accessibleniagara.com hotels and lodgings Quality Inn Parkway detalis

Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre 327 Ontario Street St. Catharines, ON Tel: (905)688-2324 Fax: (905)6884-6432 Toll free - 1-877-688-2324
click on image to enlarge photos	The front desk	cutout for seated guests	fireplace in lobby

Web site: www.heartofniagarahospitality.com

Your host: Peter Nitsopoulos, General Manager

In the beginning it was a peach orchard and then, in 1958, Parkway Lanes, a bowling alley, was built and then the Parkway Hotel was added to it along with a restaurant. It is now the newly renovated Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre with 125 rooms, one accessible.

The hotel and convention complex also features 20 multi-sized function rooms with audio-visual capabilities, a huge atrium, a pool, a specialty coffee shop area, a large restaurant with patio where barbeques are held in the summer, a 40 lane bowling alley, and a bank.

Ontario Street is the main entrance to St. Catharines off the QEW. St. Catharines is 15 minutes or less from Niagara Falls across the Welland Ship Canal. The hotel is 10 minutes to Brock University, Ridley College and Niagara College as well as Pen Centre and Fairview Mall for shopping. While you couldn't exactly call Ontario Street scenic, it is a busy main thoroughfare, it does afford you six or seven restaurants, some shopping, close proximity to the rest of the city, affordable accommodations in a nice hotel.

PARKING: Because this is a convention centre there is a large parking lot that almost completely surrounds the complex. There are two large designated spots near the front entrance, several over towards the restaurant and more in the rear near the entrance to the convention meeting rooms, however, the entrance isn't accessible back there. If you have a large van or a side or rear-loading van you shouldn't have any problem finding an end of row spot or one of the large spots that have nothing beside them in front of the hotel. Spots for people who are disabled are marked by free standing signs in most places and on the pavement.

ENTRANCE, DOORS AND LOBBY: In this area of Ontario Street, the sidewalks are very close to the road. Because the businesses along this mainthoroughfare were there before the sidewalks went in, sidewalks are narrow and you find yourself walking pretty close to the traffic. You can enter the hotel complex from the sidewalk though it is advised you cross the road only at the lights.
The entrance from the parking lot is sheltered and flat. There are two sets of automatic doors. The flooring is ceramic tile and smooth. The lobby is large, bright and easy to navigate. There is an end of the front desk on the right that is lower at 30" to accommodate people using mobility devices.

CONCIERGE: The people manning the front desk will gladly help you find anything you need.

ELEVATORS, HOTEL HALLS AND ROOM ENTRANCES: The wheelchair accessible room at this hotel is on the main floor just to the right of the front desk through a set of fairly heavy fire doors. The hallway is 71" wide and affords you enough space to get into the room through the 32" wide door. The emergency exit is just down the hall but is not ramped. You'd have to use the fire doors back into the lobby if there was an emergency. As with most hotels in Niagara, if you tell the people at the front desk when you register that you will need help in case of an emergency, they will code your registration card and you will be the first person seen to.

The halls are moderately lighted but are not what you'd call bright but lighting is adequate.

Entrance to the room is with a plastic card key and a lever handle. There is a ½" x 51/2" lip into the room. There is no lowered peep hole in the door. The door is set to automatically shut so it will not stay open if you have trouble getting in and out and holding the door at the same time. This is the way most hotel doors are and they are rigged this way for safety reasons.

There is a light switch near the door that operates the hall light only and there is a portable luggage rack behind the desk.


Hallway into Room 127	Queen bed	TV, dresser, desk and chair

BEDROOM: Room 127. It is geared to suit a person with a disability but could accommodate more of the party travelling with the person who is disabled. Once in the room you will be in a small hallway 53" wide. There is a small coffee station in the hall featuring a coffee maker, coffee, tea, creamer, sugar, cups, ice bucket and glasses.
The bedroom area features one queen-size bed, a cot can be brought in if needed. The bed is on a platform. There are bedside tables on either side of the bed and a telephone, clock radio and lamp to the left of the bed. There is an open plug suitable for charging batteries, etc.

