Jessica PingMy unprotected eyes are burning in the mid-afternoon sun. My black leggings provide the perfect disguise for the ever growing amount of swass that is pooling in my wheelchair. My mouth feels so dry, I feel like if I don’t drink water soon, I may begin to resemble the dried-up, Spongebob meme that is always making its rounds on Tumblr.
I am hot, I am tired, and if I don’t find air conditioning soon, the delicious burger I ate for lunch may be making a sudden reappearance.
Right when I think I might actually start to crumble into a puddle of sweat and tears on the sidewalk of the National Mall, our Uber driver pulls up and we zoom away from Abraham Lincoln towards the comforts of our boujee home for the next two nights.
Immediately upon entering the lobby, my friend and I make intense eye contact with a fruit-infused water station mere feet from the check-in desk. I brace myself, and prepare for the sprint I knew was about to follow. After choking down two glasses each, we head upstairs, take off our damp clothing, and slip into robes provided by the hotel. With our phones carefully placed in our hands and our feet resting comfortably up on our beds, we enjoy the 45 minutes of downtime we have before needing to prepare for the night ahead.
Later that evening, the lock on our door broke. This initially caused me much frustration as I was forced to wheel myself down to the front desk, not once, but twice, because I assumed it was user error, and not the actual system that was compromised. Upon the second visit, a bell-hop by the name of Florian came to my rescue. Not only did he assure me that it wasn’t my fault, but he also sent an engineer to fix the issue before my friend and I returned to the room the next day.
The Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington DC was a spectacular experience. While the cost of our room was picked up by our employer, I know for a fact that the location was top-notch, the facilities were beautiful, and the service was about as good as it gets. Additionally, from an accessibility standpoint, the lobby was easy to maneuver around thanks to the wide space between possible obstacles and the smooth, hard-surfaced floors, there were plenty of elevators to ensure no one was waiting for an absurd amount of time, and the room itself had plenty of space around the beds and in the bathroom for me to get around without a hassle.
Ever since I was a child, my parents have instilled in me the importance of active travel. If I am in a new space, I should take advantage of the opportunity and not waste my time relaxing in bed. I whole-heartedly believe in this mantra, but I do not think that this means you cheap out on the lodging you choose to stay in.
Let me explain…
You want to make sure you feel safe and comfortable…
Safety is of utmost importance, especially when you’re in a new place or traveling alone. I will ALWAYS pay the extra money to ensure that I can get to sleep at night without wondering if I will be robbed or worse while staying at a hotel.
You want to feel taken care of…
As you heard in my story above, the lock on my room broke on my first night in the hotel and the staff was very accommodating in getting it fixed as quickly as possible. When you’re traveling, things will go wrong, and knowing that the staff at the hotel you are staying at not only cares about your well-being, but will also take the time to go above and beyond to help you with anything that may be an issue is so significant. This reassurance will certainly bring about an entire extra layer of serenity and will ensure that your vacation is just that, a vacation!
You want to be able to relax at the end of the day
When you’ve been walking (or riding) around in the hot sun all day, the last thing you want to do when you get back to your hotel is punch your pillow and roll around for an hour on the mattress trying to get comfortable. You want to be able to take off your shoes and know before even sitting down that the quality of the bed is going to permit a night spent sound asleep, not counting sheep.
You want to be located somewhere convenient
This factor is often the one I think about the most when booking a hotel. As a girl in a wheelchair, public transportation is not always accessible or simple to manage. Of course, this is a problem that requires its own investigation, but as the world currently is, I have to think about location probably much more than your average tourist. That said, if you are able-bodied, location can, and should matter to you too. Being within walking distance of some of the top attractions you want to see is essential in time management. You don’t want to be dealing with rush hour traffic, especially if you are paying for an Uber or Lyft, and you definitely don’t want to be paying the extortionate parking rates most cities charge these days. Biting the bullet and paying a little more for a hotel room closer to the area you plan on exploring will remove some of the hassle and, depending on your method of transportation, could potentially save you money in the long run.
You want to have the best experience possible
Finally, no one wants to have a bad experience while traveling. You are away from school/work and you want to make the most of the time you have. As important as I think it is to stay busy on vacation, it is also important to let yourself recharge. This probably won’t happen while you are out walking around looking at monuments, at least it didn’t for me. It happened when I was sitting in my room at 10 PM, enjoying the air conditioning, and watching Grey’s Anatomy while I tried to fall asleep. It happened when I got back from my sightseeing excursion and knew I had fresh, clean water to enjoy at my leisure. It happened when I curled up in my robe and let myself unwind after a long day out and about. Most importantly, it happened when I slept and I knew I would wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next day.
To some, spending money on a nicer hotel may seem frivolous. I’d like it to be known that I am not saying that the only way to enjoy vacation is to spend $300 a night on lodging alone. That said, I do not think it is absurd to go with the more expensive option, especially if the price difference is manageable, to ensure better quality and comfort. It’s not about the name on the outside of the building, it’s about what’s happening on the inside with both the staff, and the amenities.
Staying at hotels that are rated 4 stars and above does not make me rich, pompous, or “extra.” It means I value self-care and I believe in the investment of experience over the value of a dollar. If the world spent more time spoiling themselves, I think we would have a happier population and be more humble and willing to make positive change when it is eventually time to get back to work.
Originally published on July 25, 2019
