Designing Hotels and Resorts for Accessibility

People with disabilities make up approximately 13% of the American population, accounting for 42.5 million Americans. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, establishing a series of accessible design requirements for the construction of hotels and resorts for this demographic. This has since been updated in 2010, with new design standards introduced. However, whilst this act was passed over 30 years ago, there are still many misconceptions around complying with the accessible design and construction requirements, with designers and architects admitting it hasn’t been a priority in the past. But that is changing.

Accessibility is becoming more prominent in hotel and resort design. By incorporating accessibility into designs from the start, hotel and resort owners save more money in the long run, as this reduces the costs to adapt spaces for disabled guests in future refurbishments. Previously, accessible spaces were viewed as being visually clunky or unappealing. However, designers and architects are beginning to find sleek and cohesive ways to make hospitality spaces more inclusive, balancing style with functionality. Read on to find out how designers can make spaces within a hotel or resort more inclusive.

Lobbies

As the first space a guest enters, a hotel or resort’s lobby must welcome guests from the minute they arrive. Wide doorways, automatic doors, ramps, and wheelchair lifts allow guests with a variety of physical disabilities to enter with ease. At Blue Badge Access Award winner Great Scotland Yard Hotel, accessible design begins the moment guests enter the venue. The hotel’s unique design handles the stairway between the entrance and the lobby in a creative way. Here, stairs magically disappear, revealing an innovative and discreet Sesame access lift.

However, accessible design must go beyond support for wheelchair users. There is a wide range of mobility, sensory, and cognitive disabilities that encompasses many conditions. Other ways hotel designers and architects can create more accessible spaces include the consideration of lighting and colour schemes. Using natural lighting and avoiding decorative flashing or flickering lights can make spaces more welcoming for guests with epilepsy. When selecting a colour scheme, designers should also consider guests with sensory or cognitive disabilities, such as autism or dementia. For some guests, bright colours or bold patterns may cause confusion or overwhelm the senses. Instead, soothing, neutral colours and subdued or subtle patterns should be utilised throughout the hotel or resort. Lobbies should also incorporate hearing loops for guests with hearing aids.

Restaurants, bars, and dining spaces

Hotel and resort designers need to consider how accessible all spaces are for guests, including restaurants and dining venues. When designing the layout of a restaurant or bar, architects should ensure that tables are spread wide enough apart for customers using mobility devices to navigate throughout the restaurant. Tables should also be low enough to be accessed by guests with a mobility device such as a wheelchair. Throughout the venue, architects should avoid elevation changes in designs, or where steps are needed to access different heights, ramps must be included for wheelchair users.

Designing for the senses

Lighting is another key consideration. Prevent Blindness America estimates that roughly 53 million Americans have some form of visual impairment. By providing rich lighting, customers will be able to read the menus comfortably and eat their meals with ease.

Another crucial design consideration is the acoustics and sound of a venue. This extends far beyond music volume. Sound acoustics not only play a significant role in guest satisfaction, but they can also have a severe impact on the overall experience for customers with hearing impairments. Hard finishes and square surfaces bounce sounds, so designers should consider adding upholstery to seating and tapestries to walls for an opportunity to enhance the look of the restaurant while improving the acoustics.

Calming Spaces

Hotel and resort public spaces are a social hub, with an increase in multifunctional hotel lobbies, lively bars, and bustling restaurants. While many guests may enjoy these venues and the chance to connect with others, some guests, such as those with cognitive disabilities, may find these spaces overwhelming to the senses. To aid these guests, some hotels and resorts have begun to introduce ‘quiet zones’ or ‘calming spaces’ to retreat to. These offer a relaxing haven using soundproofing materials and soothing, neutral colour schemes.

As the first Inclucare-certified resort in the world, many sensory touch, aroma and sound jungle activities are located throughout the Amilla Maldives resort. These have been created for vision-impaired guests. Additional dedicated ‘calming spaces’ have been designed for people with a wide range of neurodevelopmental considerations, such as autism or dementia.

Signage and wayfinding

The ability to read signage and navigate around a hotel or resort is vital for all guests. Ways designers can improve the navigation for disabled guests include using large, easy to read fonts in easily discernible colours on signage. For those with mobility-focused disabilities, lifts, automatic doors, and handrails can also improve navigation around the hotel or resort. Additionally, the use of braille in signage and lift controls improves navigation for guests with visual impairments.

Rooms and suites

ADA requirements state that there must be disabled options for all the various classes of guest rooms offered. This inclusion provides the same range of choices to guests with or without disabilities. Many of these rooms are found on the ground floor level of hotels and resorts for ease of access. But what does a disabled access guest room look like? Designers must consider the room’s layout, which must be bigger and more spacious, with ample distance between furniture. The floor must be clear of rugs or cluttered furniture which may cause trip hazards. Some rooms may also come with customisable beds and hoists. Accessible controls and plugs close to the bed allow disabled guests to have ease of access.

However, designers must also consider how rooms may impact guests with other needs. Some guests may become overwhelmed by bright colours or patterns. Rooms should incorporate muted colour schemes to avoid overwhelming the senses. Designers may use soft furnishings such as cushions, carpets, curtains, and even wall textures that absorb and dampen noise. On the other hand, for guests using hearing aids, hearing loops should be serviced regularly, switched on and well-communicated. Other considerations may include a careful positioning of mirrors or providing mirror covers for guests with dementia who may have difficulty recognising their reflections.

At Hotel Brooklyn in Manchester, special features can be hidden or detached, making the rooms customisable to each guest’s needs. Roomy marble showers are free of steps, doorways are wide enough for wheelchairs and some suites have hoists for people with paraplegia.

Bathrooms

When creating accessible bathrooms, some designers overlook the fact that there are a specified number of rooms that can and cannot provide roll-in showers. Despite common misconceptions, a roll-in shower is not necessarily the best bathing option for all guests. The 2010 ADA Standards recommend a variety of bathing options, including easy-access baths and transfer showers. Bathing areas must also feature plenty of handrails and grab bars to ensure guest safety.

The overall design of accessible guest bathrooms must be spacious and clutter free. ADA Standards recommend that some bathrooms have a lower counter height of 36 inches to accommodate wheelchair users and guests with a shorter stature. Hot and cold taps should be clearly labelled, and sensors should have instructions nearby.

Across the rest of the hotel or resort, public spaces need to include accessible bathroom facilities for disabled guests. These bathrooms need to follow a similar design to those in guest rooms – i.e. low/no thresholds, wider doorways, grab bars, and emergency cords.

Taking inspiration from the sea

If designers and architects want to incorporate more accessible design, they should also pass their gaze to the designs found on board cruise ships. Designing for accessibility has become a fundamental part of cruise design, with the Cruise Line International Association working closely with the International Maritime Organization to develop international standards to aid the accommodation of persons with disabilities. For more on accessible cruise ship designs, read the full article on the Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Americas blog.