Four Points Sheraton 3530 Schmon Parkway Thorold ON L2V 4Y6 Tel: 905-984-8484 Fax: 905-984-6691 Reservations: 1-800-325-3535
	Hotel is long rather than tall	Main entrance	Front desk

Located in the heart of the Niagara Region and across the street from Brock University, the Four Points Sheraton celebrated its official opening in April 1991 and is Niagara's premier all-suite hotel. Since then, additions have been made including the pool and fitness centre. The hotel has 129 suites, four of which are accessible: suites 1106, 2124, which are designated smoking, and 3124 and 4124 non-smoking. All suites feature two telephones with free local calls; two TVs, in-room movies, coffee makers, refrigerators, microwaves (which we found to be placed too high above the counter for persons in wheelchairs), hair dryers, iron and ironing board.

PARKING: Three designated parking spots are well-signed and located to the left of the wide, covered main entrance as your drive up. However, the two outside spots are flanked by curbed gardens making it difficult for side-loading vans. The paved parking lot is immense and finding a spot to park a side-loading van would not be a problem.

ENTRANCE & LOBBY: The wide flat entrance is protected from the elements and the two sets of double doors are automatic. The first set slides open while the second set opens out towards you. Once inside, we were captivated by the spacious, atrium-like lobby, with windows rising up the entire four floors.
The flooring is marble and several lounge areas surround the central fountain.
The hotel does not have a bellhop or doorman but there are large luggage carts available inside the front entrance and the front desk personnel will help if needed. The long lobby desk, which also serves as concierge, is to your left and is 44" high.

Coming into the room	Hall into room	Sitting area of room

ELEVATORS, HALLS AND ROOM ENTRANCES: There are two elevators in the lobby with wide doors and low buttons with Braille. The elevator beeps at each floor. The elevator opens onto a 94" wide carpeted hallway allowing for easy manoeuvring. The accessible suite we audited was 4124 and is a long way from the elevator, but the entire area is very bright with windows and skylights.
Ice and pop machines are around the corner from the elevator and both are reachable for guests in wheelchairs or on scooters.
The emergency exit is located next door to suite 4124. The doorways are well-lighted with overhead fluorescents and entry is with a plastic key card. There is a small ¼" lip into the room. The door is 35" wide, has a high and low peephole and stays open to allow for easy access. Just inside the door a double light switch 47" high operates the hall light and sitting room track light.

Kitchenette - unfortunately the microwave is too high for a person in a wheelchair to reach. The faucets have regular handles.

SITTING ROOM AND KITCHENETTE: This room is 20' by 11'. It is furnished with a double pullout couch, two easy chairs, 2 desks with chairs, a coffee table two floor lamps, which operate with grooved twist knobs, a TV and stand. There are two skylights with drapes and blinds. A double plug outlet is located by the round table. The heat/air conditioning unit is below the window and is 29" high. It operates with push buttons and turn knob. The windows do not open and have a view of the highway and Brock University.
We're told Internet connection is currently being installed in all rooms.
Room service is available between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. The kitchen part has a sink, microwave, which is too high at 69" to the power switch for a seated person to reach; a coffee maker, and a small easy-to-open fridge, which stands on the floor. The garbage pail is located in the cupboard under the sink.

Queen-size bed in room	TV opposite the bed

BEDROOM: A 33" doorway with a flat, carpeted entrance opens into the 10' by 13' bedroom. The door has a knob handle and opens into the room and stays open. There is a lovely full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door.
We're told all the accessible rooms are alike with a queen-size bed. None have adjoining rooms. Beds are on legs not platforms so a Hoyer lift could be used. There is a lamp and clock radio on one of the bedside tables and a telephone on the other. The lamp operates with a pull chain. There is also a chair in the corner of the room. The TV on a stand is opposite the bed and next to the open closet. The TV stand has two drawers with extra pillows, sheets and blankets. The closet has a clothes rod 64" high, an iron, ironing board and luggage rack. The desk/table just inside the entrance would also be a good spot to place luggage. A wall sconce also provides light in the room with the switch 48" high just outside the door.
There is a space of 55" between the bed and remote TV on stand, 55" between the bed and wall and 58" between the bed and the window wall. There is a nice view of Brock University. The bedroom has its own heat/air conditioning unit underneath the big double window.
The overall impression of the unit is that it is clean and very bright. It is big enough but the bedroom is not that big.

