Elegant hotel lobby with dark blue sofas, wooden staircase, glass coffee table with flowers, and chandelier lighting.

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Accessibility

Imperial Hotel was built in 1898 and as such, the period architecture can present some access challenges. One such peculiarity of the hotel is that immediately on entry through the front doors, there are 9 steps which take you up to Reception on the upper ground floor. A stair lift and assistance bell are available.

Hotel lobby with blue velvet sofas, wooden staircase, and chandelier

RECEPTION & MAIN PUBLIC AREAS

Once in reception, Bar Fizz, the Sandown Suite ballroom, the Victoria Suite and The Terrace as well as the Princess Louise and Prince Beatrice rooms are all on the same level. The toilets are also on this floor, although please note there is a slight step into both. There is a toilet with handrails in the ladies' loos.

LIFT TO BEDROOMS

All bedrooms are upstairs. There are 2 steps from reception to the hotel lift. A ramp is available. The hotel lift goes from reception to all bedroom accommodation. The lift states the floor name as you are ascending or descending. There are 29 steps in total from the front door to the first bedroom floor.

Aerial view of the Imperial Hotel with adjacent parking and nearby sports field.

MAIN ENTRANCE

The rotunda in which our traditional revolving front door is housed can easily be opened to allow better access for wheelchair users and pushchairs. Please let us know if this would assist you.

There are 9 steps from the front door up to hotel reception on the upper ground floor. There is a stair lift available for wheelchair users and others to facilitiate access. An assistance bell is located just outside the front door. Please ring the bell and a member of staff will come to help you with the doors and the stair lift.

CAFÉ CRU RESTAURANT

For non-residents coming to eat at our 2 AA Rosette Café Cru Restaurant, please note that there are 7 steps down to the restaurant from the front door. Unfortunately there is no stair lift available.

Unfortunately the hotel lift does not descend to Café Cru Restaurant. For hotel residents, there are 9 steps down to the front door (stair lift available) from reception, and a futher 7 steps down into Café Cru Restaurant. Dinner can easily be served in Bar Fizz all year round, or on The Terrace in summer for guests who are unable to access Café Cru Restaurant.

Please do not hesitate to advise of this when you book.

Conference room set up with rows of chairs and tables, featuring a chandelier and large windows with curtains.

Elegant conference dining room with a long table set for a formal meal

SANDOWN SUITE

If you are attending a function or conference in the Sandown Suite, you may be advised by your event organiser to enter via the separate side entrance which leads from the customer car park. Please note there are 13 steps from the separate side entrance up to the Sandown Suite bar. There are 5 steps down from the bar to the Sandown Suite ballroom which is on the upper ground floor. Please feel free to access the Sandown Suite via the front door and stair lift instead if this would be easier for you.

THE WELLESLEY ROOM

Located on the lower ground floor, please note that there are 5 steps from the side entrance down to this meeting room. Toilets are located in the side entrance lobby.

Double bedroom with bright decor, red accents, and large window

Accessible hotel bathroom with walk-in shower, grab bars, towel rack, and toilet.

Close-up of a bed with red and blue pillows, in front of beach hut themed wallpaper and a wall lamp

Accessible bathroom with walk-in shower, support bar, and towel rack.

Bedrooms

Our bedrooms are located on our upper floors and, as such, do not have level access from our reception. They are reached by stairs or our vintage lift!

All bedrooms are ensuite and we do have a limited number of bedrooms with a wet room for accessible use. Please ask for details of these.

VisitEngland Accessibility Guide

Please click here for our VISITENGLAND accessibility guide.

Please note however, that their template was not designed with hotels built on a upper ground floor in mind! This means that the automatically generated information about how many stairs there are to access the various locations inside Imperial Hotel is somewhat repetititive, confusing and unfortunately incorrect in places. The information detailed above indicates the correct number of steps.

If you have any access queries at all, or queries about dietary requirements, allergies or intolerances, please do not hesitate to telephone 01493 842000.