i'm planning a trip to london (and paris and amsterdam) in november, and after many hours of web research am still having a hard time nailing down a room/hotel in london that is wheelchair accessible, affordable, and in a decent location. any ideas? especially from other disabled travelers. p.s. what do you all think of the advice in tripadvisor?

For what I know about it (I'm disabled too but not a wheelchair user, anyway I need an accessible bathroom) accessible and affordable in London don't match very well
I know many of the hotels at the holiday inn chain have accessible rooms and also the Copthorne Tara...but no one is what I call affordable...also some hilton's have.
I do not take what they say in tripadvisor as an "universal truth"(everyone has different needs or tastes) so I'd better check with the hotel itself.
Now I'm going on the 27th to the Hilton Metropole (85 dollars/night) thanks to a priceline bid. If you go later..I can tell you first hand how it is (I'll try to have an accesible room).

My understanding is that all UK hotels have to have provision for disabled access

Alan, it's true..but access to the hotel(and the common places of it) it's one thing..and access to the rooms and bathrooms a completely different issue Many hotels advertise to be accessible and yes, it's step-free..but you can go through a room's door with a wheelchair

I meant "you can't go through the door " , sorry.

I know the City Inn Westminster between Tate Britain and Parliamnet has many fully accessible rooms but I don't know what their rates are.

However, to give you any sort of suggestions we really do need to know your budget. "affordable" doesn't tell us anything.

AlanRow

Legally they do, but the way the law was drafted it's up to individuals to take them to court and only the disabled person can do that, not the wife / husband / child / parent.

I went to a conference 2 years ago for a disability organisation, the hotel hosting claimed it was "fully accessible" but:

1) reception could only be reached via 4 steps up to the counter
2)access to the car park was via stairs and no lift
3) the lunch they provided was a buffet - that might not seem a problem but you try putting food on a plate while using a walking stick
4) there was an accessible toilet in the ladies but to get to it you had to somehow get past a pillar in the entrance - not possible with a wheel chair
5)the hearing loop had been removed by the decorators because they didn't know what it was

divingdiva

the only thing to do is phone / e-mail and ask specific questions. And don't be afraid to complain.

I booked a hotel last year,they only had accessible double rooms and I wanted a twin. I don't mind sharing a room with my carer but I don't want to share a bed with him.
I e-mailed customer services to complain and they offered me a second room free of charge.

Newer buildings are usually, but not always better. Staff don't often have any disability awareness so be specific about your individual needs.

follow the link below for a list of hotels with an accessibility rating.



http://na.visitlondon.com/city_guide...mmodation.html

You could also try hostel accommodation or if you don't mind company you could try couch surfing.

thank for suggestions.. please keep them coming. as kenderina says... what someone's idea of "disabled access" who has never been in a wheelchair, and reality, i've discovered since becoming disabled, are 2 VERY different things. i've arrived at many destinations to find out the "accessible" room "only has 2 steps!! it's accessible!" we are VERY spoiled by the ADA in the U.S. NO other country in the world requires access by law as we do. so i DO email and research, and re-research to find a truly accessible room when i travel. but its very frustrating, because there is no world standard of what constitutes accessibility. my budget is $150.00/night, i can go a little higher if i have to. i also want a twin room... i'm close to my travel companion, but not THAT close! i'm finding that many UK "lifts" are too tiny for a large woman and a large electric scooter/wheelchair... and european rooms, i'm told, are very samll compared to what we're used to in hotel rooms in the US. i can walk a little, so do not need all the accessible bathroom stuff, but a shower seat and grab bars are very helpful. mostly i need flat access to everything and room to get my scooter IN the room and still move around it. thanks for all your help! deb

divingdiva: This is probably not what you want to hear - but you are going to need a huge room by London standards. Even most totally wheelchair accessible accomodations will usually be too small for a motorized scooter. Plus you budget of just £75 a night will limit you even more.

This site links to all sorts of disability travel information - scrolll down to UK. Maybe there is something there that will help you.

oops - left off the URL http://www.globalaccessnews.com/linksnew.htm

The "twin room" issue is a good one.
I also need it..my carer is not a carer, but a good friend ...but not that GOOD LOL
I don't ask for an accesible room most of the times because my trips are too short (just a couple of days) but this time we are going to be 4 days in London so I would probably like to have a nice shower..and I need to sit down because my problem is mostly with balance.
I've seen "accesible rooms" in some hotels here in Spain and they are much bigger than the rest of rooms of the hotel...but they are never on the cheap side , looks like it is a luxury !
I forgot to name the Novotel chain, I know a person who has a big powered wheelchair and usually goes to this chain here in Spain (novotel, ibis, mercure ...)