Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Carlson hotels intros kits for lodgers with dwarfism

Carlson Hotels Worldwide, parent company of Radisson, Country Inn and Suites and other lodging and dining brands, has announced it will make available at some of its hotels kits designed for people of shorter stature. "The kits ... include a stepstool, a reaching tool, a bar to lower the clothes rack in closets, and a device to retrofit the latch-hook lock on the door," say a Carlson press release. "Our perspective on diversity and inclusiveness goes beyond the traditional realms of ethnicity and we want to find ways to provide a welcoming experience for all guests," said Carmen Baker, who previously led diversity for Carlson Hotels Worldwide and is now vice president of diversity for Carlson Companies, the parent company of Carlson Hotels Worldwide. "There are more than 52 million people with disabilities - the largest minority group in the United States. Maria Seiler, the new vice president of diversity for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, will continue to support this initiative."
This will be great for retrofitting existing hotels. But Scott Rains would want me to point out that perhaps some thought to universal design might eliminate or lessen the need for any such kit in Carlson hotels not yet built. (Photo from Carlson Hotels Worldwide)

6 Comments:

At 4:42 PM, Blogger Katja said...

I was informed by the manager of the Albuquerque Marriott Courtyard Airport that all Marriott hotels also have such a kit, which they call a "little people's kit". This in response to me calling housekeeping EVERY DAY to come back and a) put down the shower bench and b) lower the handheld shower.

 
At 8:36 PM, Blogger darrenh said...

Katja -- Were you able to make use of the kit, or did the subject just come up?

 
At 12:29 PM, Blogger Katja said...

I left a very extensively annotating comment card after one of my stays, and the manager called me at work the following week. I appreciated her proactive response to my comments (the only time that has ever happened), and have since stayed in the same hotel several times, but have always gotten a room with a roll in shower, which does not have the same problems (bench, shower head) that the first room had.

A long winded way of saying, no, I haven't requested or used the kit.

 
At 12:30 PM, Blogger Katja said...

Argh. "Annotated".

 
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