for those who need them.
AvidFlyer-