The average Indian hotel isn’t disability-friendly.
Whether it’s a deluxe suite, or something as simple as the corridor, guests with disabilities can have a frustrating time moving around during their stay—especially if they’re travelling alone.
A select group of hotels, however, have pushed to make their stays as inclusive as possible using accessible rooms. Designed to be wheelchair-friendly, these rooms tend to also cater to visual and hearing impairments.
Accessible rooms offer barrier-free beds and desks, wider doorways, and easy access to switches while seated. The bed and bathroom fittings are at convenient heights, with special alarms, doorbell/telephone alerts and grab bars installed. While the design varies with every hotel, these rooms are usually on the first floor.
Where can we find these rooms?
Usually at 4-star and 5-star hotels. To make bookings easy, we’ve compiled a guide on the best accessible hotels in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai in this story.
Simply click on ‘Book Your Stay’ for the hotel you like, and type in a special request to reserve an accessible room mentioning all your needs. P.S. These hotels may provide tailored support for advance enquiries. Take a look, and book early!
New Delhi
Andaz Delhi Aerocity
Availability: Multiple rooms
Accessibility: Each room is fully wheelchair-accessible. More features: auditory guidance, visual aids (tactile signs, Braille), toilet with grab rails, upper floors accessible by elevator.
The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa
Availability: One room
Accessibility: The entire room is wheelchair-accessible. More features: tactile signs, emergency cord in bathroom, lower bathroom sink, higher-level toilet with grab rail, upper floors accessible by elevator.
Crowne Plaza Okhla
Availability: Two rooms
Accessibility: Low bed, wheelchair-accessible paths, visual aids (tactile signs, Braille), emergency cord in bathroom, lower bathroom sink, higher-level toilet with grab rails.
Mumbai
Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel and Residences
Availability: Up to four rooms
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible paths, visual aids (tactile signs, Braille), roll-in bathroom with bucket, emergency cord in bathroom, toilet with grab rails, upper floors accessible by elevator.
Sofitel Mumbai BKC
Availability: Four rooms
Accessibility: Fully wheelchair-accessible room and bathroom. The parking, public bathroom, concierge and registration desks, spa, pool, business centre, meeting spaces, on-site restaurant, and lounge are all wheelchair-accessible as well. More features: visual alarms in hallways, doorbell/telephone notification, telephone accessibility kit.
The Orchid – Ecotel Mumbai Airport
Availability: One room
Accessibility: The entire room is wheelchair-accessible. The upper floors are accessible by elevator.
Bengaluru
Lemon Tree Premier, Ulsoor Lake
Availability: One room
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible room and bathroom. More features: Roll-in shower, well-lit path to entrance, wheelchair-accessible concierge and registration desks, restaurant, and path to elevator.
Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru Hebbal
Availability: One room
Accessibility: Guest rooms have 32” wide doorways. The bathroom has grab bars, a roll-in transfer shower, toilet seat at wheelchair height, an emergency cord and an adjustable shower wand. Lowered items: deadbolt locks, door night guards, electrical outlets, viewports. The doors have lever handles. More features: Flashing door knockers, hearing-accessible rooms and/or kits, visual aids (tactile signs, Braille). Most of the hotel’s common areas are accessible, including self-parking. The upper floors are accessible by elevator.
TTYs (teletypewriters) and TDDs (telecommunications devices for the deaf) are also available.
Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru at Embassy ONE
Availability: One room
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible paths, higher level toilet with grab rails, lower bathroom sink, visual aids (Braille), upper floors accessible by elevator.
Kolkata
Kenilworth Hotel
Availability: One room
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible paths and switches, higher-level toilet with grab rails, lowered bathroom sink, emergency cord in bathroom, visual aids (Braille), upper floors accessible by elevator.
Fairfield by Marriott
Availability: Two rooms
Accessibility: Low bed, wheelchair-accessible paths, lower bathroom sink, toilet with grab rails, upper floors accessible by elevator.
Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport
Availability: One room
Accessibility: The entire room is wheelchair-accessible. The upper floors are accessible by elevator.
Chennai
Taj Connemara
Availability: One room (Colonial Room only)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible paths, lower bathroom sink, higher-level toilet with grab rails, emergency cord in bathroom.
Trident Chennai
Availability: One room (single bed)
Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible paths, wide doorways, roll-in shower with built-in seat, bed and toilet at appropriate height for easy wheelchair transfers.
The Accord Metropolitan
Availability: One room
Accessibility: The entire room is wheelchair-accessible, with a low bed. More features: higher-level toilet with grab rails, lower bathroom sink, emergency cord in bathroom, auditory guidance, visual aids (tactile signs, Braille), upper floors accessible by elevator.
We hope you found this list of wheelchair-friendly hotels useful. If you’ve stayed at any other properties that provide excellent service to guests with disabilities, do let us know! We’ll add it to this list 🙂
All representative images from Booking.com. The number of total accessible rooms has been confirmed with each hotel in August 2021.
