|
Bill Ditmar
|
posted 9/17/02 9:06 PM
A few months ago I trekked to my annual family reunion in Fresno Ca. USA. It was the first time for me in a Wheelchair. I booked a room for the wife and I at the Holliday Inn Express Fresno. 6051 N. Thesta Ave. 2 months in advance. I was Guaranteed a Handicap room w/roll-in shower. I called a few times as the date got closer to re-verify and was allways assured of my accomodations.Imagine my delight when we arrived after a 5 hour drive on a Friday night (at midnight) to find not only didn't it have a roll-in shower,the tub was too high and narrow my Shower Chair. There were no Bars or rails at all in th e shower or arround the Toilet. The room had heavy carpet which made it difficult at best to use the wheelchair and the doorways were the width of the wheelchair so I took some of their paint with me. When I called the front desk the Manager appologized and told me they only had 1 room in the whole hotel with the accomidations I reserved and the people in the room next door to me had it. He offered to try and fine us another hotel to stay in. It was allready after midnight and we had to be up for the reunion at 6:30am, our daughters were in their rooms sleeping so I agreed to stay the night. They agreed not to charge for the room I was in. in the morning my wife gave me a sponge bath and we went to the reunion with me feeling very unconfortable and dirty.
These Reunions are usually a joyous occasion and we usually stay over a second night. All the cousins from all over the country meet fro breakfast the following morning and say their farewells until next year. We were all so miserable (because of me) that we left the reunion early and started off towards home. Our son's Fiance lives 30 miles from Fresno in a town called Tulare. There is an outlet mall there and the wife and daughters wanted to stop on the way home. I told them we would try and see if there was Hotel with a roll-in shower there, if so we would stay the night. To our surprise there was a great one! The Hawthorn Inn & Suties On I 99 & Prosperity. THe staff is the friendliest I have ever encountered. The room is more the spacious. The roll-in shower is truly that. The manager told me all their handicap rooms have roll-in showers. The railings go completly around the Toilet and there are several rails in the shower. There is a built-in fold up seat in the shower as well. They serve breakfast in the mornings (included), they have a Gym, Pool, Lounge w/Bar. And best of all the price was less than Holliday Inn Express!
|
