The Accessible Travel Club, a private Facebook group with 12,000+ members, has evolved into a community from over 130 countries where questions are asked and answered about literally thousands of destinations. The club was founded as a passion project by former Airbnb Accessible product manager and TravelAbility Advisory Board member, Srin Madipalli, who presented virtually from London about the five key things he’s learned from hundreds of thousands posts and comments since the group was formed in 2016.
- Reliability. There’s a huge need for reliable information across the globe. Crowd sourced review sites do not have the critical mass of participants to cover the destinations people are interested in visiting.
- Authenticity. This community is a source of helpful and authentic advice provided by disabled travelers who have first-hand experience with the destinations, hotels, or attractions that are being asked about.
- Community. The community nature of the group means that conversations can develop where detailed and tailored answers can be shared. It’s not unusual for a thread to have as many as 100 comments that offer insights through comments that often become respectful debates.
- Crowdsourcing answers. The lack of global accessible standards makes international travel difficult to plan, which is why crowdsourcing in a Q&A format is so useful as the community understands the need for specificity.
- What is the most Accessible Hotel Chain in the U.S. for people with disabilities? The 94 comments in which actual hotel brands were named are summarized here.
- 34% cited brands owned by Hilton
- 19% cited brands owned by Marriott
- 12% cited brands owned by Choice Hotels
- 5% cited brands owned by Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG)
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