Paris Appendices A, B & C
by Howard L. Chabner & Michele E. DeSha © 2003

APPENDIX A

Hotel Wheelchair Access Questionnaire 

Dear Sir/Madam: 

My wife and I will arrive in Paris on [            ] and depart on [           ]. We will stay for [       ] nights.  

I use an electric wheelchair that is [[ ] centimeters ([ ] inches)] wide. I am unable to walk at all. My wife is not disabled. We would like a non-smoking room with one large bed. We have the following questions about your hotel: 

1.      Do you have any specially equipped (adapted) wheelchair accessible guest rooms?  If not, please disregard the other questions.  Thank you and we would appreciate a recommendation of hotel in the area that does have specially equipped (adapted) wheelchair accessible guest rooms. 

If you do have specially equipped (adapted) wheelchair accessible guest rooms, we have the following questions.  Please answer even if you are fully booked for the requested time, because we are interested in your hotel for the future. 

1.      Is it necessary to go up or down any stairs in order to get from the street entrance to the guest room?  Does the building have an elevator?  If so, how wide is the elevator door and what are the interior dimensions of the elevator? 

2.      In the bathroom, is there space for a [   ] cm wide wheelchair on one side of the toilet? What is the width of the doorway into the bathroom?  What is the height of the toilet?  What is the size of the shower?  Can a wheelchair roll into the shower?  Are there grab bars near the toilet and shower?

3.      Are all the doorways in the room at least 75 cm wide?

4.      What is the size of the room?  Does this include the bathroom?

5.      Was the building renovated recently? 

            If you do have specially equipped (adapted) wheelchair accessible guest rooms, is the room available on the nights mentioned above?  If yes, please quote a price.   

Thank you very much.  We can be reached at [                    ].   We really appreciate any help you can provide. 

Very Truly Yours

APPENDIX B

 Metric Conversion Guide 

One inch = 2.54 centimeters. 
One centimeter = 0.3937 inches
One meter = 39.4 inches
One square meter = 10.76 square feet
One kilometer = 0.62 miles
One mile = 1.61 kilometers
One kilogram = 2.2 pounds
One pound = 0.454 kilograms  (454 grams)

APPENDIX C

 Hotel Wheelchair Access Survey Results 

            Accessible and/or Adapted 

            The following hotels told us either that they have adapted rooms or are accessible.  The hotels we visited are marked with **.  Room size and other details are provided when available.  Many hotels have very small rooms that would be extremely cramped for most wheelchair users although literally “accessible” per the French definition. 

We visited this hotel of approximately 180 rooms, which we were informed had been renovated in 2001 or 2002.  The main entrance has two high stairs, but there is an alternate entrance without stairs a few steps away.  The staff was very gracious.  We were told there are three adapted rooms, but the hotel was fully occupied so we were unable to see any rooms.  We were told that the deluxe room size is 20 square meters, including bathroom.  The information we were told in person contradicted the questionnaire response regarding whether there are roll-in showers or just regular inaccessible showers.  We were told the following:  elevator door width is 155 cm (61 inches); toilet height is 41 cm (16 inches); bedroom door width is 85 cm (33.5 inches); and bathroom door width is 75 cm (29.5 inches).  

There is one accessible room located on the ground floor. Room size is 10 or 12 square meters. Bedroom door width is 80 cm (31.5 inches). We were told there is a roll-in shower with bench. 

There is one small stair at the entrance.  There is one accessible but not adapted room located on the ground floor.  Room size is 16 square meters; bathroom size is 5-6 square meters.  There is a shower, but it is unclear whether it is a roll-in shower.  There are no grab bars.  There is at least 70 cm (27.5 inches) of space at one side of the toilet. 

We visited this 36-room hotel, which we were told had been renovated in 1998.  There is a small step at the entrance, and automatic sliding doors.  The staff was extremely gracious, both on our visit and in response to our email inquiries.  The elevator was large enough for Howard’s wheelchair and two able-bodied people, though it was too narrow to turn around in.  There are two or three adapted rooms, all of which were occupied when we visited the hotel.  We saw a standard room; it was far too small for a wheelchair.  We were told that the adapted rooms are deluxe rooms and junior suites, and that there are no roll-in showers but the sinks are large.   

The elevator is large enough for a wheelchair.  There is a bathtub only, no roll-in shower.

There are two adapted rooms on the ground floor.  We were told that one has a roll-in shower but is small, and the other is larger but has a bathtub only.

