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Toronto is a great city to visit on a trip to Canada, with so much to see and do at any time of year. It is also a reassuringly inviting city for wheelchair users and people with mobility issues, thanks to its wide pavements and city-wide approach to accessibility. Many of Toronto’s main sights – including the CN Tower, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Harbourfront Centre – all have considered accessibility, by which I mean that they have fully thought out access, including toilets, lifts etc. Of course, as inviting as the city itself might be to wheelchair users, none of that matters if you’re stuck in a hotel which is difficult to get around, or in which you feel your needs aren’t being met. So here is my list of three of the very best accessible hotels in Toronto. 1. Courtyard Toronto Downtown The Courtyard Toronto Downtown is more than a central hotel, with a number of rooms designed with accessibility in mind. Set in the heart of Toronto’s famous Yonge Street, the entire hotel has recently been remodelled to make all its guest feel welcome, whether they are able-bodied or not. From the moment you enter the wide main entrance way and travel the broad, obstacle-free path to the reception desk, wheelchair users will notice the subtly accessible design. Likewise, the route to the specially designed accessible bedrooms is wide and clear and so is the entrance to the fitness centre, pool, restaurant and lounges. 2. Chelsea Hotel This state-of-the-art downtown hotel with a fitness centre, pool and rooftop terrace has a great accessibility policy to ensure that not only are wheelchair users and people with other disabilities able to access areas they need, they also have a stringent staff training program to ensure that their staff know how and when to assist you. As the hotel’s own website declares, “The ultimate goal of The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto is to meet and surpass customer expectations while serving customers with disabilities”. Here, a support person accompanying guests with disabilities can stay at the hotel for free, as long as they are staying in the same room, and there are other policies in place that make a stay more agreeable for a disabled person too. This is truly a benchmark for accessible hotels in Toronto. 3. Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel The Sheraton Centre, set a few minutes’ walk from the lakeside in central Toronto, not only offers an elegant, modern, stylish option - it is also committed to ensuring that guests with disabilities experience the same level of service as their able-bodied counterparts. Featuring an indoor and an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and an inviting spacious lounge, the Sheraton Centre has all the amenities of a modern hotel and has ensured that as many as possible are accessible for people with mobility issues. Accessible rooms, with 32-inch doorframes, feature roll-in showers or bathtubs with grab bars, visual fire alarms and portable bath seats. In the public spaces there is a clear route from the entrance to registration, guest rooms, restaurant, fitness centre and the swimming pool. Toronto is such a welcoming city to those with disabilities that it’s hardly surprising that so many of the city’s hotels make a point of not only welcoming guests with mobility issues, but ensuring that their stay is as easy and stress-free as possible. While these are just three of my favourite accessible hotels in Toronto, there are plenty of others to discover if you’re thinking of visiting the city. Author Plate Philip Scott is the owner and founder of Can be Done, a fully licensed UK tour operator specialising in worldwide holidays for disabled individuals and groups. If you are looking to book into one of these highly accessible hotels in Toronto, let Philip call upon his strong network of contacts to secure a room that suits your needs.
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