Fiona Jarvis, founder of Blue Badge Style, the first app and website guide to a stylish lifestyle for the less-physically-able, has featured in the press once again. This time Fiona has written an article for Caterer and Hotelkeeper on how disabled access can be viewed as a selling point for hotels.
In the article she speaks of the need to for hotels to highlight some form of access statement on their websites. She argues that this could do a great deal to help them to attract less-physically-able guests. More than that it would be a good source of business for the hotels as well. She asks: “Why not advertise a good selling point in recessionary times and get a return on the investment regarding disabled facilities?”.
“The hospitality industry should realise this and add descriptions of their venues from the perspective of a less able customer, they might be surprised at how profitable this could be.” There is a market worth £2bn, comprised of less able customers. If quality hotels were to tap into this selling point, by providing good disabled access and advertising it in more intelligent ways, for instance, by using the BBS Pictorial Access Description, the advantages could be huge for them.
