Bridge View Motel

I have an Assistance Dog (in countries like the USA, they are called Service Animals) with a well-known, recognised Assistance Dog training and accreditation organisation in Australia. Under Australia's Disability Discrimination Act, the access rights of my Assistance Dog are protected by law. This includes access to venues like hotels - it is for this reason that Assistance Dogs are expected to meet a ceretain behavioural and hygiene standard. However to avoid any miscommunication, it is always wise to call ahead and see whether an accommodation venue needs to do things like cite your Assistance Dog's ID, to avoid any potential confusion. This weekend I needed 2 nights accommodation on the Central Coast and the Bridgeview Motel looked promising. Before booking, I did the decent thing and called ahead, on Wednesday February 19, 2025. I informed them that I have an Assistance Dog, that she would have her vest on and I would have her ID on me. I then asked whether I would need to email them a copy of her ID ahead of time or if I would simply need to allow the to cite it upon check-in. The woman I spoke to over the phone informed me that dogs weren't allowed on the premises. I informed her that Hope is my Assistance Dog and that her access is protected by law. The woman I spoke to simply talked across me and doubled-down on her position. In these situations, the organisation I am with has a process we are expected to follow when we are denied service. Following a denial of service by a business, we are to ask for a contract name and then contact the Access Officer of the organisation I am with. The woman I am with refused to provide the contact details and told me that if I could leave a message and the manager would be in touch the following day. I explained what the protocol was and again she talked across me and doubled-down. At that point the phone cut out and I called back. When I called back, I was fed some BS argument about how the hotel wasn't able to provide the facilities I would need. Meanwhile as of typing out this review, the motel's listing on Expedia, literally states, under pets "Service animals only (pets not allowed)". Furthermore given that my Assistance Dog needs to sleep on the bed with my wife and I, the only accommodation I would need would be either a queen -sized bed, or a room with both a double bed and a single bed. The later of these options was available at the time I called up. She then went on to tell me words to the effect of "there are plenty of other businesses around that can better accommodate your needs". That's literally the equivalent of a racist telling a customer "we don't serve your kind here!" I ended the call and then contacted the Access Officer for the Assistance Dog Training and Accreditation organisation I am with, who was appalled at the situation. She told me that she would contact the Bridgeview Motel and call me afterwards. When she did, she informed me that she had spoken to the woman I spoke to at the Bridgeview hotel, who initially argued that they didn't have the facilities I would require. The Disability Access Officer advised her that my Assistance Dog didn't require any additional facilities. She then argued that there were plenty of other hotels I could stay at - again doubling down on the "we don't serve his kind" argument. The Disability Access Officer then recounted how she informed the woman that if I was denied access, it was not only illegal, but the business would face a massive fine. The Disability Access Officer noted that it was at that point that the woman at the Bridgeview Motel appeared to start to panic. The Disability Access Officer informed me that the woman at the Bridgeview Motel said she would discuss this with her manager the following day and get day to her. I waited until just after 3pm to follow up with the Disability Access Officer. When she got back to me at 6.17pm. She made no indication that she had heard from the Bridgewater Motel at all, and instead, simply reiterated the previous day's conversation with the woman at reception - advising me to simply have my Assistance Dog's ID card and ID vest and to call her if there were any issues. When I then went to book, all the rooms with a double bed and a single bed were gone. Like I said, I was denied access and discriminated against on the grounds of disabilities, with arguments which are literally adjacent to the racist arguments of "we don't serve their kind here". Furthermore given how adjacent AKTION T4 is to the Final Solution, unreasonably denying someone service on the grounds of a disability, can reasonably be compared to the boycotting of Jewish businesses in the early 1930s in Germany. It is abundantly clear that this business and its employees are in urgent need of not only disability education, but education about the laws in this country which they are expected to operate under. Until then I would recommend a thorough boycott of this establishment if you, or someone you know, has a disability.

This is a good, no frills motel. We enjoyed our overnight stay. Room was clean, and had everything we needed. Shower was hot. Parking right at our door. Easy check in. Plenty of dining nearby, sporting club across the road. Good value for the price.

Pictures obviously taken a while ago as now very unkept. Gardens overgrown, weeds everywhere. 5-night stay and had to request for towels to be changed and tea/coffee refreshed. Some of the towels, have were certainly passed their use by date. Definitely not serviced unless you ask. Extremely noisy. Unable to gain a receipt to claim. TV reception extremely poor. Very outdated.