Embassy Suites Hotel 6700 Fallsview Blvd. Niagara Falls ON Tel: 905-356-3600 Toll Free: 1-800-420-6980 Fax: 905-356-0472 Web site: www.embassysuitesniagara.com
	Covered entrance and parking	Huge trillums on lobby ceiling

Number of suites in the hotel: 512; number of accessible suites: 10

Towering 42 storeys above the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, the Embassy Suites Hotel is Niagara’s only all-suite hotel overlooking the falls. The hotel is brand new, being built from scratch and opening in July 2003. There are 32 floors of guest suites in the 42-storey hotel. The 10 accessible units are identical and located on floors 10-20 (one unit on each floor) situated directly above each other in the corner of the hotel, giving each accessible suite an abundance of windows and an incredible view of the falls just 100 yards away.

Some areas weren’t quite finished during our audit in March 2004, but we were told it would be fully functional by the start of the summer tourist season. The hotel is not only the closest to the falls but is also just one block from the new Casino Niagara complex, due to open this summer.

PARKING: A covered parking concourse area is at the front entrance to the hotel. There is valet parking only which is waived for guests with a handicapped sticker in their vehicle. From this concourse area you can also enter Starbuck’s coffee shop and TGI Friday’s Restaurant and Bar, both of which are also accessible from the hotel lobby.

ENTRANCE & DOORS: The entrance to the hotel is a huge, glass, automatic double sliding door system opening into the carpeted lobby.

easy automatic entrance	photos taken from rooms	lowered front desk

LOBBY: The concierge/bellman desk is the first desk as you enter the lobby. At the far end of the lobby, the long, front desk has a lowered section on the end at the right. A white board in the lobby is used to indicate where guests with disabilities are located.

Above the desk are huge pictorial views of the falls taken from various rooms in the hotel, noted by room number and time of year the picture was taken. There is also a tour desk and lots of information on the falls and the Niagara region.

Of special interest is the accessible business centre, which you enter with your room card key. It is equipped with a computer, printer, Fax and copier for guests who may need to combine business with pleasure.

Trilliums (Ontario's provincial flower) on ceiling	Trillium motif in carpets throughout

The lobby décor is truly unique with enormous pastel-coloured trilliums suspended from the ceiling and brightly patterned carpeting. The tilted mirrors in the lobby are a nice touch, making them useable for guests in wheelchairs or scooters.

Down the hall to the left of the front desk you can also enter Starbuck’s coffee shop by way of a ramp, while the entrance to TGI Friday’s, which can seat 350, is to the right. There is also a lower bar for the Keg restaurant with an elevator up to the dining room. (More on the restaurants later.)

The lobby washroom, which will have a single door entry, was under construction at the time of our visit, as was the lobby gift shop. There is also an ATM in the lobby.

ELEVATORS, HOTEL HALLS & ROOM ENTRANCES

The elevators have raised arrows on the directional buttons and the doors are 42” wide. Someone in a wheelchair can easily reach the low elevator buttons, which have Braille, and you can tell what floor you are on as the elevator beeps. The back wall of the elevator is mirrored so that someone in a wheelchair or on a scooter facing the back of the elevator can see what floor they are on.

View of Atrium column

Once at your floor, the 60” wide halls are carpeted. A 10-storey atrium adds to the ambiance. Ice and pop machines are located down the hall and around to the right from each accessible suite. The machines are token-operated and tokens are available from the front desk. The hotel also has installed state of the art fire suppression and detection in the building with smoke evacuation fans in each corridor that suck the smoke out to the roof.

We visited Room 1701, located around the corner, just a few feet from the elevator. There is a ¼” lip onto a marble strip to enter the room, which we are told is for fire prevention, and the door has both high and low peepholes.

Living area - big TV opposite couch (we should have turned on all of the lights)	Dining area in living room	Hallway to bedroom area	Half fridge, mini-bar and microwave - sink to left

LIVING ROOM: From the hallway you enter into the spacious 15’ by 16’ living room. It features a double pullout sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, dining table and four chairs, an end table with phone and lamp, and a floor lamp. There is also a three-drawer chest with a TV on top with Internet access and Nintendo. It should also be noted that the dresser and TV are chained to the wall so that it would be impossible for them to tip over. There is also a luggage rack and shoeshine machine in the living area. A closet with iron and ironing board, extra pillows and a floor safe does not have a lowered rack. A double switch operates a wall light over the dining table and overhead light in the hall leading to the bathroom and bedroom.

The floor in the hallway between the living area and bedroom is tiled. The hall is 39” wide with the bathroom on the right and a kitchenette on the left. The kitchen countertop is 40 ½” high and has a sink with lever handles, but it is not open below. A microwave sits below the counter with a mini bar and mini fridge under the microwave, all of which are easily reached from a sitting position. All the fixings for tea and coffee are on the countertop.

accessible sink in hallway

Immediately past the bathroom door in the hallway is a lowered vanity with sink open below. This is 33” high with a unilever faucet and full lowered mirror with light and a lowered double plug outlet on the wall to the left.

