by Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 10/98) - The Explorer Hotel has made amends with Jerry Blake for not giving him access to the wheelchair accessible room he had booked for one night.

"Now it has made them understand that they have to do something," said Rae Celotti, who booked the room and organized a conference for the Disabled Persons Work Strategy.

Celotti said the Explorer has assured her they have taken the room off their computer list of general-use rooms. "That room will not be used again unless it's somebody who is disabled," she said.

She said hotel staff assured her they are exploring the possibility of renovating a second room to make it accessible for wheelchairs.

"We're looking at a number of plans as far as bedrooms are concerned and that is one of them," Explorer Hotel general manager Jonathan Cross confirmed yesterday. "We have an extremely accessible property for people with disabilities."

Blake received an apology, a large fruit basket for himself and his family and a bottle of wine.

After being denied the wheelchair-accessible room because it was mistakenly given to someone else, the hotel ensured Blake was able to use the wheelchair accessible room for the remaining two nights of his stay.

The night Blake spent in the non-wheelchair-accessible room, he was not able to wheel himself into the bathroom, forcing his wife to construct a makeshift catheter for then night.

The hotel also waived an $85 charge which would have been levied because Blake left the hotel at 5 p.m., past the usual checkout time.

"They have also asked me about getting some information to them because they would like to do another room up that will be accessible," Celotti said.

"It started off bad but it has ended on a good note."