It’s an urban legend often passed around in online forums: the idea that a mainstream hotel will have a fully accessible, electric hospital bed and a hoist waiting for you. After four decades of traveling in a wheelchair across the country, I can confidently tell you: I’ve never found one.
The reality is that while a handful of specialty rentals are now offering fully kitted-out rooms, accessibility in most hotels stops at a roll-in shower and a grab bar. The most crucial part of an accessible stay—the bed transfer—is often left entirely to chance.
The Travel Lottery: Lift, Pray, and Hope
My travel experience has historically been a high-stakes lottery. Sometimes the bed height miraculously aligns with my chair, and the transfer is smooth. Other times, the mattress swallows you like quicksand, making any push-off an exercise in sheer terror. I’ve been manually transferred onto everything from sinking couch beds to mattresses that would make any Occupational Therapist wince.
As my body has gotten older, and lifting has become an impossibility for my caregiver, the danger increased exponentially. We’ve had near-misses—those “call-the-motel-staff-or-pray” moments where a fall seemed inevitable. We even resorted to DIY hacks, transferring onto a lower bed, then frantically sliding pillows underneath the mattress just to gain enough height for a safe morning transfer out. Putting blocks under a bed? Too unstable, too high, and frankly, too dangerous.
The stress of guessing whether a room would work was ruining my freedom to travel.
That all changed eight months ago when the HT Systems Kera Travel hoist arrived. Since then, transfers are simple, predictable, and dignified.
This reliability was recently put to the ultimate test. I had been planning a trip to Wellington for the spectacular World of Wearable Art (WOW) show, but a last-minute call from urology scheduling kidney stone surgery threw everything up in the air. Facing a four-hour drive and a looming medical procedure, the last thing I needed was stress about my sleeping arrangements.
The Kera Travel was the one constant: I knew, regardless of the hotel, I could get from chair to bed and back again without drama.
Wellington, WOW… and the Sinking Mattress
For the trip, I stayed at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor in Wellington. It’s a huge hotel—I Booked a room up 19 stories. (As someone who is afraid of heights, I joke that the only time I can feel my legs is when I’m up high!)
Interestingly, I didn't book an accessible room. I travel with my Kera Travel hoist and a human caregiver, and for privacy (and because I sleep-talk and windmill my arms!), we prefer a room with a partition wall. Finding an accessible room with that layout is rarer than hens’ teeth, and for a short stay, I don't need a full wet room.
The hotel mattress itself was the perfect example of the problem: comfortable but super sinky. It was exactly the kind of quicksand you absolutely don’t want to be pushing off from.
With the Kera Travel, none of that mattered. Transfer in at night, transfer out in the morning. Zero hassle. Dignity intact. Trip saved.
Tiny Wins & Tips for Rolling into Wellington
The WOW experience itself was fantastic. We sat just four rows back—basically the mosh pit for theatre nerds—and the patrons and staff at a local restaurant gave my costume several great shout-outs. A tip for anyone with a caregiver: if you book your WOW tickets early, your caregiver/friend can often go free!
A piece of local knowledge that came the hard way: The James Cook is positioned high up on The Terrace. The year before, we accidentally freewheeled the long way down the 600 metre steep road to Lambton Quay only to discover there is a public lift from Willis Street that takes you straight up to the hotel lobby. File under: Things I wish I knew 30 minutes earlier.
Why Independence Comes from the Tool, Not the Building
The essential truth of accessible travel is this: until legislation requires true medical-grade accessibility in standard hotels, independence comes from the equipment you bring.
The Kera Travel changed my travel for five simple reasons:
1. It Ignores the Bed: The hoist does the work. My helper isn't trying to transfer me from a soft, sinking mattress.
2. It’s Truly Portable: I control the transfer in any standard room, giving me flexibility when booking, not just "accessible" ones. Packs down to a 53cm x53cm x 53cm cube, and only 20kg
3. It Protects the Caregiver: The hoist eliminates the need for manual wrestling with low beds or awkward angles, making it a safe, predictable transfer.
4. It Restores Dignity: No more improvised pillow hacks, no near-misses, and no calling staff to “problem-solve the bed.” Just a normal, calm process.
5. Unlike other Hoists: The Kera Travel has retractable legs so you don’t have to worry about the hoist legs fitting underneath the bed, too easy.
The "accessible hotel bed" remains an illusion. My independence is built on the Kera Travel hoist, turning stressful guesswork into boringly reliable transfers. I’ll gladly take “boringly reliable” any day.
Mark Williams is a Kera Travel user, Investor and National Sales Manager at HT Systems.
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