Will Accessibility Be the Next Big Differentiator in Travel? Part 2

Over the course of my research, I’ve spoken with scores of people in the travel industry. I’ve often been asked about my perceptions of that destination’s tourism assets and I’ve always told them that they need to find their own Grand Canyon. For many second and third-tier destinations with attractions/assets that appeal to a niche audience, accessibility could be key to a wider audience. In this series, we’ve identified three distinct mindsets that I believe are shaping the accessible travel landscape. They are:

• The Inclusive Mindset
• The Compliance Mindset
• The New Markets Mindset

In this, the second of a three-part series, I will look at the mindset of compliance.

The Compliance Mindset

This mindset is essentially rooted in fear. Fear of getting sued, fear of complaints, fear of saying the wrong phrase that may offend someone. I find this mindset most prevalent in the hotel community whose experience includes demand letters from ambulance-chasing attorneys threatening to sue for an amount that they know would cost less to settle than to win.

A CEO of a hotel management company told the audience at TravelAbility in 2019 that they held daily staff briefings to address potential guest service issues. When a traveler with a disability registers at the hotel, the default assumption is that they are working for an opportunistic attorney trying to find something wrong. 

Additionally, there are ADA regulations that hoteliers are forced to abide by that can be costly and don’t make sense. I spoke with a regional general manager who presided over a chain of 11 hotels in a major Southeast destination, who had just built a new flagship hotel adjacent to the convention center. The architectural plans called for all accessible rooms to be located near the elevator in the same position on each floor. This would not only save plumbing costs but, he believed, would also be more convenient for disabled guests. He was told that the law required accessible rooms to be distributed evenly throughout the hotel. In his mind, this was an example of the government telling him to do something that would reduce guest convenience. No one likes to be told what to do especially when it is perceived as interfering with the customer experience.

Accessibility doesn’t need to be dauntingly difficult or expensive and new research is showing that demand for accessible accommodations is significant. Sometimes seemingly trivial gestures or amenities make an outsized impact on the perception of guests with a disability. For example, when a blind guest with a service dog checks into a hotel, providing a drinking bowl and information about relief areas can cause the guest to gush about exceptional customer service on TripAdvisor.

In our last newsletter, we shared Tapooz Travel’s list of 13 assistive products that can solve some of the most common accessibility problems in a sleeping room and a bathroom. All these products are readily available from Amazon with most of them costing under $50. Check out these accessibility products. (Note: While products primarily address mobility, this will be a living document that in the future will include products and apps for blind and hearing-impaired travelers as well as those with cognitive disabilities.)

A research report from Destination Analysts, one of the leading market intelligence firms in the tour and travel industry, revealed that 40% of American travelers now identify as having a disability or have traveled with someone in their party with a disability. The growth of baby boomers aging into a disability means that the number of travelers with a disability will increase from 12.5 million to 35 million over the next ten years and hotel owners and chains will need to provide a greater level of services and training as baby boomers control 68% of all discretionary spending. They will opt for hotels and destinations that welcome them by being accessible.