Victoria, B.C. Queen Victoria Hotel & Suites

At the last minute I decided to stay overnight in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada instead of making a day trip. I changed my hotel reservations and called Orbitz at midnight the night before to find a hotel in Victoria. This kind of planning I never recommend for a wheelchair traveler, but in this case I knew I was going to be there for just one night so could forgo taking a shower if need be. When making the reservation I asked for a handicapped room as opposed to a room with a roll-in shower. The Queen Victoria Hotel & Suites was affordable and located right across from the BC Royal Museum and close to downtown and the Empress Hotel, so I booked it.

The handicapped room I was given wasn’t too bad. The elevator was pretty small and felt more like a cargo lift. Hallways were on the narrow side and when the cleaning crew left their supply chart out the space was cut in half. The room layout was pretty typical with two queen beds that were at an easy height to transfer onto. A small kitchen had convenient possibilities but only utilized the fridge to keep a drink cool during my short stay. The kitchen was open enough but had no amenities like a roll-up sink or lowered cabinets. The bathroom was one long room starting with the roll-up sink then toilet then shower. Portable handle rails were setup for the toilet and worked well. The shower was not a roll-in but had a hand-held nozzle, shower bench with a back, and a portable grab bar for assistance into the shower.

The lobby of the hotel had a restaurant called Samuels’s By the Park which is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Right around the corner from the Victoria Hotel & Suites was a bus stop to get you around the city or a cab can be called. The hotel is on a slight hill so if using a manual chair, muscles will be needed to push up a short path. Besides the cleaning crew leaving the chart in the isle the staff was really good. Everyone was always friendly and helpful.