Treated like an Emperor at the Imperial
5
5
Date of visit: October 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
From our arrival, this hotel was a revelation. Super staff, lovely room (suite) and fantastic food. Right on the sea front, which is also very accessible, Hythe Imperial provided great accessible accommodation for a manual wheelchair user.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
While there are lifts to all floors and the spa, the room we stayed in, room 102, was on the ground floor. As usual in hotels there was heavy carpet, so you need to be able to push against it, and there is a small ramp to the room, but nothing too difficult. Outside there is a lot of seating both right by the main doors and a little way away the other side of the car parking.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Step-free access to most areas, Seating at regular intervals
Parking & Transport
Excellent
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
There were plenty of parking spaces, with three blue badge bays right next to the entrance with easy to manage ramps at either side of the steps. There were so many parking spaces that if the blue badge bays were full, it would be easy to park elsewhere. Just need to give your reg number on check-in. The room was huge, more like a suite. It had a large bedroom and a living room with a sofa bed. This would allow you to book this room and bring a PA that could sleep separate from you but very close by at no extra cost. Also great if you have a family. The carpet in the room was also less thick in its pile so easy to wheel on. All in all, a really great find. We were visiting for a work engagement but are planning to go back soon for a spa weekend. I would highly recommend if you are manual wheelchair user. It might also be great for a powerchair user, but not sure if you use a hoist if it would fit under the bed. Just need to spend more time in Hythe to see what the town is like.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Drop-off or pick up point
Accessible Toilets
Good
The room toilet was pretty good. The emergency cords had been placed to be really in the way when using the loo, one in the way of where I needed my chair to transfer on the toilet and the other hanging in front of the toilet roll dispenser but otherwise not bad. The shower was on the opposite wall to the shower seat, so I needed some help from my wife. It was a large room and well appointed, just needed some input from an actual wheelchair user. I didn't use the public loos but they definitely have them. No CPT sadly.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
I cannot fault the staff. Really friendly, so helpful and when I accidentally pulled the emergency cord after it was stuck in my spokes, someone came super fast even though I turned off the alarm asap. The staff in the restaurant were especially amazing.
