The Hyatt Regency DFW Airport Hotel is a wheelchair accessible hotel located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. While the hotel is not directly attached to the airport terminal like its sister property Grand Hyatt, it is easily accessible via a complimentary shuttle.
During an overnight layover in Dallas, I decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport hotel. I selected this property over the Grand Hyatt due to a much lower nightly room rate. Since I was only searching for a place to get some sleep, the added luxury of the Grand Hyatt didn’t make sense. Even so, I was happy to find that the Hyatt Regency offered an abundance of comfort, and proved to be a hotel I didn’t want to leave.
Reservation, Airport Shuttle & Check-in
Due to some bad weather on the east coast, I wasn’t sure if I would make it to Dallas the night of my stay. Not wanting to get locked into a reservation if I couldn’t make it, I held off on making one until landing at DFW Airport. After my plane touched down in Dallas, I used the Hyatt mobile app to book an ADA hotel room with a roll-in shower. The rate was $119 inclusive of state and local taxes. If the mobile phone app is not your style, you can make reservations through the hotel’s website at www.dfw.regency.hyatt.com.
Once I had collected my checked baggage, I called the hotel for a wheelchair accessible shuttle. The primary shuttles used by the Hyatt Regency are not wheelchair accessible, but they have their own wheelchair accessible van with a rear-entry ramp. It is owned by the hotel, so you should not have to wait long for it to pick you up.
Once the shuttle had picked me up, it was a 2-3 minute ride to the hotel. While it is a short distance, walking is not possible, as there are stairs inside the airport parking garage you would need to pass through.
Check-in was a breeze, and I had my room keys within a few minutes. One of the front desk agents helped me with my bags and showed me to my hotel room.
Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Room #1240
My room was on the 12th floor. While there are ADA rooms on lower floors, I always ask to be as high up as possible. I was hoping to have a view of the airport runways, but the room was on the wrong side of the hotel.
The king size Hyatt Grand Bed sat atop a platform and was fitted with comfortable linens and plenty of pillows. It was set at a lower height than most beds I have seen as of late, but the top of the mattress was still several inches taller than the seat of my wheelchair.
Space to accommodate a power wheelchair was available on both sides of the bed. Power outlets were only accessible on the left side, located on the wall above the nightstand.
On the wall opposite the bed was a chest of drawers, a flat screen television and a desk area. The second photo above offers a close-up few of the desk, which was accessible to wheelchairs. The wheeled desk chair was easy to push out of the way.
Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom
I reserved a room with a wheelchair accessible roll-in shower. Although the shower was better than at most other Hyatt hotels, it still failed to meet the ADA design requirements.
Roll-in showers must contain a shower seat that is attached to one of the side walls, but no such seat was installed. The hotel instead provided a portable and height-adjustable shower bench. This bench was much sturdier than many of the portable chairs I have seen at other hotels. It could be positioned freely, and I placed it within reach of the water controls and handheld shower nozzle. The bench was still not secure, and slid across the floor of the shower.
No grab bars were provided in the shower, another ADA violation and a significant safety liability for this hotel.
Soap, shampoo and conditioner was located in a small recess in the shower wall, making them easy to reach. Perhaps most important was the shower curtain, which could be drawn to protect my power wheelchair from the spray of water.
Bath towels were placed on a lowered towel rack just outside the shower. All-in-all, this was a fantastic and wheelchair accessible roll-in shower that suited my needs perfectly.
The toilet was set to the left of the shower and featured grab bars on both of the adjacent walls. There was plenty of space to park my wheelchair next to the toilet, and I was able to execute safe side-to-side transfers. The toilet paper roll was easily accessible.
The bathroom sink is pictured in the second photo above. It was safe to roll underneath the countertop and sink, but some of the items were out of reach. The towel rack, close-up/adjustable mirror and the shelf holding glasses and mouthwash should be lowered to increase access and improve their usability for guests with disabilities.
Final Thoughts
The purpose of my stay was to get a night’s rest and take a shower before an early morning flight. Due to my late night arrival and early morning departure, I didn’t have the opportunity to check out the hotel’s restaurant or swimming pool. I don’t even recall turning on the television in my room.
That said, I can definitely say that the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport Hotel is an extremely comfortable accommodation if you need to stay near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. I appreciated the convenience of the airport shuttle van, and the fact that it only took a few minutes to get to/from the airport terminal.
