It’s been a while since our last trip to Aberdeen, so we were looking forward to heading to the Granite City again, all be it, a whistle-stop tour. Nonetheless, we were excited to stay at our first Park Inn hotel and attend the Joe Bonamassa gig at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC). Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel did not disappoint, and I’m happy to share my wheelchair accessible review of this fantastic Aberdeen city centre hotel.
Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel
Location & Parking
Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen hotel is located in the city centre, which makes it a great choice of hotel whether you are there for business or leisure. The train station is nearby, as are the harbour and Maritime Museum. On top of that, there are also a variety of bars and shops.
The purpose of our stay was to attend the Joe Bonamassa gig at the AECC, which was a short 15-minute drive from the hotel.
There is parking next to the hotel at the ACP (Aberdeen Car Park). However, we were able to park in one of the two disabled parking bays directly outside the hotel, which you can see in the photo below. We made sure our blue badge was on display and parked free of charge.
If you are arriving by plane, Aberdeen Airport is around 6 miles away. Aberdeen train station is only a short walk and offers interchanges with Aberdeen ferry terminal. This is ideal if you want to take a NorthLink ferry trip to explore Orkney and Shetland.
Entrance & Reception
The entrance of the hotel is through either the revolving door or the automatic door on the right, which can be activated via the push button. Once inside there is a row of lovely plush purple armchairs and sofas, which would be nice to relax in while meeting friends or waiting for dinner.
We made our way to the check-in desk and were greeted by a lovely man who made us feel really welcome. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his name, but he’s in the photo below. It always makes a big difference when the front desk staff are friendly, helpful, and smiley. He had us checked in quickly and explained where the refuge point was in the event of an emergency. The same receptionist checked us out the following day and he was equally as pleasant. Thank you!
The reception area was bright and minimalist, with lots of natural light streaming through from the large windows. From here, you can see outside the terrace area, which would be amazing during the summer or slightly warmer days and nights. I loved how open and spacious this area was. Perfect for moving around in my powered wheelchair.
Wheelchair Accessible Room
We headed for the lift and to our room on the 5th floor. There are nine accessible rooms in this hotel. Our accessible room was 523, which was immediately around the corner from the lift. Glass doors were separating the lifts from the rooms, but the doors were both open whenever we passed, so it wouldn’t be an issue if you struggled with doors. All be it was a Tuesday night and the hotel was full, we heard zero noise from the lift or corridor whilst in our room. It can’t get any better than that.
As we opened the door to our accessible room, we were relieved to see that it was a large room. There is lots of space for wheelchair access, equipment, and luggage.
The bed was comfortable, and the duvet was super soft. It was heaven! So much so that I didn’t want to get up when our alarm went off. I could have quite easily laid there for a few more hours. There was space underneath the bed, which may be enough for a portable hoist to fit under. The bed was also lower, making it much easier to transfer to and from a wheelchair.
The massive wooden headboard gives the bed a fresh look and has little shelves inbuilt for bedside tables. I liked this minimalist look, but I felt it was lacking plug sockets and possibly a telephone. Plug sockets next to the bed are helpful for disabled guests to allow them to charge power wheelchairs, and mobile phones and to use medical equipment overnight. Both sides of the bed had an emergency pull cord, lamps and light switches.
If you’ve read my other accessible hotel reviews then you will know that it’s important that I’m able to fully roll underneath the desk. I’m pleased to say that the desk in our accessible room at the Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel was perfect. It was high enough that I didn’t bump my knees while rolling underneath the desk, and it was a great height overall. The large mirror above the desk and the natural light from the window made it the perfect spot to do my hair and makeup. Yay!
Although there weren’t any plug sockets next to the bed, there were some at the desk, so I was able to charge my phone and wheelchair.
The tea/coffee facilities were sat on the end of the desk, so they were within reach for wheelchair users.
The flat-screen TV was wall-mounted above the desk, which provided extra surface space.
Next to the desk was the wardrobe and luggage area. I liked this, but the rail and hangers could be a little too high for wheelchair users to reach to hang their clothes up if needed.
Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom
Good-sized bathroom with space for turning and moving around, especially if using a portable hoist. The toilet had space on one side for transferring, and there were both fixed grab rails as well as a pull-down bar. The toilet was also of good height.
The sink was positioned in front of the toilet, and for me personally and others who need to be manually lifted by someone, this can get in the way. It would be ideal if it were positioned a little further away from the toilet. The sink was a little too small for my needs, as I wasn’t able to roll underneath properly. This makes washing my face and brushing my teeth more difficult. The large bathroom could easily accommodate a larger sink.
The roll-in shower was large with a wall-mounted shower seat. Unfortunately, there was no actual seat due to a fault, but I have been advised that the engineers are working on a solution. In the meantime, there was another shower chair in the bathroom to be used. There were grab bars and the shower controls and soap were within reach.
There was a slightly raised gradient to the floor around the shower area to prevent water from running over the floor. The shower curtains were full length to the floor, which would protect your wheelchair from any water.
Food
The stylish RBG Bar & Grill restaurant in the hotel serves a variety of dishes. We decided to order room service for dinner. There was only one vegan option, which I ordered, and that was stir-fried noodles and tofu. We asked the kitchen if they could make Allan a tomato pasta dish, which they were happy to do. Dinner was super tasty, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
During the week, breakfast is served from 6.30 – 9am. As it takes me longer to get ready in the morning we knew we’d struggle to make it down in time, and we didn’t want to miss out on sampling the breakfast. We asked if it would be possible to bring breakfast to our room and again they very kindly obliged. We had vegan sausages, beans, tomato and toast. It was lovely and so filling.
Amenities
- Wi-Fi
- Flat-screen TV
- Tea/coffee facilities
- Individual climate control
- Hairdryer
- Room service
- In-room safe
- Dove toiletries
- Cocktail bar
- Fitness room
Service
The service from the staff at the Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel was fantastic. We really couldn’t fault the service at all. All the staff were super friendly and helpful, and they couldn’t do more to accommodate and welcome us. It was clear to see they enjoy and take pride in their job.
Final Thoughts
From the ideal location to the comfortable and accessible room, I only have positive things to say about my stay at the Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel. I would without a doubt return to this hotel whenever I’m next in Aberdeen, and I highly recommend staying here.
A Video Of Our Time In Aberdeen
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Thank you so much to Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel for hosting my stay. My opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
Main image courtesy of Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen Hotel
2 Responses
If only all UK hotels were as well equipped as Radisson Hotels. Eveything looked just perfect for you
It really was a perfect stay. Loved it! Is Radisson your favourite hotel chain Chris?