[nagdu] London hotel sees the error of their ways...eventually

[Katherine Lawson]

Oh boy do I have a story to tell! Just bear with me for a few moments
while I recap my latest access issue.
My semester abroad in England has just ended, and I thought a visit to
London would be a nice treat before returning to the States. My friend
from college back home was also in London for a few days, so we met up
to spend a few days together. She had booked a hotel, and invited me
to stay with her for the 2 nights I would be in town. After a fun day
of exploring the various London attractions, we arrive at the hotel,
and encountered a couple problems.  To make a very long story short,
the man at the desk said I could not stay in the room with my friend
because 1. she had booked it for a single person (even though it was a
double room, and could fit two people), and 2. the hotel has a no pets
policy.  The solution to the first problem was simple, we agreed to
pay a fee to switch the reservation from 1 to 2 people. The second
problem should not have been such a big issue, but it was because this
man refused to listen to us as we explained that my guide is not a
pet; she is a working dog, and is therefor entitled by law (the
Disabilities Discrimination Act over here in the UK, same concept as
the ADA) to accompany me wherever the general public is allowed. No
matter how many times we told him, or how many different ways we
phrased it, the desk clerk could not get it through his head that my
dog is not a pet. I had her ID card on me, but I figured he could use
the excuse that it was issued to me in the US and therefor does not
apply in the UK (even though it does, because both countries have laws
that protect disabled people from discrimination.) I had also brought
along a few numbers to call in case we encountered any issues (a few
examples being a law centre, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
office number, etc) but seeing as it was 9 pm, all the numbers and
hotlines we tried were closed. We then called the local police number
(not the emergency number...this was a pressing issue, but not an
emergency) but unfortunately the lines were very busy and nobody
picked up the phone. Our last resort was to literally walk to the
nearest police station and explain our situation to the officers
there. By this point I'm feeling quite bad for my friend, we were both
tired, and this added hassle and stress is not something you should
have to deal with while on vacation. Luckily the police officers knew
the law and called the hotel to sort out the issue. We had to wait for
a bit while the police and hotel played phone tag, but eventually the
hotel acknowledged that my guide dog is not a pet after all, and we
got the all clear to come back.  We returned to the hotel, switched
the booking from 1 to 2 people and were finally able to go upstairs to
our room after about 3 hours since we first showed up at the hotel.
The rest of my stay there went smoothly, and no other staff members
gave me any more trouble. Even though this was a big inconvenience, we
were able to inform some more people about the law, and the rights of
people who travel with assistance dogs. I sincerely hope that the word
spreads among hotel owners (we stayed in an area which has many small
hotels scattered around) and that the experience of the next service
dog handler is more pleasant.
So...the main message is: when you encounter an access problem, take
action! As more people become educated about guide dogs, we should run
into less barriers due to ignorance.
That's my story of the week; does anyone else have any similar tales
they'd like to share?
x
Kate and Bambi