Travelodge London Central Waterloo | Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Review

During our recent trip to London to meet up with a friend and attend BST Hyde Park festival, we were able to stay at Travelodge London Central Waterloo for two nights. I’ve stayed at other Travelodge properties in the UK before, but I was curious how accessible this one in Waterloo would be.

Location

The hotel is within walking distance of London’s biggest attractions, including the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Tate Modern, and the London Eye along the South Bank.

Hotel Entrance

We chose to walk to Travelodge London Central Waterloo because it was only 15 minutes away from the Park Plaza County Hall hotel, where we had spent the first two nights of our London trip.

As we reached the Travelodge, it was evident that it was in a great area with plenty of shops, restaurants, and public transportation options. The hotel’s entrance was step-free and led into a big, bright, and modern reception area.

Lobby/Reception

Check-in is at 2pm, but we arrived early and had to wait for 15 minutes. The clerk checked us in at 2 p.m., and we were quickly on our way to our home for the next two nights.

There were self-check-in terminals available in the reception area, which is useful if there is a line or you simply want to check-in yourself.

Restaurant

We passed the bar/restaurant area on the way to our room, which was also quite fresh and open. There were sofa chairs, cube stools with low tables, and high breakfast bar tables and chairs. They would not have been accessible with my wheelchair since they were either too low or too high.

We didn’t eat in the hotel restaurant during our stay, although it does provide breakfast and dinner. We grabbed water, drinks and snacks from the convenience store next to the hotel. There were also a number of restaurants and takeaway shops around.

Accessible room

When we opened the door to our accessible room, we were thrilled to see that it was a large room with lots of space for me to move around in my wheelchair. The extra space is particularly useful for people travelling with medical equipment and hoists, etc.

The good thing about booking a room with Travelodge is that you pretty much know what to expect in terms of the room’s décor and facilities. The room was basic but clean and modern. The huge window let in plenty of light, and there was even a lovely orange tree outside our window.

The king-size bed was comfy, with a good amount of space on one side for transferring to/from my wheelchair. There was space under the bed, which is good if you need to use a hoist because it can simply roll underneath. The bed height was ideal for me because it was not too high.

There are no bedside tables, which can be a little tricky if you need to keep your phone or other belongings next to you in bed and within reaching distance. The only place next to the bed was a small box shelf, which I couldn’t reach.

There were no power outlets near the bed, which could be an issue for lone travellers who need to charge their wheelchairs overnight. There was a light on each side of the bed, an emergency call button, and room light switches.

The desk was positioned in the corner of the room between the bed and the window. I was able to roll underneath the desk, but the mirror was positioned too high for me to see in. A kettle with tea, coffee and mugs were on the desk which got plenty of use…what can I say we love our mint teas!

The wardrobe was next to the desk, with the hangers at a good height for wheelchair users to reach.

Accessible Bathroom

The accessible bathroom was great and provided everything I needed. The roll-in shower included a built-in shower seat with grab bars, a soap dispenser, and easy-access shower controls. Despite the fact that the shower curtains did not reach all the way to the floor, the water drained easily due to the slight slope of the floor.

The toilet also has both fixed and pull-down grasp bars for further support. The washbasin was accessible, if a touch low to comfortably roll underneath without bashing your knees. I really liked the amount of space in this bathroom. This meant I could easily turn around in my wheelchair without any problems.

Final Thoughts on Travelodge London Central Waterloo

Travelodge London Central Waterloo was a great base for our time in London. The hotel was central and our room provided a comfortable stay with excellent accessible amenities. It was close to the South Bank and other major London attractions. I would absolutely stay at this Travelodge again if I returned to London.

Want to know how we travelled to London, where we stayed and what we got up to? Check out the following posts.

Accessible Travel to London: Is Travelling First Class On Virgin Trains Wheelchair Accessible

Accessible Hotel in London: Park Plaza County Hall London | Hotel Review

Accessible Things to do in London: Rocking and a ‘Rolling’ good time at BST Hyde Park 2017

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I was welcomed as a guest of Travelodge London Central Waterloo for the purpose of this review but as always all opinions are my own.

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