I recently stayed for two nights at the New York Marriott East Side in a wheelchair accessible room with a roll-in shower and king size bed. The hotel is located at 525 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
I had not initially intended stay at this property, but the Renaissance New York Hotel 57 had given away their only accessible room with roll-in shower to another guest, despite my confirmed reservation. As a result, I moved to the Marriott East Side, at the corner of 49th Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
The hotel is accessed via a ramp at the front entrance on Lexington Avenue. Handicap-accessible, automatic doors are available at this entrance. The doors are activated by pushing a standard access button.
The room’s entry door opened outward into the hallway. This was challenging, but offered the benefit of being able to easily push the door open to exit the room.
The room’s interior offered plenty of space to maneuver in my wheelchair. The room’s layout allowed for easier access to the bed on its left side. Access to the right side of the bed would require a tight squeeze, but it is manageable.
To the left of the bed was a desk and chair. Power outlets were attached to the desk’s rightmost side, with easy and level access from the bed. Two outlets were available, suitable for charging electronics or wheelchairs.
The room’s refrigerator was placed inside a cupboard, awkwardly next to a large upholstered chair. This made access to the refrigerator difficult from my wheelchair, but it was accessible after some contortion. The hotel would have relocated the chair had I asked.
The restroom is also accessible. My wheelchair was able to easily roll up to the right side of the toilet. Grab bars were located on the adjacent walls, behind the toilet and to its left (from the seated position). The toilet paper roll was located within reach, but could have been closer.
The bathroom sink and towel racks were both lowered for easy access from my wheelchair. I was able to roll up to and beneath the sink, which was well designed for access by wheelchair users.
The roll-in shower featured grab bars on each of the three surrounding walls. The shower seat was of the portable (not built-in) variety and was delivered to the room after a call to the front desk. A handheld, cabled shower head is provided within easy reach and can be attached to a holder on the wall.
All in all, I was very pleased with my experience. The staff were remarkably friendly and willing to help with anything. The hotel was in compliance with the ADA standards of access and I look forward to future stays at this property.
Additional pictures of this hotel are provided below:
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