Travelling with a Carer: Planning a Stay in Our Accessible Rooms

If you’re coming to Bournemouth with a carer, the room you book shapes almost every part of the day. At Marsham Court Hotel we have five accessible rooms with profiling beds and removable ceiling hoists, and one of them connects to a standard double/twin room, so your carer can sleep next door rather than down the corridor.

This guide walks through how those rooms are laid out, what the equipment does, how washing and showering work, and what’s worth arranging before you travel. The aim is simple: to help you and your carer picture the stay properly before you book it.

Which room layout suits you and your carer

All five rooms have profiling beds, removable ceiling hoists and wet rooms. What changes from one to the next is the layout, and that’s usually what decides which one fits your trip.

The interconnecting room tends to suit carers who’d like their own space at night while staying a door away. Both first-floor accessible rooms are dog friendly, and so is the connecting room, which helps if a dog is travelling with you too.

The family room on the second floor works differently. With two single profiling beds and a standard double in the same room, it may suit a family where a parent is also the carer, so everyone stays together. If you’re not sure which layout fits, our Reservations team can talk it through with you before you book.

How the profiling beds and hoists help with transfers

The profiling beds are there to make life easier for carers as much as for the person they’re supporting. The head can be raised up to 85 degrees, the section under the knee lifts to help position the legs more comfortably, and the whole bed can move vertically by up to 18 inches. That last adjustment is the one carers tend to notice, since it brings the bed to a working height for lifting and transfers.

Depending on the room, the bed setup is either one bed base with two independently controlled single mattresses, or two separate profiling beds. If you have a preference, let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to match it.

Each room also has a removable single-track ceiling hoist. Because every setup is slightly different, it’s worth confirming the transfer route and any equipment you’d like to use with us before you book, so the room is ready for the way you already work together.

Washing and showering during your stay

Every accessible room has its own wet room, and commode shower seats are available on request in both tilting and static versions. The wet rooms don’t have ceiling tracks or hoists, though, so if you need hoisted support for showering or changing, our ground-floor Changing Places facility is the place for it.

Residential guests can use it 24 hours a day, with access by key card arranged at Reception. Inside there’s a ceiling hoist, a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench, a height-adjustable wash basin and a shower. There’s also a peninsular toilet with drop-down grab rails on both sides, a privacy screen, an emergency alarm, a colostomy shelf and a large disposal bin for pads.

You can read more on our Changing Places facility page.

What to bring and what to arrange before you travel

A few things are easier to sort while you’re still planning, and they’ll mean less to think about once you arrive:

• Slide sheets. Some guests have told us it helps to bring WendyLett slide sheets. We aren’t able to supply these, so they’re worth packing if you use them.
• A sling for the Changing Places hoist. The hoist there works on a loop system, so you’ll need your own sling.
• Your bed preference. Let us know at booking if you’d prefer one base with two mattresses or two separate profiling beds.
• A commode shower seat. Tell us whether a tilting or static seat suits you and we’ll have it ready.
• Equipment deliveries. If you’re having mobility equipment delivered to the hotel, get in touch first so we can confirm storage, access, delivery timing and how it’ll work with your room.
• Blue Badge parking. Disabled parking can be booked with us in advance for Blue Badge holders, so it’s worth adding when you reserve your room.

Seeing the rooms before you book

Marsham Court is an Edwardian building that’s over 100 years old, and we know the detail matters when you’re planning around care needs. That’s why we commissioned a virtual tour and a set of accessibility video tours covering public areas, corridors, selected accessible bedrooms and the route in from the rear car park, along with the Changing Places room. We’ve also worked with AccessAble, whose surveyors assessed the hotel to create a Detailed Access Guide.

Between them, you and your carer can check the layout, dimensions and access points at home, before anything is booked.

Booking your room

Our accessible rooms with additional features can only be booked direct with us, which gives us the chance to talk through your needs and match you to the right layout. Call our Reservations team on 01202 552111 for pricing and availability, and they’ll help you work out the best setup for you and your carer.