This hotel opened in 2000.  The entrance has no stairs.  There is an accessible room on the ground floor.  Room size is approximately 20 square meters.  There is a bathtub only, no roll-in shower.  There are no grab bars. 

The building was renovated in 2000.  There are adapted rooms on the ground floor, accessible via a side entrance to the hotel.  There is a roll-in shower but no grab bars.  Bathroom size is 5 square meters.   

This hotel opened in 2000.  There are no stairs at the main entrance.  Accessible room size is 24 square meters, including bathroom.  Elevator door width is 80 cm (31.5 inches).  Elevator size is 107 cm (42 inches) by 139 cm (54.5 inches).  Bedroom door width is 90 cm (35.5 inches).  Bathroom door width is 80 cm (31.5 inches).  Toilet height is 48.5 cm (19 inches).  There is a bathtub only, no roll-in shower. 

There is one adapted room on the ground floor.  We were quoted rack rate for a triple room even though there were only two of us; perhaps the only accessible room is a triple.  There are a shower and bathtub, but the shower is inaccessible.  There are grab bars. 

   This “apartment-hotel” with cooking facilities opened in 2000.  Studios have foldout beds and are 25 square meters; apartments are 38 square meters, in both cases including the bathroom.  13 apartments are “equipped for people with reduced mobility” and have larger bathrooms than standard apartments, with grab bars near the toilet and bathtub.  There are no roll-in showers.  

A triple room, located on the ground floor, is accessible and has wider doors and a larger bathroom than in the standard rooms.  There are no grab bars.  The building was renovated in 1994.  

There is a small stair at the entrance.  There are four adapted rooms; the size is 22 square meters including bathroom.  Elevator door width is 78 cm (30.5 inches).  Bathroom door width is 78 cm (30.5 inches).  There are bathtubs only, no roll-in showers.  There is transfer space adjacent to the toilet.  There are grab bars near the toilet and bathtub.  The building was renovated in 1999.

We visited this 22-room hotel, which we were told had been renovated in 2002.  The lobby is small but there is a gradually sloped front entrance without any stairs.  The elevator is too small for a wheelchair.  There are two rooms on the ground floor through a charming courtyard, one of which is the designated adapted room.  It is quite small; we were told it is 12 square meters.  The bathroom is fairly large; we were told it is 6 square meters. There is sufficient transfer space adjacent to the toilet.  There is no roll-in shower.  The other ground floor room has a larger bedroom but a smaller bathroom, and the bathroom doorway is too narrow for a wheelchair.  Both rooms have 5 cm (2 inch) high thresholds at the entrance.

Accessible room size is 20 square meters including bathroom.  There are grab bars.  There is a bathtub only, no roll-in shower.

There is one accessible room, located on the ground floor.  We inspected this room in 2000 and found it to be quite small.  Stated room size is 15 square meters; stated bathroom size is 5 square meters.  Stated bedroom door width is 80 cm (31.5 inches).  Stated bathroom door width is 70 cm (27.5 inches).  There is a bathtub only, no roll-in shower.  There are no grab bars.  The toilet may be in a tight corner with inadequate side transfer space. 

There is one accessible but not adapted room, located on the ground floor.  There is a bathtub and shower, but the shower has a step.  There are no grab bars.

We visited this 36-room hotel, which we were told had been renovated in 2001.  The entrance is level.  The hallways are extremely narrow, and Howard was just barely able to fit into the elevator.  We were shown two designated accessible rooms; one is very small and the other tiny.  There are grab bars.  There are bathtubs and no roll-in showers.

We visited this 75-room hotel, which we were told had been renovated in 1999.  The entrance is level.  The elevator was easily large enough for Howard’s wheelchair and two able-bodied people, although it wasn’t wide enough to turn around in.  We were shown Room 601, one of two designated adapted rooms.  The bedroom is well appointed but small.  The bathroom is fairly large but lacks sufficient transfer space adjacent to the toilet; the sink is too close.  There is a bathtub, not a roll-in shower.  The bathroom is large enough to be reconfigured for better access, including replacing the bathtub with a roll-in shower.  We were told that the other adapted room in the hotel is the same size and also doesn’t have a roll-in shower.   

            Inaccessible

The following hotels told us, either in response to our questionnaire or on our site visit or both, that they have no adapted rooms, and either affirmatively mentioned that they are inaccessible or didn’t state that they are accessible notwithstanding the absence of adapted rooms.  The hotels we visited are marked with **.