The Traveling Wheelchair

2345 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, Massachusetts 02466
Phone:  1-617-969-1000
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bosnt-boston-marriott-newton/

Friday my mom, Tony, Kevin and I traveled to the Boston Marriott Newton to attend a Conference on ‘Implementing A 21st Century Disability Policy (MA21)’. The conference was awesome and many great advocates as well as persons with disabilities are working together to implement the 21st Century Disability Policy (MA21) which will improve the lives for us with disabilities. You can read my reveiw of the MA21 conference by clicking on Massachusetts Alliance for 21st Century Disability Policy – MA21. More information on MA21 is available on The Arc of Massachusetts web page by clicking on MA21.

As for the accessibility of the Boston Marriott Newton we found the hotel and conference center where I attended the meeting is Barrier Free and Accessible to All. Orginally a customer service employee behind the desk told us there are no guest rooms with a roll in shower; yet Carolyn, the Director of Operations told us there are 23 wheelchair accessible hotel guest rooms with roll in showers! We weren’t able to view a room because these rooms were occupied.

Boston Marriott Newton, located along the Charles River has 430 guest rooms, 20,000 sq ft of meeting space with state-of-the-art technology for business meetings, wedding receptions, and conferences, an indoor swimming pool, gift shop and restaurant. We had a chance to review everything except the restaurant.

Upon arriving at Boston Marriott Newton, we parked our van in a handicap parking space located in a parking lot next to the front entrance. An accessible sloped cement walkway leads from the parking lot to the front entry door; it has a railing on the side for added safety.

The front entrance of Boston Marriott Newton has a wide revolving door and one single entry door located on the side that is wheelchair accessible, automatic and opens wide with a simple push of a button. The revolving doors are also wheelchair accessible; the space is plenty wide enough to fit your chair and the doors move slowly so you are able to enter using these doors too.

The lobby is beautiful, sparkling clean and spacious with plenty of room to wheel my chair around. The Registration countertop is too high for a person in a wheelchair. We did see a lower counter at the far end yet it was not being used for guests to check-in; it has a computer and keyboard for guests to use the internet. We asked an employee how a person in a wheelchair would check-in and he kindly told us all employees will come around the counter to help them out. We asked why not use the lower accessible counter for disabled guests to check-in but he told us it is for computer use!

The gift shop is located to the side of the lobby; it is wheelchair accessible and easy to shop for the displays are spread out leaving room for your chair; the cashier counter is of a good accessible height. The water bubblers have a lower one of a good wheelchair accessible height. Elevators are wheelchair accessible and spacious; the call buttons are all easy to reach from your chair.

We took the elevator to the level of the indoor pool. Once on this floor we noticed the corridor has a sloped floor making wheelchair easy with no steps to face. The hallway leading into the pool area has a sloped floor and railings located on the side wall for added safety. We asked the very nice pool attendant if there is an accessible lift for persons with disabilities to use to access the pool. He told us there was a lift but it was recently removed when they renovated the pool. We believe it will soon be reinstalled.

As for the Conference Center, it is spacious, wheelchair accessible, all Inclusive and Barrier Free! The hallways leading to all the meeting rooms are spacious and wide with plenty of room to maneuver your chair. The water bubblers are of accessible height; there is a lower pay phone of accessible height too. The meeting rooms and ballroom are large and spacious; all the tables are of a perfect wheelchair accessible height. The technology made available is accessible for persons with a visual or hearing impairment. The lunch they served at the conference I attended was delicious.

The restrooms are spacious, wheelchair accessible and fully ADA compliant. The faucets are automatic which is nice because has soon as you place your hand under it..the water comes on! The soap and towel dispensers are easily in my reach. A full size mirror located on the wall by the door is fully accessible too!

I give the Newton Boston Marriott FIVE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. I highly recommend they move the computer off the lower registration counter and fully utilize this accessible registration counter for wheelchair seated guests to check in. I also recommend they reinstall the accessible lift to the pool as soon as possible so a physically disabled person can access the pool.