View of falls from room	two queen beds	hatch open into bathroom	lowered section in closet

BEDROOM: The bedroom features two queen beds on platforms (one is recessed 6” and 4 ¾” high). A closet has mirrored doors and a lowered section with rack and shelf. There is an armoire with three drawers and a TV on a pullout base. A bedside table sits between the beds with a phone and double wall lamps with knobs. There is also a floor lamp and luggage rack. Double frosted glass window doors open from the bedroom into the outer bathroom, which has a Jacuzzi. If you’re able to use the Jacuzzi, you can sit in it with the glass doors open and position the TV so you can enjoy the water and TV at the same time. There is a spectacular view of the falls from the huge window wall and the window opens slightly so you can hear the water’s roar. When the coloured lights are on the falls at night and fireworks explode on special occasions, there isn’t a better view anywhere.

There is a space of 6’ from the foot of the beds to the armoire; 28” between the beds; 42” from the bed to the window; 18” from the bed to the bathroom window wall. A low plug is located beside the armoire.

First of two bathroom areas features Jacuzzi and sink	Toilet in second area

Shower in second area	Lip into shower	Other end of shower

BATHROOM: The bathroom door is 34” wide and opens inwards with a lever handle. The Jacuzzi and vanity is 33” high. Jacuzzi instructions are on the wall above the timer. The 5’ long vanity is open below and has an oval sink with unilever pull/twist handle. There is a low 3’ x 4’ mirror and a low double plug to the right of the vanity with a double outlet higher up. Below the vanity on the right there are nice low shelves with a hair dryer. The outer bathroom is very well lit. The door to the separate shower/toilet area is 34” wide and opens towards you (into the outer bathroom) with a lever handle. Robe hooks are both high and low. The toilet is 18” high and has a back. There is a space of 29” in front of the toilet and 34” from toilet to shower. Towels are placed both high and low. The moulded shower unit has a 2 ½” lip but if you can transfer at all, you can transfer onto the built-in seat. Getting a shower commode up that 21/2" lip and having enough room for it in the shower stall might be a problem. The moveable showerhead is located on the wall behind the seat and operates with a pull/twist handle. Grab bars are placed around the shower.

Dennis Sargeson, Director of Operations, accompanied us on our tour and took us to Room 1901 to show us a Portaview TTY and Access 3 Kit, which the hotel had recently acquired. This is a multi purpose, alerting device with alarm clock and halogen lamp alerting you to a knock on the door or a phone ringing. There is also a bed shaker jack to vibrate. The battery operated door knock signaller and the telephone amplifier that increases incoming volume up to 20 times are invaluable to those with hearing impairment. The above apparatus is portable and can go into any room upon availability.

Pool from above	Plenty of light	Scooter parked poolside

POOL: The pool area is located on Level 9 and is enormous with lots of patio tables and chairs. It is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The pool has four steps down into the water at both sides and is only 3’ to 3’3” deep at any given spot. It is approximately 50’ long and is kept at 84 degrees. There are two hot tubs: one at 98 degrees and the other at 102 degrees. There is an accessible washroom in the pool area but has no grab bars, however, a toilet paper shelf screwed into the wall could act as a lever to lift yourself but be careful. It might not be secured well enough to take weight. The sink is open below. There is also a roll-in shower.

Pool washroom	Pool roll-in shower

Level 10 features a Universal fitness centre and guest laundry open 24 hours. The only drawback to the laundry is the fact that the dryers are above the washers and impossible to reach from a sitting position.

Level 9 washroom stall	Level 9 vanity area

WASHROOM: Level 9 also features a huge accessible washroom with a double door system. The accessible stall has a door that opens out and has a slide lock. A low coat hook could double as a handle to close the door. The low toilet has no back and has grab bars. A long vanity with five sinks is open below and operates with sensor faucets. Low oval mirrors are placed over each sink. Paper towel holders are nice and low.

This level also features an arcade.

COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST & EVENING MANAGER’S RECEPTION: You can start your day with the complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and wind down with the manager’s evening reception, both of which are included with your registration and held in the common atrium lounge area on Level 9, which is the Mezzanine. Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and from 7:30 a.m.-12 noon Saturday and Sunday. The evening reception is from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. daily and includes non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased at $2 Cdn. or $1.50 U.S. The two-tier Keg Steakhouse and Bar, also known as Keg Fallsview Dining, with a ramp to the upper seating area overlooking the falls will be completed on this level by June 2004.

RESTAURANTS: As well as the aforementioned Keg Fallsview Dining, guests can also enjoy lunch and dinner at the accessible TGI Friday’s on ground level. This restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. during the tourist season and from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. on weekends in the off-season. It offers a full range lunch and dinner menu featuring steak, chicken, pasta, sandwiches etc. and seating is both booths and tables and chairs.

The washroom in the restaurant has an accessible stall with a slide lock and low coat hook. Grab bars are around the backless toilet. Three sinks are set in the vanity, which is open below. The sinks have sensor faucets.

This is a lovely hotel with the most accessible accommodations of any hotel in the heart of the fallsview tourist district. However, the fact that the showers are not total roll-ins but have a lip would hamper some users. It’s obvious that considerable thought went into accessibility features during construction. Suggestions for minor changes were well received by management. The hotel’s Web site is loaded with information and also offers virtual tours of the various suites and special packages throughout the year. The hotel is still under construction in some areas and they promise to be beautiful. We'll go back in the fall and see how things are shaping up.

Audited March 2004