The Traveling Wheelchair

296 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Phone:  1-617-227-0800
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/boslw-boston-marriott-long-wharf/

The Boston Marriott Long Wharf is very wheelchair accessible. It’s location on Boston Harbor at Long Wharf makes it very accessible and easy to get to many great places in Boston too. Parking is easy at this hotel for it is Valet Parking so you don’t need to worry about finding a parking spot in this busy area of Boston. There is a revolving entry door that is not wheelchair accessible yet to the left there is a wide double size automatic entry door. It’s my favorite kind of automatic door for as soon as you approach it slides open! Once inside you will find that you are on the lower lobby level and escalators are located in the middle for the able persons to get to the main lobby level.

There is an elevator on the left side that is marked as wheelchair accessible. The elevator is very spacious and friends and my wheelchair all fit with plenty of room left for others. A Starbucks is located on the lower lobby level as well and is wheelchair accessible with tables of a good height for my wheelchair.

The main lobby is very spacious and beautifully decorated with plenty of room to maneuver my wheelchair. We checked out the Restrooms on this level and found them to be very wheelchair accessible. There is no door you will need to open for it is an open hall that has a turn into the restroom. There is large handicap stall with plenty of room to fit my wheelchair and the safety bars are located at a perfect height for me to hold onto. Four sinks are on an accessible granite countertop and the pipes under the sink located closest to the handicap stall are covered as is now ADA required. In the hall right outside the restroom are some payphones. Four payphones are located high on the wall yet there is a wheelchair accessible pay phone located on the opposite wall. It is a perfect height for my wheelchair and easy for me to reach. The water fountain in this hall is wheelchair accessible too.

My friends and I approached the Registration counter. This counter is high for a person in a wheelchair yet Nick; a Front Desk Agent came right around when he saw me in my wheelchair. He told us that anytime a person in a wheelchair approaches this desk an employee will always come right out front.

We explained to Nick that we came to do a wheelchair accessibility review of this Marriott and asked if we could see a wheelchair accessible Guest Room. Nick told us it was fine with him but he needed to ask his manager. His manager gladly agreed so Nick took us to see a wheelchair accessible Guest Room located on the second level.

The wheelchair accessible Guest Room has a small accessible sign located on the side of the door. The room is very spacious with two large double size beds, a sitting area with a couch that pulls out into a double size bed, a wheelchair accessible desk, a large flat screen LCD TV, a large wheelchair accessible bathroom with a large roll in shower and an area with a wheelchair accessible sink right outside the bathroom. It is a PERFECT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE GUEST ROOM! Nick also pointed out that the closet has a lower rod for persons in wheelchairs to hang their clothes.

Nick told us that all the rooms at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf have a view of the Ocean, the Harborside or the beautiful Christopher Columbus Park. I had never heard of the Christopher Columbus Park before today but saw this beautiful park from a window on the second floor of this Marriott. My friends and I all THANKED Nick for taking the time to show us this wonderful accessible room and for his kindness and understanding of the importance of ‘Accessibility for All’!

The hotel gift shop is located on the main lobby level and is also wheelchair accessible with plenty of room to maneuver your wheelchair around while you shop. Outside there are some patios with tables that are a good height for my wheelchair as well!

I give Boston Marriott Long Wharf FIVE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. They have done a GREAT job making this hotel wheelchair accessible just like the NYC Marquis and Washington DC Metro Marriott have done. The only thing I think these Marriotts could all do to make their hotels more wheelchair accessible is to lower part of the Hotel’s Registration counter to make it wheelchair accessible so a Front Desk Agent doesn’t need to come around to service a person in a wheelchair.