La Tour Hotel, 92-94 Albert Road, Blackpool, FY1 4PR
Tel: 01253 624888  Fax: 01253 625378 
 Email: reservations@latourhotel.co.uk

INFORMATION FOR GUESTS WITH MOBILITY ISSUES

We have hundreds of guests stay with us who have problems with their mobility.  Some just have difficulty negotiating stairs but are still able to walk some distance. Others are completely reliant on wheelchairs or other devices for their mobility.  We like to think we will be able to accommodate any guest.

We have included this page to give you further information about how the hotel is laid out, any stairs you may need to negotiate and so on.

BEDROOMS:

The building that La Tour Hotel occupies is over 100 years old.  It is actually two smaller hotels that have been knocked into one.  One side of the hotel has stairs and the other side has a lift.  The lift goes to every floor however due to the layout of the building, the back corridors require negotiating at least 5 steps.  We do not allocate rooms on the back corridor to anyone who requires use of a wheelchair - as long as we are made aware of your situation. 

All our wheelchair accessible rooms are on the front of the property and are level with the lift.  We have two rooms that are large enough to accommodate standard wheelchairs (no wider than 68cm) in the room and the bathroom.  These rooms have assist bars at the toilet and a shower that can accommodate a waterproof chair/stool (we can supply this or bring your own).  The showers are not walk-in/roll-in showers - there is a tray that needs negotiating over (approx 6-8 inches high). These 2 rooms have a double bed and a single bed in them.  Under each single bed is a pull out bed so they can accommodate up to 4 people.  Please note that the pull out bed (when pulled out) uses a lot of floor space.  You can still access the bathroom but not as easily. 

We are happy to allocate these rooms to a wheelchair user and another person.  However we cannot take responsibility for a disabled guest using this room/bathroom alone.  We do not have emergency alarms installed in any of our rooms and our staff are not trained carers.  If you need this type of assistance and are travelling alone we suggest you find alternative accommodation.

The remaining rooms on the front of the hotel are twins and one has a double and a single bed.  These are the largest rooms in the hotel and most can accommodate a wheelchair in the room but not in the bathroom due to the door width.  Some bathrooms have adequate floor space for a wheelchair but the door is not wide enough for the chair to fit through when being used. If this is ok for you then we will allocate you one of these rooms.

We also have 6 rooms on the ground floor.  Four are doubles and 2 twins.  These are more suitable for those who have problems with stairs but are not wheelchair users. 

Obviously we are limited in the number of rooms we can offer and we operate a first come, first served policy.  All the ground floor rooms and accessible rooms are non-smoking.

Our smoking rooms are located on the second floor rear corridor.  They require negotiating 6 steps.  We do not recommend these rooms to those with mobility problems however it is your choice to take them if you need a smoking room.  We do not take kindly to those who smoke in our non smoking rooms and of course you are breaking the law if you do so, so please bear this in mind.

OTHER AREAS:

The public/residents use toilet in the hallway/reception area is unfortunately not quite large enough to accommodate a wheelchair.  You would be able to get a wheelchair into the room but not into each cubicle.  If you are able to walk a small distance from your chair into the cubicle this may be suitable, otherwise it means using the bathroom in your room.  Please note there are no assist bars in these public toilets although we are hoping to change this later this year.

The dining room is located in the basement.  The lift goes down to this floor and there is also a flight of stairs.  The wheelchair ramp at the front of the hotel enters into the dining room through one of the fire doors. There is adequate space in the dining room for a number of wheelchairs.

Most of our disabled guests do not travel alone and we prefer this for the following reason.  When you arrive at the hotel we require everyone to check in at Reception.  This is located on the ground floor but like all the hotels on Albert Road you need to negotiate some steps to get to it.  There is a small step from the pavement (approx 3 inches high) onto our property.  There are then 9 steps to get into the building.  Once you have negotiated the small step from the pavement you are able to use the wheelchair ramp down into the dining room and from there can use the lift up to the Reception and your room.  The door into the dining room is a fire door and we therefore cannot open it from the outside of the building.  Someone from your party will need to come into the hotel and go down to the dining room to open it for you.  Staff can do this for you but obviously at times we are extremely busy and may not be around the front of the building to help.  During the day we tend to leave the door open or at least ajar, especially in summer, so this is not always an issue.  But for security the door is always closed at night and we expect those guests using it to help maintain that security by ensuring it is closed correctly after use.  If you are travelling alone please call the hotel when you arrive and someone will open the fire door for you. 

The hotel lift can fit a small electric wheelchair.  The internal dimensions on the lift are: 

101cm (front to back) by 78cm from side to side

If your chair is smaller than this then obviously we can accommodate you.  If it is larger then unfortunately we can not.  Due to damage caused by previous residents we have had to remove the internal doors of the lift.  There is now a secure beam in place of the door.  If the beam is crossed it emits a beeping sound and the lift will not move.  If the lift is already in motion and the beam is crossed then the lift will stop.  The lift dimensions above are measured to this beam.

MOBILITY SCOOTERS:

We have a small number of electric scooters available for hire.  We charge £10 per day per scooter.  This includes charging the scooter each evening.  We cannot pre-book scooters in advance.  They are hired on a first come first served basis.  If you hire a scooter from elsewhere or bring your own we have a £5 per day charging fee.  You must hand your keys for the scooter to a staff member who will move your scooter to our garage and charge it.  We cannot allow electric scooters into the dining room area.

PARKING:

If you have blue disabled badges you will be able to park on one side of Albert Road and some of the nearby roads free of charge for the duration of your stay, as long as space permits.  All other cars are limited to 2 hours maximum parking and must pay to park.  Disabled guests with badges MUST ensure that badges are displayed correctly and that they will not slip down your dashboard.  Unfortunately numerous visitors to Blackpool have been ticketed because their badges have slipped or been the wrong way round.   

If you have any questions about any other aspect of the hotel please contact us and we will try to help.