Days Inn St.Catharines Niagara 89 Meadowvale Drive (QEW at Lake St.) St. Catharines, ON L2N 3Z8 Tel: (905) 934-5400 Fax: (905) 646-8700 Toll Free: 1-877-688-2324 Web site: www.howardjohnsonstcath.com
click on photos to enlarge	Front desk

Your host: Chris Nitsoupolos

Days Inn St.Catharines Niagara is located in the heart of Niagara, at the Lake Street exit ramp off the Queen Elizabeth highway in St. Catharines. The hotel complex, which also features Wrigley's Field Sports Bar and Grill and Perkins Family Restaurant and Bakery, is just minutes from various tourist attractions in the Region of Niagara, such as Niagara Falls, Casino Niagara, the Welland Canal viewing centre at Lock Three and numerous local wineries. The hotel has six meeting rooms and 96 guest rooms two of which are accessible, these being rooms 124 and 126. Although both these rooms are technically non-smoking rooms, they are located on the ground floor where smoking is allowed. The hotel also has TTY service for people who are hearing impaired.
When registering at the front desk, if you inform staff you need help in case of an emergency, they will code your card and see that you get the personal help you need.

PARKING: There is ample parking, with three designated spots in front of the main hotel entrance, two at the back entrance close to a small covered ramp, and two more at the front of Perkins Restaurant, which has its own
entrance separate from the hotel. You will need your key card to enter through the hotel back door between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The parking spots are wide enough for vans with side opening ramps, however, the parking lot is
large enough that there is sufficient room for you to park at the end of rows if need be.

ENTRANCE, DOORS AND LOBBY: The flat entrance to the hotel is protected from the elements and there are two sets of double doors, which are operated manually. The flooring is tile. The hotel does not have a doorman but
luggage carts are available.

Once inside, you turn right for the hotel lobby and left for Wrigley's Field Sports Bar and Grill. The lobby is small and comfortably furnished with a sofa, two chairs and coffee and end tables. The registration counter is high at 48" but they will provide you with a clipboard for signing. The front desk personnel also act as concierge and will assist you in finding anything you need. There are also two low pay phones in the hall to the left of the front door and between Wrigley's Field and Perkins Restaurant. If it's a snack you want, there is a vending machine in the lobby.

LOBBY WASHROOM: Although not actually situated in the hotel lobby, there is a large family style accessible washroom located down the hall to the left of the main entrance and between Wrigley's Field and Perkins Restaurant.
This washroom is kept locked and a key can be obtained from the front desk or dining room or restaurant employee. There is easy access to the washroom through a 34 ½" wide door which swings into the washroom and has a lever handle. The door locks automatically. The toilet is 17" high and does not have tank on the back. There is a 2' grab bar at the back of the toilet and a 3' diagonal grab bar on the side. The sink is 32" high and a 28" opening beneath the counter provides easy leg room for a wheelchair user. Lever handled faucets are easily operated. The soap dispenser is 37" from the floor and is located in front of the vanity to the right, while the paper towel dispenser
is 48" from the floor. The washroom does not have a hot air hand dryer. The mirrors are nice and wide and low. Although the room is well lighted and fully functional, it did not have a particularly clean fresh smell.

ELEVATORS, HOTEL HALLS AND ENTRANCES: Because the accessible rooms are located on the ground floor, we did not need to check the elevators. To reach rooms 124 and 126 we had to go through a set of fire doors to the left of the front desk. These doors are rather heavy and have to be pulled towards you. We found it was easier to exit when pushing the doors away from you.The accessible rooms are located at the end of the well-lighted and carpeted, 59" wide hall. There is an emergency exit located next to Room 126 but it would be very difficult to manoeuvre in a wheelchair or on a scooter because there is a drop of at least 4" onto the sidewalk. The only way
someone in either of these rooms could exit is back down the hall to the lobby.

Two Queen beds	TV, fridge, microwave, deskand hall	Opposite the beds

BEDROOM: For the vision impaired there is an indented number on the door. There is a small ¼" lip into the room and the door opens with a lever type handle, but the door does not stay open and will close automatically. A
light switch near the door operates the hall light and there are two peepholes in the door, the lower one being 4' from the floor.

The hallway into the room is 44" wide and room dimensions are 11' 10" wide and 17" long, featuring two queen beds on platforms. Although there is no pullout couch a cot can be brought in. Furnishings consist of a bedside
table between the beds, a desk and chair, round table with two chairs, an armoire with TV opposite the beds, and of special interest there is a fridge and microwave between the desk and the armoire. There is ample lighting
consisting of one floor lamp, two wall lamps over the beds and a lamp on the bedside table. The wall lamps have easy push in knobs while the others have turn knob switches, which can be difficult to turn. A flashing light alarm
is available for the hearing impaired.

Electrical outlets are located as follows: one behind the bedside table; one behind the round table and a raised outlet to the left of the armoire and 35" from the floor.

