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Delta Hotels by Marriott Aberdeen | Wheelchair Access Review

I’ve been to Granite City before, but as my sister and nephew were coming with us this time, we wanted to go somewhere with a nice beach nearby for my nephew, so Aberdeen seemed like a pretty good choice. We decided on Delta Hotels by Marriott Aberdeen for our wheelchair accessible hotel for the weekend.

Update 2024: Delta Hotels by Marriott Aberdeen is permanently closed

Reservation and Check-in

I made our reservations for two nights and two rooms at Delta Hotels by Marriott Aberdeen through the Marriott website. Before finalising the booking, I was able to make my requests for wheelchair accessible rooms on the ground floor. It’s important to note that there are no lifts in the hotel.

Once I made the booking, I called the hotel to ensure both rooms were interconnected. Room rates for the two nights we stayed were £43 (Friday) and £47 (Saturday), which included free breakfast.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-entrance accessible

The hotel entrance and reception were completely accessible with a ramp and a push button to open the door. We were greeted by a lovely member of the front desk team who had us checked in before we knew it. Our rooms were only a short walk from the reception desk, and we couldn’t help but notice the beautiful scent throughout the hotel, especially in the main lobby/reception area.

Wheelchair Accessible Room

Although both our rooms were accessible they were slightly different. My room (#112) had a queen bed with a walk-in shower, and my sister’s room (#110) had two double beds with a bathtub. I’ll focus on my room, but I’ll come back to my sisters in a bit as it played an important part in my overall room experience.

Aberdeen-Marriott-mobility accessible guest room

Upon entering the room I noticed our room wasn’t very spacious and the entrance was quite tight. I’m not sure how easy it would be for wider wheelchairs to get through and turn. The bathroom was to the right and mirrored wardrobes were to the left.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-queen-bed-accessible-room

The queen size bed was comfortable with plenty of pillows and a nightstand on each side. There was only space for wheelchair transferring on one side as the bed was positioned much closer to one wall than the other.

The height of the bed could be a problem if you manually transfer and need the bed to be wheelchair height. There was no space underneath the bed to allow a portable hoist to roll under.

 Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-TV and work desk

Across from the bed sat a large TV unit and chest of drawers with tea/coffee-making facilities. A desk was also positioned here which I was able to roll under with no problems.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-accessible-room

Like other Marriott hotel rooms I’ve stayed in, there was an armchair and a small table located beside the bed. They take up quite a bit of space in the room, so you may find it easier to move them aside or have them removed from the room if you need the extra space for manoeuvring your wheelchair or hoist.

Next up is the bathroom and this is where the problems began. To put it simply…it was NOT accessible for wheelchair users in my opinion.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-mobility accessible bathroom

Firstly, the bathroom was so small that I couldn’t fit my powered wheelchair inside. I had to leave my wheelchair outside the bathroom door and be carried in. Luckily, I have someone who is able to do this for me, but this is not practical or very safe. I’m concerned about how other disabled guests manage in these conditions.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-mobility accessible bathroom walk-in shower

I was surprised to see a walk-in shower rather than a roll-in shower. The walk-in shower had doors, and there was a portable seat (no back or armrests) inside. The shower was very narrow and awkward to move around in.

There was no space to transfer in or out of a wheelchair once the shower doors were open. In my opinion, the walk-in shower setup is less accessible and very outdated.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-mobility accessible bathroom toilet sink

Although there were grab bars (fixed and folding) next to the toilet, there was no space for my wheelchair on either side of it, which made wheelchair transferring impossible. The toilet roll holder was fixed low down behind the toilet, meaning you’d potentially have to twist awkwardly to reach it.

The sink was a decent size for a hotel bathroom and would allow wheelchair users to roll underneath if there was actually space in the bathroom to accommodate this. It was also located very close to the toilet.

The bathroom was a big letdown and proved inaccessible for my needs. I think most wheelchair users would struggle with this bathroom setup. It may be more suitable for people with limited mobility who are able to walk and will benefit from the walk-in shower.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-mobility accessible bathroom

Remember earlier when I mentioned my sister’s room? Well, due to the issues I had with the bathroom in my room, I ended up having to use hers for simple things like washing and brushing my teeth.

I was able to drive into her bathroom sink a little easier than mine due to its position, but I had to remove the footplates from my wheelchair to get under the sink. You can see her bathroom in the photo above.

Food & Service

Breakfast was included in our room rate, and we were able to enjoy the buffet-style breakfast on both mornings. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating.

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-enjoying the buffet breakfast
Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-buffet breakfast gluten free porridge orange juice

There was a great selection of food to choose from and a chef to prepare omelettes, etc. Any food allergies or special dietary requests will also be met. I was able to ask for gluten-free porridge. Yay!

Aberdeen-Marriott-hotel-wheelchair lift breakfast area

To get to the breakfast area, I had to use a lift to get down some stairs (as you can see in the photo above). I’m not going to lie; I did hold my breath until I reached the bottom of the stairs. We also had a slight issue after breakfast on our first morning when the lift wouldn’t work to take me back up the stairs. It was a nerve-racking 5 minutes while the lovely man tried to get it to start working again.

Thankfully, he got it working, and I was able to reach the top of the stairs. We had no problems with it on our second morning at breakfast.

Facilities

Aberdeen Marriott has a nice heated swimming pool that my family used throughout our two-night stay. It was good that I was able to access the pool area and watch my nephew play in the pool.

Aberdeen Marriott Indoor Swimming pool
Courtesy Expedia

The pool area was down a few steps, but it is accessible for wheelchair users with the help of a lift (as you can see in the photo below with my nephew helping me into the lift). The changing rooms were also accessible.

Aberdeen Marriott Indoor Swimming pool entrance wheelchair accessible by lift

Location

Marriott Aberdeen is located only three miles from Aberdeen Airport and six miles from the city centre. If you arrive by car you can enjoy complimentary parking. There is also an airport shuttle service if required. We enjoyed a day at the beach, which was only a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

Conclusion

Delta Hotels by Marriott Aberdeen is a great hotel brand and even though I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at this hotel, I’m not sure I’d return solely based on the poor accessibility of the bathrooms. Therefore, I’d highly recommend that Marriott Aberdeen make some adjustments to the bathrooms to better meet the needs of wheelchair users. Marriott Aberdeen would be an all-around fantastic hotel if these changes were implemented. I cannot fault anything else, as the service, facilities, food, and location were all great.

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Meet Emma

Meet Emma

Hello I’m Emma. My mission is to show you the possibilities of accessible travel through my travel guides, tips and reviews. I also share personal stories, live event reviews and more.

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4 Responses

  1. It’s great that you could access the pool area, but I don’t see a pool lift (by which I mean a sling that can lower you into the water). Were you able to use pool yourself?
    And why why WHY do so many hotels have such high bed heights lately? I have had to switch from otherwise perfectly (nearly) accessible rooms because I couldn’t get into the bed. Maybe they think wheelchair users don’t need to sleep? Or that we sleep sitting up? Do they confuse us with horses?? 😜

    1. Hi Heather! Unfortunately there wasn’t a pool hoist for getting in and out of the pool. I didn’t go in the pool, I just spectated at the outside, but I was able to go down to the pool area by using the lift. I completely understand where you’re coming from with the height of hotel beds. Most, if not all, accessible rooms seem to have high beds. I can understand why they have high beds as they may think it’s easier for people with disabilities to get out of bed if it’s higher, but it is definitely a struggle to get into too. What hotel brand is your favourite?

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