The room also features a remote control colour TV on a four-drawer, high dresser set up diagonally across from the bed, two tub chairs, and a desk and chair. I'm told furniture can be taken out if more room is needed for turnaround or equipment.

There is a large mirror over the desk but it is too high to be used by someone who is seated. There is also a large tiltable mirror in the bathroom that affords a full view of you, your chair, the floor, everything. It is high and you couldn't put your makeup on using it because it is too high to get close to but it is a good mirror if you want to check your overall appearance. I'd suggest you travel with a lighted cosmetics or shaving mirror that you can simply plug in. Most hotels have electrical outlets next to the sink but many do not have mirrors bright enough or close enough for detailed work.

While there is no real closet there is a clothing area in the hall beside the bathroom door. It features a shelf 71" high that is too high for anyone in a chair to use but there are large smooth hooks 37" from the floor that you could put hangers on or simply hang a garment on a hook depending on whether it is something that will wrinkle or not. An iron and ironing board are supplied. Extra pillows and blankets can be requested from front desk or housekeeping.
There is 34" between the desk and the end of the bed so getting into the room would be tight for anyone in a large wheelchair or a large scooter. Room 125 adjoins this room.

There is no braille anywhere.


seat in shower - shower head will rest in grab bar	note: small lip	far end of shower	sink and tilted mirror

BATHROOM: The hallway into the bathroom gives you a turning ratio of 53". The doorway is 32" wide and there is a tiny raised lip that is carpeted. The door opens out into the hall so it has to be open and up against the wall for you to get into it as there isn't room to go around it. There is a hook to hang a robe on the bathroom door at 46". The bathroom door is operated with a knob.

The bathroom sink is 31" from the floor and there is a cutout of 26" for your legs. The oval sink has an up/down swivel lever control and a counter goes along the wall that is 51" long by 7 3/4" wide. It is wide enough to hold toiletries, and bar soap, etc. is provided by the hotel. The huge tilted 30"x60" mirror mounted 54" on the wall is opposite this counter.

The light switch for the bathroom is outside the room at 42" high. There are two plugs beside the vanity and a hair dryer is provided.


shower and toilet	shower seat in proximity to toilet	toilet and sink	sink and vanity area open underneath

TOILET: The toilet is of normal height (see photo for details, please.)

TUB/SHOWER: There is a fibreglass shower unit with a seat in this bathroom. The unit has a 3/8" rounded lip into it and the seat is 3" from the edge of the lip. If you can transfer you can use the seat. There is a hand-held shower head that can be stored in two positions. It can also be tucked into the bar on the back of the shower stall so you can grab it from a seated position. There is a 3' horizontal grab bar on the back of the shower unit and a 3' vertical bar at the end. If you need to sit closer to the showerhead or you need arms on anything you sit on to help you get up, you could ask that a wheeled commode be rented for you.

There is a shampoo and conditioner dispenser in the shower and room for your own toiletries in there as well.

Towels are to the right of the toilet and across the room.

The bathroom is not extremely bright but adequate if your vision is good.

The turning ratio in the bathroom is 76"x78". There is no light in the ceiling of the shower.

ROOM ENVIRONMENT: The air-conditioning and heating unit is by the window. It
operates like most others: with a dial and push buttons. The window operates with a push/pull lever and opens out about a foot onto the parking lot and Ontario Street.

This is a smoking room although it is well-cleaned and we didn't notice the odour of smoke. Whether a non-smoker can tolerate a smoking room all depends on your sensitivity to odours.

There is no hotel kit available for the hearing impaired and the room doesn't have a strobe in it to alert a deaf person to a fire alarm. There is a smoke and fire alarm in the room.

Room service is available from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.


Ashley at Timothy's World Coffee	Mural in J.J. Kapps	looking out on patio at J.J. Kapps	Near the buffet at J.J.Kapps

LOBBY RESTAURANTS: There is a Timothy's World Coffee to the right of the lobby that sells all manner of coffe, tea, hot chocolate, pastries, croissants and lighter fare suitable for a snack or rushed lunch. Timothy's is open from 7 a.m. until midnight daily.

