A key part of running a successful and reputable hotel is
being able to welcome guests from across the world. This includes making sure
your hotel is accessible for guests with restricted mobility or a disability.
If your hotel isn’t accessible, you make it difficult - if not impossible - for
employees, visitors or guests with a disability to enjoy their stay comfortably
or safely. Here, we’ve shared four steps to think about when making your hotel
more accessible.
Create a
user-friendly booking experience
When it comes to creating a more accessible hotel experience,
many establishments stumble at the first hurdle: the booking process. Making
sure guests with visual or hearing impairments can navigate your hotel’s
website with ease is the first step towards inclusivity. This includes adding
subtitles to videos and making sure text size can be adjusted.
You also need to make sure potential guests can find out
everything they need to know about your hotel. If your hotel has been designed
with accessibility in mind, make sure this is listed clearly on your website
for guests to browse.
Offer dedicated
disabled-friendly rooms
To ensure your hotel is completely inclusive, make sure there
are disabled-friendly rooms on the first floor. These rooms should be designed
to provide a safe and comfortable experience for guests with visual or hearing
impairments, neurodiverse conditions, or restricted mobility. In addition to
designing rooms for wheelchair access, consider features such as sensory
lighting, soundproof walls and braille signs.
Consider fitting overhead hoists to make bedrooms more
accessible for wheelchair users. These can make it easier for guests with
reduced mobility to get in and out of bed safely.
Make physical
adjustments throughout the hotel
It’s important to think about the accessibility of every zone
in your hotel. For instance, if you have a swimming pool, consider fitting
large steps or a ramp instead of pool ladders. If you have a hotel restaurant,
install a wheelchair-friendly ramp or a vertical platform lift. Make sure your communal toilets are
fitted with grab rails and emergency assistance pull strings.
There are lots of adjustments that can be made to accommodate
guests with disabilities; ask the general public what would make their hotel
experience better and use this information to make a change.
Put your hotel staff
through comprehensive training
No matter what physical adjustments you’ve made to your hotel,
it will still be difficult for guests to enjoy a comfortable stay if your
employees haven’t been trained properly. Your hotel staff must be able to offer
assistance where it’s needed and should understand how to facilitate guests
with ranging abilities.
Training should be company-wide; your guests should be able
to seek assistance from any hotel employee they ask, whether it’s your
receptionist or restaurant serving staff. Your hotel staff must treat every
guest kindly and respectfully at all times.
Installing disabled access lifts, including
vertical platform lifts and overhead hoists, is an essential step towards
increasing your hotel’s accessibility. For a bespoke solution to suit your
hotel needs and make your guests feel safer and more welcome, look no further
than ADL Lift Services. We install, maintain and repair all types of lifts,
including a range of disabled access lifts, for homes and businesses throughout
Scotland. For more information,
contact us
at ADL Lift Services today
