Several years ago I travelled to London for a day trip. It was a major milestone in the process of learning to cope with and work towards overcoming agoraphobia. From my home, the journey would be a round-trip of 550 miles (885 km). It would involve spending around six hours on an inter-city train and transport between venues within London.
The journey was weeks in planning. Although there was a specific need for me to travel to London to visit a government office, I made sure that there would also be a “reward” involved. The reward would take the form of lunch in a Michelin-starred restaurant. (Oh, I don’t hold back when it comes to rewarding myself!)
Though already familiar with central London, I prepared every stage of the journey thoroughly. Repeatedly, I rehearsed short walks I’d have to make to get from one venue to another by using online “Streetview” maps and YouTube videos. When the day dawned, I found I was very much more relaxed and comfortable about the entire journey. My extensive planning and “virtual” walks ensured that I felt familiar and very much at ease in my surroundings when I physically carried them out.
By the time I settled down for lunch, I was mightily pleased with myself. The restaurant I’d chosen was excellent, the staff lovely and the surroundings comfortable and relaxing. The restaurant was located in a hotel. I stopped to look at the decor and paintings in the reception and lobby area when the time came to leave. A thought came to me suddenly. How lovely it would be to stay here for a night or two!
Some months earlier I’d achieved what was, for me, another significant milestone. I’d found a small guesthouse in Edinburgh which met my needs and opened up the opportunity to take a short city break for the first time in years. It was a successful and enjoyable trip. But London? Bigger, busier, more crowded; cramped hotels with enclosed corridors and dreaded enclosed lifts. Then I remembered what my NHS therapists had taught me: to challenge my own negative thoughts; to scrutinise my own assertions that it will all be awful and I’ll end up panicking.
A desire to explore the hotel came over me but I thought I’d hardly be allowed to do so. Still, with little to lose, I walked over to the reception desk and explained exactly what I wanted to do and why. I explained that I live with an unseen disability which makes some tasks and situations challenging and wanted to assess whether this hotel could fill my needs for a future stay. The reception staff immediately offered a guided tour of the hotel.
The bookings manager and I entered the lift together – I’m fine in elevators if accompanied – but I made the assessment that I was not quite ready to use this facility while alone in the hotel. After showing me some vacant bedrooms on the lowest available residential floor, I was escorted down two flights of stairs and straight back into the reception lobby. I was then shown another staircase in an adjacent part of the hotel which led to a very open landing and a lovely room on the first floor*.
Portering and concierge staff were available at the hotel; bedrooms had direct-dial telephones to a reception desk which was manned throughout 24 hours. The hotel was in an area with many shops and restaurants nearby. Despite its central location, the hotel also happened to be situated in a residential street so there would be people in the area at all times. I’d be free to leave the hotel alone, walk right out of the door and have many places of interest within easy reach on foot. All boxes were ticked!
Four months later I made that trip to stay in central London. My break was fabulous from start to finish and resulted in a satisfying sense of achievement. All because I plucked up the courage to ask for help.
Since that time I’ve walked into several hotels while on trips in both London and Edinburgh and not once have I been refused the information I sought. In most cases, I’ve been given escorted tours of staircases, landings, elevators and corridors. Sometimes staff have even hand-written a list of room numbers which would best fill my needs, such as those on lower levels and in nearest proximity to staircases or reception areas.
Of course, it is not always possible to do a ‘reconnaissance’ trip to a city. I rely heavily on internet resources to assess accommodation and surrounding areas. However, the telephone is a great facility to fill information gaps. I now have no qualms about telephoning a reception team or booking manager to get clarity about the facilities I need. If I don’t get sufficient information then I will just move on to assess an alternative venue.
The point is, the only way to get needed information is to request it. I have never received an unpleasant or truly unhelpful response. In almost all cases, the response from staff has exceeded my expectations.
There is an expression in the North East of England; “Shy bairns get nowt“. The translation into English is: children who don’t ask for something don’t get anything. So go ahead. Don’t be afraid to ask!
* Please note: In Britain, the “first floor” is the first level up from the ground. Other countries may have different systems of numbering or describing storeys. Be careful to check this detail when checking out accommodation outside of your home country!
Photo credits: © A.P.