There is also a sports lounge near the bowling alley and a large bar area plus an arcade
.
J.J. Kapps Backyard B.B.Q. Steak and Grill open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. is to the left of the front desk and if you are using a mobility device there is a long ramp to the bowling alley and at the end of the bowling alley you'll
find the restaurant. It seats 150 people in a table and chairs and booths.

There is a lunchtime buffet serving soup and salad as well as the regular luncheon fare.The breakfast menu features all manner of breakfast fare from the traditional breakfast of one egg, bacon, home fries, pancakes or toast and coffee for $4.99 to the bigger breakfasts featuring a variety of eggs, ham, pancakes, steak and eggs, three egg omelettes and breakfast sandwiches priced up to $10.99.

There is a large lunch and dinner menu featuring soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, chicken and seafood, pasta and steaks plus pizza and desserts and a kid's menu. Meal prices range from the all you can eat soup and salad bar at $5.99 to $30. for a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak that comes with the soup and salad bar, warm house bread, fresh seasoned vegetables and your choice of potato or rice.

WASHROOMS IN LOBBY: There is a washroom off the convention area that would see most people require help if alone. The single entrance door is very heavy and the entrance tight. The door swings in and the stall is at the end of the room. Entrance to the stall is compromised by an angled wall. The door is 32" wide and the stall is 55x55". I could get my scooter into the stall but it was a difficult manoeuvre. I couldn't close the door because it was behind me so I couldn't reach it to close it. This is a common problem with public washroom stalls. They all need a U-shaped handle on them at latch level to allow us to close them behind us if we can reach them. The door locked with a round twist closure.

Toilet height to the seat was 16 ½ " and there is no back on the toilet.

There are 2' grab bars on the side and the back of the toilet. The toilet paper dispenser is easy to use if you can grasp the end of the paper up under the dispenser. There is a purse hook but it is too high for a person in
a wheelchair or scooter to use.

The washroom sink is 33 1/2" high and you can get your legs under it. The soap dispenser is on the back wall so it could be a stretch to reach. The sink handles are levers. The paper towel dispenser is 46" high, the mirror easy to use and the room well lighted. The problem with this washroom is the main doorway and the awkward entrance to the stall. I'd advise you take someone with you when using this washroom. The men's may be easier to access as the door isn't in a corner.


pool area	hot tub	pool	roll-in shower (completely flat)

POOL AREA: This is a new pool area featuring a whirlpool and fairly large pool. The pool depth is 3' to 6'. The whirlpool is 33" deep but has steps of 12" then 7 1/2" to the bottom. The pool has steps of 8 1/2" for the first drop and 7 1/2" for the rest of the steps. There is a railing. Unless you have good upper body srength you'd have difficulty getting in and out of this pool.


good grip handle on pool change room door	bathroom in change room area	sink in change room area	roll-in shower in change room area (completelty flat)

POOL CHANGE ROOM AREA: The steam room with tiled seats is small but an accessible flat entrance, one of the few in a Niagara hotel that is, and the pool shower and change room is excellent featuring a toilet 15" from the floor with a J-shaped grab bar on the left of it and a 2' grab bar on the back. There is a double toilet paper dispenser but no back on the toilet if you need one to get yourself up and off. The toilet area has a lever handle on the door with a lock in the handle. The vanity is 33" from the floor and the underside of it is wide open for knees. The sink faucets are easy lever handles and there is a low soap dispenser. The paper towels are 52" to the operating lever. A hair dryer is 54" high and the room is well-lighted.

CONCLUSION: This is a moderately priced hotel with interesting features that can make your stay enjoyable especially if you like to bowl. It features a restaurant and is in close proximity to just about everything in St. Catharines. The accessible room is not large but would accommodate a couple or one person since it features only one bed, however, since it has an adjoining room also with one bed, a larger party or an attendant could be accommodated, if need be.

Audited: April 1/03