A tale of two destinations
By Fred Maahs , Jr
The Royalton Antigua pool area Fred Maahs , Jr . JW Marriott Marquis Dubai pool area
I want to start by saying that I am a loyal Marriot guest . For more than 20 years , I have chosen Marriott properties based on the level of accessibility I have come to expect . I am a Lifetime Titanium Rewards member . There are other brands , such as Hilton , that I also choose when a Marriott property is not available . I just want to get that out of the way before I finish the rest of this story . For the past two years , I have been working with a group of disability rights and accessibility experts located throughout Central and South America as well as the Caribbean to plan and host the Fifth Continental CBR CBID Congress of the Americas and the Caribbean . It was held this past November on the island
of Antigua at the beautiful resort , The Royalton , a Marriott property . We selected this property because of its location and overall accessibility . As with most large events , a sizeable sum was paid to host the more than one hundred attendees for the Congress . Many attendees came from other islands and countries . Some were invited guests from Antigua who were able to hear and witness the progress being made on behalf of people with disabilities .
The property is all-inclusive . My reservations were booked at least a month in advance . But when I checked in , I was told they did not have an accessible room for me and the two that they had were already taken . I politely told
them I booked an accessible room , had the guarantee , and showed them my reservation confirmation printout . They insisted that they did not have any accessible rooms available , and I told them that I was not leaving the desk until they could give me the room I reserved which , by the way , cost over $ 500 per night ! The front desk associate left , came back 10 minutes later and said my room was ready . Now I am not sure how they magically went from “ no accessible room available ” to “ your room is ready ,” but I had my room . Or so I thought .
The first room they took me to was NOT an accessible or adapted room . I told them this would not work as I could not even get my wheelchair
22 Accessibilty for All