Proximity of sink, tub and toilet	Tub detail

BATHROOM: Getting into the bathroom proved impossible with a scooter. The 38" hallway leaves no room to manoeuvre a scooter into the bathroom. A wheelchair could manage it. The 31" door opens into the bathroom with a lever handle and stays open. There is a space of 45" between the vanity and tub and 5' from the toilet to the door. The entire bathroom area is 88" by 66". There is no emergency opening in the door and no telephone in the bathroom. The oval sink is 30" from the floor, is open underneath and is 2 ½" from the edge of the vanity. The taps are the push/pull/twist type and are 15" from the edge of the counter. Bar soap is beside the sink. The mirror is 41" from the floor and is too high for people who are seated; it is not tilted. The counter is 58" long, and another wall-to-wall counter above the back of the toilet is 64" long by 8" wide. The toilet is 15 1/2" high and has a tank. There is a 38" space on left of toilet so toilet access could be from the front or left side. A 2' diagonal grab bar is on the right side of the toilet and a 2' horizontal one just above the counter across the back of the toilet. Toilet paper is easily reached and an extra roll is available. There are two plugs by the sink with the hairdryer taking up one.
The room is well-lighted with fluorescents.
The bathtub is a molded fiberglass unit. There is no lip on the far side of the tub to allow for a bathboard. There is a 6" outer lip. The showerhead is the hand-held kind and can be lowered and draped over the grab bar on the back wall of the tub. The faucet is the push/pull/turn triangular style. The hotel has a bath seat available if needed. Towels are located on a low towel shelf beside the vanity. The tub/shower area is moderately well-lighted. The shower curtain is dark green and tends to block some of the light.

Hand-held shower head can be secured in grab bar	Door cannot be opened if wheelchair in front of tub	Towels low but can be moved to be within easy reach

OTHER ACCESSIBLE SUITES: We're told the other accessible suites are identical to the one we just described, with one exception: Suite 1106 is fully accessible as regards the bathroom with a full roll-in shower unit.

Roll-in shower in 1106	Grab bar in back of roll-in shower	High hand-held shower head

Ramp down into restaurant	Part of restaurant seating	Restaurant bar

DINING ROOM: The In Piazza dining room is located at the back of the lobby and is accessed by steps and a carpeted ramp. It is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Each month the dining room has a different promotion. During our visit the theme was Mexican, featuring Mexican dishes and appropriate background music. Regular menu fare is always available. The breakfast menu ranges from pancakes and French toast, each at $3.95, to various omelettes at $7.25 and The Canadian, comprising two eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries and toast, also at $7.25 and steak and eggs at $9.95. All day favorites, such as burgers, fish and chips, chicken pitas, and club sandwiches are served between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. and range from $6.75 to $8.95. Pasta dishes are from $10.95 to $13.95 while dinner entrees of top sirloin, New York striploin, various chicken dishes, salmon, rainbow trout, sole and pork are served from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and are priced from $15.50 to $18.95. Seating is tables and chairs. There is an outdoor patio off the dining room where food is served during the summer months. Although there is a 3" lip from the dining room to the patio and a rather steep ramp from the ballroom to the patio, you could ask to go through the service quarters around the back of the hotel and access a smaller ramp onto the patio.

Pitch on ramp - can't be managed alone

Lobby washroom	Accessible stall in washroom	Hooray! A handle on the back of the washroom door to allow you to pull it shut.

LOBBY WASHROOMS: There are two accessible lobby washrooms, one at either end of the lobby. The washroom has a 35" door, which is just pushed open. A second door to the left is also 35" wide and pulls open towards you. There are U-shaped handles on the backs of the entrance doors. The area between the two doors is 92" x 85". The accessible stall door is 34" wide and opens out but has a handle on the inside of the door to allow for easy closing. The stall is 56" x 60". The toilet is 18" high and has no back. There is a 32" diagonal grab bar on the side and a 2' horizontal bar on the wall at the back of the toilet. Toilet paper is in a double roll dispenser. There is a space of 32" to the left of the toilet and 30" between the toilet and the door. The long vanity has five sinks with knob taps. The end sink has lever handles, a cutout underneath for legroom and a tilted mirror. The tampon machine in the ladies, blow dryer and soap dispenser are lowered, with the soap dispenser for the accessible sink located on the wall beside the vanity, while the others are affixed to the back wall. The paper towel dispenser is high at 50".
Low accessible phones are located in the hall near the lobby washroom.

Lip on shower in pool area	Pool

POOL AREA AND FITNESS CENTRE: The pool area is located down the hall to the right of the lobby. This whole area is rather tight for patrons in wheelchairs or on scooters. The change rooms and showers are not accessible so it is advisable to shower in your room. The washroom has a 30" door to the stall and would not be good for a scooter but a wheelchair could manage, although there are no grab bars. The sinks are usable with knob taps and soap is reachable. The paper towels are also reachable but the hair dryer is too high, however, there are reachable plugs that could be used. The hot tub is not accessible and the pool, which goes from a depth of 3' to 6', has five steps down with a grab bar to the first step. There is also a pop machine in the pool area. The pool/fitness area is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and also has memberships for the general public.

May, 2003