DESIGN & BUILD: HOTELS FOR EVERY BODY

HOTELS FOR EVERY BODY

ACCESSIBLE ROOMS ARE AN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT FOR EVERY HOTEL, BUT GUESTS WITH A DISABILITY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO COMPROMISE ON STYLE AND QUALITY. RUTH HOGAN REPORTS.

When it comes to hotel room design, the standard room is front of mind and accessible rooms are often an afterthought, which can result in unattractive and poorly planned rooms.

Not only is this delivering a substandard experience to guests with a disability, who are paying for the same brand standards as any other guest, it also means that hoteliers are missing out on an opportunity to market their accessible rooms to every type of traveller.

Sudima has earned the title of the first fully accessible hotel group in New Zealand

As the first fully accessible hotel group in New Zealand, Sudima Hotels is setting the standard when it comes to accessibility. Working with accessibility organisation, Be Lab, the hotel is delivering an inclusive experience for every guest.

“We say, ‘accessible design is just good design’, because it actually creates better spaces, places and experiences, and benefits everyone,” Be Lab Programme Lead, Design and Delivery, Lauren Weitini, told HM

“It’s also smart design, because with 25% of the population identifying as having a disability, and a wave of ageing travellers with significant spending power, the market is constantly growing.

“Understanding the full diversity of your customers and wanting to ensure a great experience for every single one of them must be the basis of accessible design, because accessibility can’t just be added on afterwards, it must be consciously designed in from the start. And it’s actually much easier and more cost effective to design in great accessibility at the beginning of a project.”

Be Lab Accessibility Coach, Angelo Samuels, points to The East restaurant at Sudima Auckland City as an example of great design that works well for a variety of needs.

“It is very spacious, and the flooring design of the restaurant creates the effect of two dining sections based on the surface design,” Samuels told HM

“This is great because neurodiverse and sightimpaired guests can sometimes have difficulty with highly patterned floor surfaces. Another great feature is the lighting, which can be independently controlled as required and all the large windows have full length blinds that can be drawn to control both the heat and direct external light.

Little National Sydney has designed an accessible bathroom in line with its brand standards

“The internal colour tones of the restaurant provide good colour contrast. Provision is made to accommodate those who may require tables at different heights. This adaptability throughout the design means that guests with diverse needs can be comfortable.”

Samuels encourages designers who consult with experts on accessible and universal design principles to get creative and use colour and texture to enhance user experiences.

“It’s about creating spaces that are welcoming for everyone,” he added.

CREATIVE, NOT CLINICAL

In Australia, the Little National Hotel in Sydney is highly regarded for its accessible guestrooms. Despite adopting a compact design for its standard rooms, Little National goes the extra mile with its accessible rooms to deliver comfortable and spacious rooms – with the best views in the house.

“Given that Little National Hotels are designed as a small luxury offering it was certainly a challenge for us to design an accessible room that is traditionally spacious to cater for accessible movement requirements,” said Doma Senior Development Manager, Alex Moulis.

Accessible design is just good design.

-Lauren Weitini, Be Lab

“For this reason, we made a deliberate decision to make our accessible rooms the best rooms in the hotel.

“At Little National Sydney our accessible rooms are located on the best corner of the building with a curved glass window that enjoys partial water views through Barangaroo.

The East restaurant at Sudima Auckland City is designed for a variety of needs

“The design points from a typical LN Room carry through to this room type inclusive of a four-post super king size bed, overhead shower, and robe joinery. Importantly the room doesn’t feel clinical, and many guests wouldn’t realise that they are in a room that ticks all the regulatory requirements for accessibility.”

Accessible Accommodation Founder and Director, Kerry Williams, echoed Moulis’ sentiment saying, “accessible rooms don’t need to look clinical”.

“By thoughtful touches, or even lovely tiles, an accessible bathroom would appeal to people with and without disabilities,” Williams told HM

“There are gorgeous grab rails you can source; an accessible bathroom doesn’t need to look like a hospital.

Her advice to hoteliers and designers is “less is best”.

“A clutter free environment is more user friendly,” she said.

IHG’s Senior Director, Design and Engineering –Australasia, Jonathan Conroy, said advances in other sectors are making it easier for hotels and designers to deliver a good quality guest experience.

“The emergence of luxury retirement living as a sector has resulted in manufacturers and suppliers creating new or higher quality fittings,” he explained.

Little National Sydney’s accessible rooms feature a curved glass window and four-post bed

“This has helped the industry to move beyond the old, brushed stainless steel and nylon shower curtain approach.”

Conroy said it is the responsibility of designers, owners, and operators to lift the standard by selecting quality fittings from the outset.

“A lot of times, designers will go the easy route and, grab the things that they are used to using and they’re not necessarily particularly attractive,” he said.

“Too often it ends up being the builders who are determining what fittings are used in the final construction process. Builders will take the most cost-effective approach, but it doesn’t always serve the interest of owners.”

Conroy says that accessibility design codes and the consultants representing people with disability could also be inadvertently stifling creativity in this space.

“People with special needs are paying the same amount and are entitled to the same quality of experience,” he added.