An accessible evening at beautiful Hotel Carmichael

Hotel Carmichael, a boutique hotel, is located in City Center in beautiful downtown Carmel, IN. Situated in an ideal setting along the Monon Trail, and just steps away from the stunning Payne & Mencias Palladium. Be sure to check out their website for a plethora of information outlining accessibility at the hotel. There you will find everything detailed for your arrival, from amenities, guest room accessible features, dining, and entertainment experiences for all to enjoy.

Before I arrived at the hotel I reviewed my parking options. They have a valet service that is $30 per day, a few onsite parking spaces, as well as parking in a nearby parking garage. There are two accessible spaces in the onsite parking lot. I arrived at the hotel solo, because I wanted to review a solo check in experience. I opted for the valet parking and decided it would be worth the extra money to have this wonderful convenience that turned out to be so much more than them just parking my car for me.

Two gentlemen came out to the car, and I asked if they would be able to unload my wheelchair for me. Without hesitation they said, “of course!” They got my wheelchair out for me as well as my two bags. While one of them parked my car, the other gentleman helped me inside, with my bags. He offered to push me as there is a slight incline to get into the front door. I accepted his help.

Once inside at the check in counter, he offered to stay with me and then assist me and carry my bags up to my room. Since I was traveling alone and had my manual wheelchair, I accepted his help. He took me up to my accessible room, which has an accessible button for an easy entry when in a wheelchair.

The hallways are carpeted, as in many hotels, which made wheeling my wheelchair difficult for me. The room has carpet as well, with exception of the bathroom, which is tiled.

I have stayed in my fair share of accessible hotel rooms, and this one was one of the better ones. The accessible features that stood out to me were, a roll in shower that had a completely flush entry, an accessible vanity that my wheelchair could easily roll under for use of the sink, lowered towel hooks, a shower bench, with a removable and height adjustable shower wand, soap and shampoo conveniently located within reach of the shower bench. For a comprehensive list of accessible features, be sure to visit the accessibility section of the website.

Note: There was a slight lip going from the hallway into the bathroom. It was easy enough for me to be able to roll my wheelchair over it, but did take a little extra effort.

I found the bed height to be favorable for me to get into. It was not too low or too high. It was easy for me to transfer to my wheelchair from the height of the bed.

The closet was spacious, but I did notice that there was not a lower hanging rack for me to access from my chair.

The Adagio Lounge is a cozy and accessible spot in the lobby of the hotel, where you can enjoy a cocktail, and take part in a complimentary champagne toast daily at 4 p.m. They also offer a limited food menu in the lounge.

On the Monon level of the hotel you will find the Vivante Restaurant and Bar. My husband joined me, and this is where we chose to dine and relax on the evening I was visiting.

They have a beautiful patio and many outdoor tables to sit outside during the nicer weather months. We chose to sit on the patio area which was quite easy to get out to. I chose to sit in my wheelchair some of the time, but later had my husband help me to transfer to one of the more comfortable seats. We spent the evening enjoying people watching along the Monon Trail, enjoying some delicious food and drinks. They have a happy hour from 4-7, which includes several food and drink options. The night we were there, they also had live music on the patio.

The restaurant bathroom is very accessible and convenient to get to.

Note: There is not an accessible button to get from the restaurant to the patio, but there were people that helped to hold the door as we went in and out.

Also found in this beautiful hotel is Feinstein’s upscale live entertainment venue. To dine and buy tickets for performances held there, be sure to visit their website. The have accessibility information found there as well.

As someone who values exercise, I decided to check out the hotel gym on the way back up to the room. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to get my wheelchair to a few of the weight machines and was even able to do some of them sitting in my wheelchair. There were a couple that I tried out where I transferred from my chair. As someone who is partially ambulatory, I found this to be a huge plus to have the possibility to do a workout in a space that worked for me.

When I arrived, the gentleman that helped me to my room, gave me instructions for how to get assistance upon checkout. I called down to the front desk, and requested my car, along with help to get from the room down to my car.

After making the call, I was able to be out of the room, checked out and safely into my car in about 10 minutes. They asked me the best way to load my chair, and the process was seamless.

My first experience at Hotel Carmichael as a person with a disability, hoping for an accessible experience, turned out to be a positive one. Having the ability to be able to comfortably stay in a hotel, and keep as much independence as possible is priceless, and very much appreciated.

If you are looking to stay in a beautiful and upscale hotel while also having access to the Monon Trail to get to other restaurants and nearby activities, I would highly recommend checking out Hotel Carmichael. The location and attention to service were ideal.