Is Your Hotel Truly Accessible? Time to Find Out.
Another day, another step toward making the world a bit more navigable for folks with mobility challenges—and it's about time the hospitality sector caught up. Today, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) rolled out the first volume of their 'Best Practices in Hotel Accessibility Guide.' Think of it as a roadmap for hotels to not just meet the bare-bigger checkboxes of ADA compliance, but to genuinely cater to people navigating life with wheels, canes, scooters, you name it.
What’s Inside the Guide?
The guide's first volume is titled "Welcoming Mobility Device Users," and it’s nothing short of a masterclass in dignity-focused hospitality. The PVA folks took the time to delve into the nitty-gritty experiences of those who count on mobility devices. Picture this: you've booked a room only to find it's been handed over to someone else, or you're forced to make a chair your bed because the actual bed's too high. Unfortunately, stories like these? Way too common.
"Our members have driven hundreds of miles only to find their reserved room had been given away," Heather Ansley, PVA executive.
Guides packed with practical recommendations grounded in the realities faced by PVA’s members will pave a smoother path for guests that hotels can—and should—walk down.
Beyond the Basics: Accessible Events
Hold on, there's another chapter coming December 4, and it's all about planning and hosting wheelchair-accessible events. You see, it's not just about making space for a powerchair; it’s about ensuring that accessible routes, seating, and services are available every step of the way. And let's not forget the opportunity this holds for businesses—cough, untapped market potential.
Challenging Antiquated Accessibility Standards
Conferences have been set as key stages for PVA's campaign to highlight these critical issues and, more importantly, get the industry to take notes. At the TravelAbility Conference in Florida, PVA's legal bigwig Danica Gonzalves will be delivering a session aptly named, "Accessible Hotels, Better Business: Turning Accessibility into Opportunity." Count on discussions that’ll extend beyond ADA requirements, digging into real accessibility shifts hotels should be considering.
The exercise continues at the Accessible Events Show in Virginia, where PVA’s advocacy trio—Mark Lichter, Hannah Buchholz, and Gonzalves—will showcase “Discovering and Remedying Accessibility Issues” and more. Their combined wisdom from accessible design, event craft, and unapologetic advocacy will show how to truly assess and select an event-friendly location.
Moving Past Minimum Compliance
If you believe simply ticking some ADA boxes will do the trick, think again. As Mark Lichter says, "A room may technically meet accessibility standards and still be unusable." For PVA, it’s about much more than compliance—it's about authentic usability.
- Rooms with beds usable for wheelchair transfer.
- Furniture arrangements that don’t bottleneck accessible pathways.
- Showers that won't let you down—or leave you dry, quite literally.
Lessons pulled straight from decades of expertise alongside real-world stories of its members, PVA aims to reset the standard. It's past time these changes were implemented—for the dignity and independence every guest craves, and not to mention a savvy business twist.
The Business Case for Going Beyond Compliance
Regardless of your stock portfolio or business setup, acknowledging the potential returns of inclusive offerings is just business sense. With one in four U.S. adults living with a disability, being the hotel—or chain—that gets this right could indeed pay dividends. As Hannah Buchholz put it plainly, "Making accessibility a priority isn't just the right thing to do; it's also a smart business decision."
PVA's push for awareness isn't just altruistic; it's about opening eyes to missed opportunities and market demand. Because at the end of the day, why wouldn't every hotelier want a bit more hustle from those otherwise overlooked quarters?
And you can bet the farm there’s more to come from PVA, with their second installation around the corner. By moving these initiatives from the fringes to front and center at hospitality conferences, real change just might be on the horizon.
