Accessibility in hotels came under the spotlight in The Huffington Post after writer Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird experienced a late-night letdown on arrival at her accommodation in Brussels.
She reported: “My husband and I were disappointed — but not surprised — to find that my wheelchair didn’t fit into the bathroom of our supposedly accessible hotel room.
“Too late to find a new hotel to stay in after a short but laborious flight from our home in Dublin, I clumsily lowered myself to the floor, scooted into the shower and sat while my husband angled the showerhead toward me and sprayed me down. Using the toilet was an even bigger issue, but I’ll spare you the details.”
Niamh expanded on her travel experiences: “Navigating hotels as a person with a disability can be challenging in unexpected ways. After a long day of travelling, nothing feels better than settling into a cozy bed. But for wheelchair users like me, there are often several obstacles that keep us from resting, relaxing and getting anything else done in a hotel room that was clearly not designed with anyone like me in mind.
“From stories about beds being too high to limited floor space and roll-in nightmares, there are so many things that the global hospitality industry needs to address.”
She revealed that she spoke to several big hotel groups about what they’re doing to ensure better accessibility for their disabled guests — and some of them appeared to already have plans in action.
IHG Hotels & Resorts replied: “By championing accessibility from the outset, we are rethinking how our environments enable every guest to find restoration and rest within our rooms.”
Further research established that IHG work with the U.K.-based Motionspot, an inclusive design consultancy creating beautifully designed environments that focus on people with various disabilities.
Motionspot CEO Ed Warner told Niamh: “Traditionally, accessible design has been functional — the bare minimum of what a person needs to carry out their daily tasks. However, this is not enough for a person to express themselves and reach their full potential. Truly inclusive design is about blending function and form to create spaces which enable and inspire.”
