Sage Hotel – Ringwood

is a relatively new hotel located right beside Eastland Shopping Centre.  Ringwood is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne, approx 23 kms out of the CBD.  The Brand New, 120 Room, 5 Floors, Modern Hotel has a ‘cracking’ location, luxuriously spacious layout and chic design. For us, what’s even better, is it has 8 ‘ Special Access Rooms’. Sage Hotels invested in Access Consultant Denise Luna helping them with the design of the rooms, and it is easy to see, this was done with accessibility and inlcusion at the forefront. .

The Rooms

Sage Hotel Ringwood has eight (8) special access rooms that appear to tick most boxes. The doorway is wider than their standard room and the interior surface is all on the same level, meaning a wheelchair will not be obstructed anywhere, including the entrance to the bathroom.

The bathroom is large, open and contains a double seat in the shower and a movable showerhead. The bathroom does not contain a ceiling hoist, or adult change table however.

The room itself is specifically designed to cater for those in a wheelchair or accessibility issues. Some little things we noticed:

• Chairs, tables and counter tops have been lowered to make life easier
• The closet has a fold out ironing board at easily accessible height for someone in a wheelchair
• Nespresso Coffee Pod Machine – on a counter top at accessible height
• Floor to Ceiling Windows
• The shelving is at a good height for the ‘organised’ un-packer
• The bed is a luxurious king sized bed that has spacing underneath if their is the requirement for a floor hoist
• The spacious layout means you won’t have trouble getting around the room
• Desk and Chair
• Flat surface entry into the bathroom
• Double shower seat
• Shower with dual head that is movable

Special access rooms are interconnected with an adjoining room. Different configurations are available. You can select an adjoining room with a single king sized bed or twin beds, if you have other people with you. This is great for those with children or if you are a carer.

The sockets in the room are also white instead of the hotel industry standard of black – this is in order to help those who may be vision impaired.

These rooms seem to be very well crafted to ensure that independence is an option for any person, there are none of the standard restrictions if a visitior is in a wheelchair. This is what the goal and vision was when they were designing the space.

Specifications below:

• Special Access Room – Size is 26 Sqm
• Special Access Room – Doorway: 87cm wide
• Special Access Room – Bathroom: 89cm wide
• Hotel lift: 90cm wide
• Hotel access and dining all wheelchair accessible
• The hotel has 24/7 room service and a mini bar in all rooms
• Hotel has conference and meeting spaces – all accessible
• Free Wi-Fi
• Restaurant featuring local produce from the Yarra Valley
• Bar with happy hour between 3pm-6pm
• Inspiring Lounge and Co-working spaces that can be used whilst vising or hired out for regular visits and business needs
• Gym – 24 Hours

For those in wheelchairs, or assisting someone in a wheelchair, its important to know that you can make it from the parking lot all the way to your room without having to worry about a thing. You won’t encounter a single stair and the floor in the lobby has been laid out to be wide, spacious and entirely flat. You won’t have to squeeze through tight corridors or avoid lips in the floor.

The hotel has a special access bathroom on the lobby floor.  Please do note, they do not have a push-to-open button, but the spacious bathroom is there for your needs. Chairs around the lobby are flexible for positioning into a required space and the tables are at a comfortable height for those in wheelchairs and the dining areas are again spacious enough for wheelchairs to traverse without worry.

Parking and Location

As mentioned, the parking bay underneath the hotel – entry for this is 2.2M and this gives you direct access to the lifts without needing to worry about stairs, but for those looking to simply be dropped off, there are 15 minute drop off zone located at 211 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood.

For those arriving in a larger vehicle, they also have a loading zone you can organize to use. This also has a lift that will take you straight to the lobby. Contact the hotel prior to arrival for directions.

How to get there: https://www.nexthotels.com/sage/ringwood-melbourne/location/

Ringwood train station is also right on your doorstep.

the CBD is only 40 minutes away as the Metro is across the from the Train Station

Public Bus is also situated here and can take you straight to the city in 40 minutes also

Overall thoughts

Don’t be off-put by the lack of information on Sage Hotel Ringwood’s website as they have gone to a lot of effort to bring these rooms to life and present them in a respectable, tasteful design that truly is a step in providing inclusive accommodation for all.

Aesthetically, the hotel looks great, modern and spacious. They have done well to create a warm and friendly ambiance. The easy access to Eastland means you’ll be able to go shopping without needing a car. There is not direct internal access to the shops,  but access is wheelchair accessible by going out onto the walkway and following it around.

Ringwood train station is also right on your doorstep.The entire hotel is laid out in a very accessible and friendly way and the staff is kind and welcoming.

Suggestions:

1. If there’s room for improvement, it’d be the:
2. inclusion of a ceiling hoist  and adult change table in the bathrooms of the Special Access Rooms
3. Entry doors to the Special Access Hotel Room, and Lobby disabled toilet be electric push button entry
4. The possibility of providing Floor Hoist for hire for any patrons requiring it in a Special Access Room for the duration of their stay

All in all, it is quite exciting to see this design take place. We congratulate Sage Hotels on the insight and initiative to bringing accessible design into their hotel.  It’s wonderfully exciting to witness. Our goal, Our dream, is to see a lot more of it.  We certainly recommend a visit at the Sage Hotel – Ringwood.

If you do, please get on our site and leave a review. We, the community, and hotel industry need to know your thoughts and opinions from your experience.

Mentions: We would like to extend a big ‘ AA Aus Thankyou’ to Michele Kerrigan who spent the time to meet up with us and give us a tour.
Blog by: Nic Negrepontis

You can book a room here: https://www.nexthotels.com/sage/ringwood-melbourne/room/special-access-room/