The positioning of the furniture allows for easy mobility with 37" between the foot of the bed and the armoire. The fridge and microwave are both low and the fridge is easily opened by pulling on the grooved top. The door
swings wide open for easy access.

A clock radio and telephone are located on the bedside table and the phone has a very long cord allowing you to leave the phone on the end of the bed if need be, as the space between the two beds is only 28" making it rather tight to manoeuvre. There is no Internet connection in the room. A coffee maker and supplies are located on the round table. There is a nice full-length mirror beside the bathroom door.

Sink, toilet, bars and towels	Sink and hairdryer, etc.	Vanity and open area

BATHROOM: First impression of the bathroom is that it is quite small but well-equipped. The area from the toilet to the tub is 27", and 58" from the wall to the door. The very narrow bathroom is tough for scooter users. Manoeuvrability is very tight. The door opens out into the hall and must be wide open and flat against the wall in order to get around it. The door is 32" wide and there is a ½" high and 1 ¾" wide marble lip into the bathroom.
Regarding the turning ratio into the bathroom, it's 41" into the bathroom from the hall but 71" when you include the open closet space. The door handle is the knob type. There is no emergency opening in the door and no telephone in the bathroom.

The oval sink is 32" from the floor with an ample 27 1/2" cutout for leg room. It is 4" from the edge of the counter and easy to reach, with round tap knobs 16" from the edge of the counter. The counter is 59" long with a
mirror almost the length of the vanity.

Light switches are to the left of the sink and 48" from the floor. Lighting is good. Plugs are located to left of sink and 50" from the floor. At 62" from the floor, the hair dryer is too high to be used independently.
Transfer to the 16" high toilet is from the front only in this narrow bathroom. There is a 2' diagonal grab bar to the right of the toilet (when facing it), and the counter over the toilet tank could be used to help lift
off. Toilet paper is within easy reach.

Far end of tub, bars and edge	business end of tub	space between toilet and tub

BATHTUB: The bathtub has a 1 3/4" lip on the far side and a 4 1/2 " lip on the tub edge to take a bath board if necessary. Bath boards are available upon request from the front desk. There is a hand-held showerhead with an easy to use triangular knob on the tub/shower control. Plenty of grab bars surround the tub including a 40" wraparound on back and under the showerhead 20"-22" from bottom of tub, and a 2' vertical grab bar to right of showerhead on back wall and a 2' vertical and 2' horizontal bar on wall opposite shower.
Towels are located on the wall between the toilet and tub while the soap and shampoo are on the edge of the tub. There is a corner shelf in the tub area 38" high from the edge of the tub. Lighting in the tub area is moderate.

ROOM ENVIRONMENT: The room temperature is controlled with a modern computer pad type touch control panel in the unit, which is low and located next to the window. If you need some fresh air, there is a sliding patio door that opens by lifting the bar on the left and flipping up the switch on the right hand door. However, there is a 2" lip down to the walkway outside the room. The view from the room is the side of the hotel.
On entering the room there is a space on the right for hanging clothes, but there is no lower rack. An iron and ironing board are available on request. There is also a luggage rack in the room.

ROOM SERVICE: Wrigley's Field Sports Bar and Grill provide room service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Their menu includes casual fare such as pizza, burgers, wings, sandwiches etc.

Holiday Inn pool

POOL AREA: The hotel has a nice pool area and is well-lighted featuring skylights in the ceiling. The rectangular pool is 3' deep in the shallow end rising to 4'3" over the drain and 4' in the deep end. Steps into the pool range from 15" from the pool edge down to the first step, then three steps each 10" with a railing in the centre. On the opposite side of the pool there is a double-railed ladder. Pictures do not do it justice as my flash will not light the entire area. The sauna is not accessible.

Mural in hall by Wrigley's Field - the bar is fairly dark and not good for photos.

RESTAURANTS: Wrigley's Field Sports Bar and Grill has a huge bar, with maybe ten large televisions and various areas for eating including a table and chairs area. The menu is mainly finger food and hearty fare for sports lovers. There are also pool tables and there is an arcade area in Wrigley's.

There is also a Perkins Family Restaurant on the property that serves more conventional fare beginning early morning however we were unable to visit it due to an ice storm. The Perkins Restaurant is not connected to the hotel in that there isn't a door you can take to get you from the hotel to Perkins and still remain inside. you can, however, go out the door of the hotel nearest the highway and, remaining undercover, about 20 feet away is the door to Perkin's.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This moderately priced hotel brings you a room that is accessible if you don't use a scooter or a large wheelchair. There is everything you need here to stay close to the falls but not in it. The two restaurants and proximity to other restaurants in the area plus shopping mean you have a choice of where you eat and shop and you are five minutes away from Fairview Mall and 10 minutes from Pen Centre in St.Catharines featuring more than 80 accessible stores.

Audited: April 1/2003