Fran Henricksen turned up at the ibis Auckland Ellerslie hotel on Sunday evening to find a large black ute parked in a mobility parking space and a second mobility park coned off.
Henricksen, who uses crutches from a spinal injury, said, "As a disabled customer I was unbelievably angry to hear that the customer who was illegally parked was a hotel VIP".
Lewis decided to come forward as the "hotel VIP" after a photo was posted online of her vehicle and she had been "targeted by trolls over the past four days".
She said she had been a regular guest at ibis Auckland Ellerslie over the past five years and staff routinely put out cones or reserved signs for loyalty members to park in the mobility parks.
"On Sunday I arrived at Novotel Ibis Greenlane Ellerslie at 10.30am and there were four reserved car park spaces for Accor loyalty's in disabled parks," she told the Herald.
High-profile escort Lisa Lewis accepts no one should park in a disabled park unless they have a permit. Photo / Brett Phibbs
"I parked next to the other Accor loyalty reserved signs in the car park and checked in. The staff members checking me in said 'that's fine'.
"I had been told to park there many times before even with a sign in the disabled park."
It wasn't until later that evening that Lewis received a call from reception to tell her to move her vehicle.
"A new manager was ringing to say I needed to move my vehicle because someone was complaining and said if I don't move I was going to be towed.
"I came down and moved it but I could see there was two other disabled car parks available. The Accor signs had been moved for the first time ever in five years off the disabled car park spaces."
Since the incident, Lewis said she had received online threats from people saying they were going to slit her tyres and find out where she lived.
"I have been attacked, ridiculed and bullied which is not nice," she said.
Fran Henricksen, who uses crutches after a spinal injury.
Lewis said she had never parked in a mobility park anywhere else, and had only done so at the hotel on direction from staff.
"There will be many other Accor members that also have been reserved a car park space in Novotel Ellerslie Disabled Parks. I know they won't want to say they have because they won't want to be opened up to be targeted like I have.
"I accept now no one should park in a disabled park unless you have a permit and I won't do it again unless I have a disability permit to park there."
Henricksen said the hotel had been in touch and acknowledged the incident was totally unacceptable.
"Regardless of whether the hotel allowed her to leave her car parked there, she chose to use a park she wasn't entitled to, and honestly it happens far too often for me to just not say anything about it - I have 'Stick to Your Guns' tattooed on my chest, and it would be irresponsible of me not to live those words if I expect other people to," she said.
Hotel general manager Jamie O'Donnell earlier said, "We regret that on occasion guests of the hotel have used the disabled car park unnecessarily, and we have apologised to the guest in this instance."
O'Donnell said after he investigated the situation that occurred on Sunday with his team, he became aware that it might not be the only occasion.
"[I'm] not aware of how many times exactly, however as a result of this instance, processes have been reiterated with the team with respect to their five dedicated mobility parking spaces.
"We recognise the importance of offering mobility accessible car parks and facilities at our hotels in accordance with New Zealand law," he said.
"We have reinforced our processes to ensure that disabled car parks are only used by those who need them and have engaged the disability action group CCS to meet with our staff and explain the importance of mobility parking and the needs of guests with disabilities.
"It is our number one priority to ensure that we make every hotel guest feel welcome, safe, valued and equal."
