Accommodation arrangements
Hotels in the United States have long been required to meet basic accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but some hospitality companies are going beyond minimum compliance standards to create a more inclusive environment.
The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, opened in June this year in a former school building and bills itself as “the world’s first fully accessible boutique hotel.”
The brainchild of the nonprofit Disability Opportunity Fund, the hotel’s goal is two-fold: to fulfill the fund’s mission of serving the U.S. disability market and to help stimulate the local burgeoning tourism economy.
A common area at the Schoolhouse Hotel in West Virginia, the brainchild of the nonprofit Disability Opportunity Fund. (Courtesy of Schoolhouse Hotel)
A common area at the Schoolhouse Hotel in West Virginia, the brainchild of the nonprofit Disability Opportunity Fund. (Courtesy of Schoolhouse Hotel)
As part of the facility’s development process, the Disability Opportunity Fund solicited input from travelers with disabilities at an early stage.
“We sat down over Zoom with architects and people with different disabilities to talk about what they liked about traveling, what was challenging and what could be improved,” says Jenny Freiman, project manager for the Disability Opportunity Fund. “We tried to incorporate that feedback as best we could into the building.”
All 30 guest rooms and public areas at Schoolhouse Hotel feature extensive amenities designed to accommodate guests with disabilities. Rooms feature minimalist furnishings to reduce obstructions. To address sensory processing issues, the hotel uses a subtle combination of cool, muted colors and graphic décor. A dedicated artificial turf area near the hotel entrance is convenient for service animals to relieve themselves. Additionally, staff and guests have access to the interpretation app Jeenie, which connects them to a live American Sign Language interpreter when needed.
In the Schoolhouse Hotel’s restaurants, the dining tables are higher than standard to accommodate wheelchair users and the hotel’s three-sided bar is uniquely designed, with one side at normal height and the other two lowered sides allowing wheelchair users direct access to the roll-up bar. Two of the bar’s sides also have a lowered floor behind the bar, putting bartenders at eye level with wheelchair users.
At first glance, the average guest may not realize that the Schoolhouse Hotel is completely barrier-free. [Americans with Disabilities Act] “Accessibility is important because unfortunately there is definitely a stigma associated with going into an ADA room that has grab bars and other things that don’t look good,” Freiman said.
While the Disability Opportunity Fund has no plans to open additional hotels, Freeman hopes the Schoolhouse Hotel will be a “showcase” for hospitality for people with disabilities.
“We want other companies and brands to know that small changes can make a big difference,” she said, “and we hope that brands with more resources than us will copy this concept.”
Few in the hotel industry have more resources than Marriott International. At a media event at Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, in mid-August, CEO Tony Capuano told attendees that the company recently invited several Bonvoy members with disabilities to tour a model Marriott room and offer their feedback and suggestions.
“We were really trying to rethink the ADA rules,” Capuano says. “Instead of saying, ‘Let’s have a minimum number of ADA-accessible rooms that meet the minimum legal requirements,’ we [guests with disabilities] Do you really want it?”
Capuano recalled one particularly memorable moment: a blind Bonvoy member suggested adding Braille to the thermostat in his hotel room, a change that cost “virtually no money,” he added.
Outside the U.S., Ani Private Resorts, which operates private all-inclusive properties in the Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Thailand and Sri Lanka, has made a point of focusing on wheelchair accessibility since it started in 2010. That’s mainly because Ani’s founder, Tim Reynolds, uses a wheelchair himself, and began using one after being in a serious car accident in 2000.
Ani Anguilla villa pool, with wheelchair accessible pathway on the left. (Courtesy of Ani Private Resort)
Ani Anguilla villa pool, with wheelchair accessible pathway on the left. (Courtesy of Ani Private Resort)
Ani Resorts, which are booked exclusively for groups, offer plenty of space, accommodations with open floor plans, and pools with wheelchair accessible pathways and ramps and pool lifts. Even if Ani’s spaces are not fully accessible by default, they can be made accessible with modifications such as adding ramps.
“We always have to think about how we can make it easier for our owners to come to our resorts, so the design is always thought of through the eyes of the owner,” said Henny Fraser, Ani’s chief marketing officer.
Ani’s accessibility has made the brand popular with people who use wheelchairs as well as older family members.
“We have a lot of multi-generational families that come to stay with us,” Fraser says, “and that often includes very generous grandparents who actually pay for the group, but they may not be able to support themselves anymore. [of being so accessible]we are very suitable for people of all ages.”
Jamie Biesiada contributed to this report.
October 3rd issue: Cruises, tour operators and destination accessibility insights.