Hotel DeBrett is a luxury boutique hotel with 25 rooms all with a distinct personality, a chic mix of mid-century modern furniture and New Zealand art. If you choose to visit or stay here get ready to step back in time.
Location
The Hotel is a short walk or wheel from the restaurants and bars of Viaduct Harbour, the Sky Tower, and the Ferry Building. It is surrounded by art galleries, theatres and the Auckland Art Gallery and is within easy reach of Auckland Museum, shopping, restaurants and bars.
Valet and self-park is available for around $30-40 a night, but must be pre-booked.
Central Auckland does have some steepish streets, so if self-propelling a manual wheelchair without a power assist consider your route carefully. Auckland Transport has some useful travel options here for getting around. There is also a handy PDF map you can download that points out the gradients along certain key streets and other useful accessibility information.
Reception and Lobby
The Reception and Lobby is incredible with all its wooden panelling and floors, painted red walls, brass lift and curved corners. That Art Deco period hits you as soon as you walk or wheel through the double glass hinged doors. The entrance is lip-free and you will be greeted by someone on reception as soon as you arrive.
The Lift
The lift is quite something with its brass exterior and mirrored interior. It has large raised push button numbers with braille to access the different floors. It is located right next to the main entrance and even carpeted inside.
Accessible Rooms
There are two accessible super-king bedrooms both on Level 2 right next to one another. Room 2.12 is smaller than Room 2.13 and both rooms sleep two guests only. You access both rooms with a sensor key card system. The fire alarm system signals with a flashing light and siren. The corridors are carpeted and well lit.
Room 2.12 – Smaller Accessible Room (Classic Room)
This room looks out onto the internal glass roofed atrium. The bed is a super-king with an extremely comfortable mattress and set of pillows. The bed can be split into two single beds if needed. The bedside lights are reachable from the bed to turn off. The clearance under the bed is only 400 mm so not accessible for a hoist. The space either side of the bed is 800 mm and 900 mm for easy transfer. If you require more space the furniture is all moveable. Hotel management is happy to set the room up just how you like before you arrive. They also mentioned that if travelling with a mobile hoist they will raise the bed themselves to accommodate.
To the right of the bed as you come in through the door is a well-equipped mini-bar and small wardrobe. Everything will be placed to make it accessible before your arrival. Tucked away in the corner is the TV Screen which can be moved out towards the bed for viewing. The vintage desk is accessible from sitting.
Bathroom
Wow, what a bathroom this is! A great size and easy to circulate through with an 800 mm slide entry door width. The basin has a 700 mm clearance with an accessible mirror for viewing when seated. It is equipped with a beautiful wet-floor shower with a rain and slide rail shower head along with under-floor heating, grab rails and a strong large fold down shower seat. A two-handle shower stool is available if preferred.
Room 2.13 – The Larger Accessible Room (Superior Room)
This room looks out onto the internal glass roofed atrium. It has excellent circulation space for a wheelchair with colourful carpeting throughout, although plush, the carpet is manageable for wheels. The gap clearance under the Super King Bed is not sufficient for a mobile hoist, but the Management is keen to provide assistance to raising the bed if needed. This incredibly comfortable mattress sits slightly higher in this room, so not an easy height for a wheelchair self-transfer. The room lights can be turned off from bed and the television set up on the wall is accessible for viewing from the bed.
Bathroom
The bathroom in the Superior Room has a lovely deep bath and double sink with an 800 mm sliding door entry. It has excellent circulation space, the mirrors and sink are all accessible from sitting. The fold down shower seat is strong and large. The shower has both rain and slide shower heads with under-floor heating, magnifying mirrors, mirror de-misters and both velvet and towelling robes. There are grab rails around the shower and toilet with well placed towels and an easy to reach toilet roll.
The Restaurant
The restaurant serves up a relaxed setting and is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is spacious with enormous glass ceilings that gives you the natural light from outdoors. This is a place you can pop into off the street even if you aren’t staying as a guest.
Apparently, the 1920’s themed High Tea between 1pm and 4pm during the weekend is well worth experiencing Read More
The House Bar
Carrying on with the 1920’s you will step or wheel into famous the House Bar which can be visited off the street too (access via lift) or stairs. Well known for its array of cocktails, low lighting and plush seating. A favourite by those who know it’s here.
The space is very snug, but chairs can be removed to make space for wheelchair users.
If you’d like to learn more about what the Hotel DeBrett provides you can do by visiting their website here.