The Blue Badge Access Awards – founded by Blue Badge Style & Bespoke Hotels, is the only dedicated global award scheme promoting stylish accessibility across hotels, restaurants and other venues – is now reaching the final of the 2023/24 Awards cycle. Tickets to final are selling fast for the most inclusive and fun night of the year, includes special guests and Lost Voice Guy will entertain.
Over 200 nominations have been received, from the Acropolis to luxury hotels to small guest houses, they all have over achieved when it comes to accessibility, it’s not enough to merely meet government standards the BBAAs reward and celebrate exceptional, innovative, design-led and thoughtful approaches to accessibility. Chair of judges, Fiona Jarvis, is encouraging hospitality industry bosses, architects and designers, worldwide, to consider ways in which they can address the current and future needs of disabled people and of course help them dispose of their $13TR spend (global fig).
“These are the most testing times that anyone, in the hospitality industry & beyond, will have ever experienced. However I urge owners, managers, designers, architects, developers to consider how you can improve accessibility within your establishment. And, of course, for those that have already addressed accessibility imaginatively and thoughtfully the Blue Badge Access Awards will give recognition to your efforts”.
Nominations closed in September and an esteemed panel of judges have produced the shortlisted entries for 2023/24. Here they are:
Best Bar
Tayer Elementary, The Audley, Seed Library, Johnny Walker bar Edinburgh, Dinorben Arms
Best Luxury Hotel
Kimpton Fitzroy, The Edition Madrid, Grand Hotel York, No.1 Hotel, New York, Swinton Park Hotel
Best Restaurant
La reserve a la plage, Erst, Darby’s, Three Fishes Clitheroe, Gaucho Cardiff
Best Boutique Hotel
One Hundred Shoreditch, Aloft (Excel), Sun Street, Harrods Cottages, Wraxall Yard, Leven Hotel
Best Accessible Toilet
Ablestay, Marsham Court Hotel, Mount Street Restaurant, Hover travel, Roarr, Cotswold Farm Park, Leven Hotel, Manzis Restaurant, Darby’s Restaurant, Coal office, Three Fishes Clitheroe, Gaucho Covent Garden
Best Venue in an Historical Building
OWO Hotel, Penderyn Distillery, Auckland Project and Castle, Union Chapel islington, Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth House
Above & Beyond
Legoland, Roarr Dinosaur Park, Marsham Court Hotel, Holistic Thinking Holidays, Ablestay, East Anglia Zoological Soc., Fitzherbert Community Hub, Lower Laurel Farm Mountain Lodge, Glastonbury, ABBA Voyage, Brick House Farm Cottages, Wraxall Yard
Access Champion
CL Design, Michael Jeremiasz, Ana Neary Legoland, John Merriman (Crown Studios), Jennifer Goddard, ( Laurel Farm Mountain Lodge), Deb Lawson, Jo & Charles Van Berkel (Ablestay), Ruthy Fletcher, Louise Detain
Best Spa
Chewton Glen, Ragdale Hall, Cowshed Babington House, Cliveden House, Lucknam park, Nirvana spa
Best International Venue
Bank Hotel Stockholm, Edition Madrid, No.1 New York, Dreams Playa Mujeres, Jerusalem Old City, The Acropolis, Naniwa Issui, So Paris Hotel, Amilla Resort Maldives.
Ludicrous loo & Ridiculous Ramp
Will be revealed on the night of the final.
A varied group of nominations and the final on 26th Oct at last year’s winner, Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London SW1, should be an interesting and fun night with special guests and Lost Voice Guy to entertain. Tickets selling fast and you can buy here.