THE WESTIN BRISBANE – ACCESSIBLE ACCOMMODATION BRISBANE

As a city, Brisbane has been lucky to have several new hotels with accessible accommodation open in recent years. On my last visit I stayed at the Westin Brisbane. It came highly recommended and has some lovely accessible features. Located in the heart of Brisbane it was a quick walk to the Queen Street Mall area and close enough to access the South Bank precinct if we’d had more time for exploring.

The luxury 5-star hotel certainly ticked all the boxes for our accessible accommodation needs but the headline-making detail for me was the swim-up pool bar with hoist access.  Although I’ve seen some spectacular accessible rooms in my time, it’s still rare to find hotels in Australia with pool access. The Westin Brisbane is kicking some serious accessibility goals.

THE WESTIN BRISBANE – ACCESSIBLE ACCOMMODATION

Given the Westin Brisbane only opened in November 2018, it still has the freshness of a new hotel. It’s modern and stylish throughout, including the accessible accommodation.

The super king Heavenly bed ensures everyone gets a wonderful sleep. But just in case you need additional relaxation, the hotel provides a small bottle of calming lavender spray.

The room offers flexibility with the option of an interconnecting room if additional space is needed when travelling with family, friends or a support worker.

One side of the bed has good clearance for transferring from a wheelchair to the bed, the other side is narrower and may be difficult if travelling with a wheelchair. If using a large wheelchair I suggest asking for the arm chair and foot stool to be removed from the room to increase the space around the bed.

Bed height is 62cm, clearance on left side of bed 80cm and under bed clearance 12cm.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM

An enormous open plan bathroom provides great circulation space and accessible features including a wall-mounted shower bench, grab rails throughout, lever taps and a backrest on the toilet.

Wheelchair access is available at the sink and for those needing measurements, the toilet seat is approximately 48cm from the floor and 43cm to the pan.

A large sliding door provides easy access to the bathroom with 87cm door clearance.

Lowered amenities are located at a wheelchair accessible height throughout the room, including a double-peep hole on the front door and air conditioner controls at a good height.

The wardrobe features a hanging rail which can be lowered with a pull down arm.

NON-ACCESSIBLE ROOM

We always stay in a non-accessible room when we can to ensure the accessible accommodation is left for those who need it. I also find it good to be able to compare rooms.

AJ and I had a wonderful stay at the Westin Brisbane. We flopped on to those Heavenly beds after being on our feet all day at the Source Kids Disability Expo. We were exhausted, and our evenings consisted of down time in the room watching YouTube and dining in. We lapped up the opportunity to relax and to be honest, the room was too good to leave.

The main difference between the accessible room and the one we stayed in is the bathroom.

Our room had a much smaller bathroom with the toilet located in a separate cubicle and the shower was not open-plan.

AJ made herself right at home in the room. She tells me it’s her “kinda hotel”, with Chromecast, fluffy pillows and a comfy bed making her one happy camper.

THE WESTIN BRISBANE ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES

It’s wonderful to see a hotel making their facilities accessible to all by providing a pool chair hoist into the pool. I’m sure guests with access needs at the Westin Brisbane will be thrilled to be able to enjoy the pool, particularly if visiting Brisbane in the summer.

The Westin Brisbane also boasts the city’s only swim-up pool bar.  Nautilus Pool Bar serves fresh smoothies, custom cocktails and an all-day menu with signature dishes made from locally sourced ingredients.

Embracing Brisbane’s climate and outdoor lifestyle, the Westin Brisbane has a range of activities available in the roof top area including oversized games.

BJ loves the giant Connect 4 game because it offers him a game he can play with others while in his chair.

Such was AJ’s level of relaxation, it was hard to drag her away from the roof area.

DINING

Eden’s Table tempts guests with a menu filled with tantalizing food made from locally sourced produce from the ocean to paddock. Sadly we only had time to sample the breakfast fare but it was excellent.

We loved the light-filled and modern restaurant.

Buffet breakfast areas are often congested so I was impressed to see such a good accessible design at the Westin Brisbane. The food options are spread out over a large area with the majority of food items located at a good height for wheelchair access.

Breakfast consists of a variety of choices including cold items such as, fresh fruits, pastries, yoghurt pots and smoothies. And a range of warm options like made-to-order eggs, bacon, mushrooms and hash browns.

AJ and I had no trouble filling our bellies to ensure we were well fuelled for our days at the expo. I find a good big breakfast always sets me up for a good travel day.

Casual dining is available at The Charles’ which is an Aviation-inspired restaurant which transforms to a jazz bar at night. The Charles’ bar offers everything from healthy breakfasts to curated cocktails, fines wine and craft beers that perfectly complement seasonally-inspired dishes.

The Heavenly Spa seemed to be the first stop for many guests checking in at the hotel. I overheard others booking their wellness treatments as they arrived. Wellness is a priority at the Westin Brisbane.

We think the location and accessible features of the Westin Brisbane makes it a good spot for a staycation or luxury stay while visiting Brisbane. You can read more about the hotel on the Westin Brisbane website.

We were hosted for our stay at the hotel but as always our opinions are our own.