One in three disabled people say British hotels do not meet accessibility needs

Almost a third (32%) of disabled people in the UK said British hotels in which they have stayed have not met their accessibility needs.

According to research by accessibility and disability data organisation Handiscover, 51% of disabled guests said they did not have all the relevant information they needed before they travelled.

It’s thought that more than 14 million people in the UK live with a long-term illness or disability requiring specific accessibility needs. However, the research also found that 58% of the disabled population who required assistance said that staff at hotels were not as knowledgeable about accessibility needs as they could have been.

Handiscover has called on the hotel industry to prepare for a travel restart post-Covid adapted to all travellers, by improving their accessibility or accessibility information.

Sebastien Archambeaud, chief executive of Handiscover, said: “Ever since we launched Handiscover, our aim has simply been to use accessibility data to make booking accommodation easier for those with disabilities. We now want to take the knowledge and experience we have working with those with accessibility needs and help hotels and accommodation providers improve accessibility and knowledge. We want to let businesses know that improving accessibility is not a cost burden, but a means to actually improve business by catering to more customers.”

Magnus Berglund, accessibility director at Handiscover, added: “Improving accessibility in the hotel industry is not just a ‘nice’ thing to do, it is the ‘right’ thing to do and can generate huge increases in revenue for properties! The Handiscover Accessibility Management Program exists to help hotels, and other businesses, work with and improve accessibility in an easy way to the benefit of the day-to-day lives of millions of people who live with a disability.”

Photo: Shutterstock