How luxury hotels can embrace 'beautiful' inclusive design

Speaking at an event focused on how to drive accessibility and inclusion to the top of the travel industry’s agenda, Great Scotland Yard Hotel’s associate director of sales Pierre Mazurier explained the hotel has 11 accessible bedrooms in two categories. They are designed to look as stylish as the hotel’s other rooms, using the same design and fixtures. He said they’ve been exceptionally popular, and stressed disabled travellers represent “a profitable market”, giving the example of one customer who booked three rooms for 75 nights. 

The event was organised by IncluTravel, which verifies the accessibility and inclusion credentials of travel companies and properties through IncluCare, and offers a booking platform through IncluTel, supported by 360 Private Travel. 

The panel stressed the importance of ensuring accessible rooms are visible online and can easily be booked online, and that reservations staff are trained in what’s available. 

Great Scotland Yard Hotel hosted the event, and was the first hotel in the world to be certified by IncluCare. Mazurier said the pre-arrival stage of a booking was key to ensuring disabled guests had a good stay, highlighting the importance of pre-arrival preference questionnaires. Guests also receive a video showing the lift outside the hotel’s entrance, to ensure they know how they can enter the building and aren’t disheartened when they see the entry steps. 

Ed Warner is the founder of accessible design specialist Motionspot, and said hotels should focus on creating  “beautiful inclusive spaces [...] that are accessible but don’t compromise on style.”

Warner urged hoteliers to include accessibility at the very start of discussions for a new property, and highlighted how one Motionspot client calculated that for every pound they spent on accessibility in the design phase, it saved £100 on retrofits to make the space accessible later.  “It really doesn’t have to cost more if it’s thought about,” he urged. 

The panel agreed that accessible design can be stylish and attractive, and Warner said many of the principles of an accessible room appeal to everyone, such as more space and wetrooms. “This is good design for everyone,” he added. He said conversations about accessibility often initially focus on wheelchair users, but that only 8% of disabled people use wheelchairs, and that design should also focus on cognitive disabilities, which involves considering lighting, acoustics and patterns. 

Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences was the first resort to be verified by IncluCare, and sustainability manager Victoria Kruse said: “It’s finding ways of doing things differently and making sure there’s enough help for people”. The resort offers a sand and swimming wheelchair, has trained staff and worked with Manta Air to ensure its seaplane is suitable for disabled visitors. 

Kruse said the impact had been “huge”, and has driven considerable interest from disabled travellers, including several who had “never thought they’d be able to visit the Maldives”. The Maldives tourism minister and minister of gender and family have visited the resort to learn more, other resorts have expressed interest in following Amilla’s lead, and Amilla is now looking to employ local disabled people. 

Read next: Why luxury travel must lead the way in inclusion and accessibility