walking . is . overrated

And thus begins my feature on accessible accommodation throughout Auckland City. Firstly, I take a look around the modern SkyCity Hotel, situated within Auckland’s iconic Skytower.

The first thing I noticed about the SkyCity Hotel, which sponsors the NZ Special Olympics team, is how well thought-out every element appears to be; nothing seems to be an afterthought. Everything from the well-positioned card-swipe machines in the lifts right through to the sink with enough room underneath it to slide a wheelchair, you can tell this hotel has been built with wheelchair users in mind. Unfortunately, braille is yet to be included on the lift’s buttons, and there is plenty of carpet for manual chair users to traverse, but on the whole the designers have done a pretty good job. So without further ado, let’s launch into it!

The room: The SkyCity Hotel has 16 accessible hotel rooms, quite a respectable number in my opinion, which are all located a short distance from the hotel’s lifts. The room I was shown was a twin room, with two double beds, separated by just enough space to squeeze a wheelchair down the middle. So whilst it wasn’t hugely spacious, I could certainly manoeuvre my wheelchair around. Furthermore, I was told that the hotel’s accessible King rooms have more moving space as they only have one bed, and are also all inter-connecting rooms, in order for a friend, family member, or support person to be within close proximity if desired.

The rooms all have great big windows, the views are unspectacular (at least, in the room I was shown) but nonetheless pleasant. The accessible rooms have deliberately lowered desks and luggage benches, which I thought was a nice touch. They also all have flat-screen LCD screens (26″ at a guess), some of which are mounted on the room’s wall. Rooms also feature a standard (and minibar, bedside lamps, and a safe! It was pointed out by my guide that the linen cupboard probably isn’t reachable by wheelchair users but reinforced the hotel’s staff readiness to help with anything at all simply by dialling reception. Additionally, there are phones placed throughout the hotel’s walkways, useful for dialling reception if you get stuck with a door or something equally unfortunate. Late checkouts are available based on seasonal availability.

The bathroom: I dunno about you guys, but bathrooms are the dealbreaker for me when selecting accommodation. It can be a tin shack in the middle of nowhere for all I care, as long as I can shower independently! Thankfully, the SkyCity Hotel doesn’t disappoint on this front. The bathroom is not overly expansive, but big enough to get everything done without feeling cramped. The shower is open-plan, with a shower chair built on to the side of the wall, which easily folds down ready to be sat on. The soap holder is also at a lower height, which is a nice thought, but how’s this for irony - it’s on the opposite wall! So there’s actually no way for the person on the shower chair to reach the soap. Nice idea, poor implementation.

I love SkyCity’s sink. Admittedly, sinks aren’t the kind of thing that usually get me worked up, but this one has been deliberately hollowed out so you can slide your wheelchair underneath! This shows thoughtfulness, insight, and other such admirable qualities. Click the picture for yourself. Everything’s at a good height on the sink’s bench; the taps, mirror, soaps, etc. But yeah, 10 points for the sink.

Other hotel amenities: The SkyCity Hotel has a wonderful sheltered rooftop pool, with stunning views of Auckland, however the pool doesn’t currently feature a hydraulic chairlift or anything so it may be inaccessible for some people. But not to worry, just soak up the summer rays on the side of the pool, it really is a lovely setting. On the same level is a sauna which I was able to fit my wheelchair into with a bit of skilful manoeuvring, and disabled toilets directly opposite the sauna entry door. That’s something else worth mentioning also, I am assured that every toilet in the SkyCity complex has an accessible option. Some readers might be disappointed to hear that the toilets are not self-contained, i.e. the accessible toilet is found within the male or female bathrooms, which makes it difficult for those with support people of the opposite sex.

The buffet restaurant I was shown, Fortuna, is a nice simple buffet set in an expansive seating layout, plenty of room to move around on the wooden floors (hooray!). Of course, there’s the casino if you feel like a flirt with lady luck, or the (personally recommended) Bar3 for those of you who feel like a dance, this place goes off during the weekend!

THE LOWDOWN:

• Qualmark Rating: * * * *
• Rates: $149+/night, seasonal
• Pros: Great wheelchair accessible bathroom, whole complex really well laid-out and designed with accessibility in mind. Friendly, helpful staff
• Cons: Lots of carpet which can be tough in a manual chair, pool not accessible, no braille on the lift buttons.
• Overall accessibility rating: 4 / 5
• SkyCity Hotel’s website
• Gallery of photos from the review