A wheelchair user said she was left waiting for hours in a Travelodge café because staff failed to book her into an accessible hotel room.
Bethany Handley, 24, said staff told her “it doesn’t matter” when she explained she could not access the toilet in a regular room.
After becoming unwell she was forced to rest on the cafe’s sofa at the hotel in Farringdon, London, before her mum found her somewhere else to stay.
Staff told her it “doesn’t matter” when she explained she was unable to access the bathroom in the room they had provided. Not that there wasn’t a room available.
She had specifically booked an accessible room but was not given it.
The article even says in the last sentence, they had no accessible room available that night.
So I can see a blunt hotel worker, saying it doesn’t matter, this is all we have. So I think it’s uncharitable to quote the front line hotel worker.
The article states also that a travel agent accidentally booked a normal room rather than an accessible room, despite the woman having booked for an accessible room.
There being no accessible room available that night doesn’t mean that it’s okay to tell someone their fundamental right to use a bathroom “doesn’t matter”.
There are a number of ways to go about this rather than being rude and abrasive. You can consider it uncharitable and that’s fine, but I don’t agree that it’s okay for staff members to tell someone that it “doesn’t matter” if they have the ability to relieve themselves or not, especially considering the very obvious physical disability.
There’s a reason the article only quotes those two words and not the full context of the conversation.
Yes it’d be awful if somebody said it doesn’t matter that you’re disabled. But my guess, is that the hotel worker was speaking to the hotel’s resources, in the context of not being able to help the people with their room requirements.
But let’s roleplay, you’re the hotel worker, you’re accessible rooms are already booked and people are already in them. Another person needing an accessible room comes, but they’ve been booked into a regular room for whatever reason. What do you do?
This may blow your mind, but my first thought as someone who works in the hospitality industry and presumably works closely with many members of the public on an almost daily basis isn’t to let them know that I think their inability to use the bathroom in the room we have given them “doesn’t matter”.
I would probably extend an apology from the company and attempt to offer whatever help I could to rectify the situation. It’s not rocket science – If you’re in a customer facing job, and you’re rude and abrasive, you won’t get very far.
That’s fair. You’re mindfulness will take you very far.
I’ve traveled extensively in my life, and I can tell you from personal experience, the people who work front desk, at travel lodge type chains, are not the most empathetic people in the world. They’re good people, but really " salt of the Earth " types, not diplomatic at all.
That’s understandable. I’ve only stayed at hotels like this a handful of times, but I’ve had good enough experiences, though that’s purely anecdotal.
Want to apologise, no need for me to write shit like “This may blow your mind” or “It’s not rocket science” to accurately portray my point. Appreciate the discourse.
Geez, this is not like Reddit at all. Where’s Godwin when you need him?
[ /s, just in case it wasn’t clear ]