A Guide to Welcoming No to Low Vision Guests to Your Hotel

Accessibility Guide
Written By Jewel Lee

Employees in the hospitality industry are trained to make guests feel welcomed by providing good service and showing respect and courtesy. But is there an emphasis on creating a welcoming environment for all guests, including no to low vision guests?

A 2016 study by Accenture Strategy revealed that 52 percent of U.S. consumers switched brands due to poor customer service, which saw companies lose an estimated $1.6 trillion that year. Clearly, it’s no secret that for consumers, customer experience has a greater influence on their overall satisfaction, compared to product and price.

Moreover, research published in a 2017 article in The Lancet Global Health expects the number of people living with a visual impairment to increase threefold by 2050, from 36 million to 115 million worldwide. This is due to the expansion of populations and increase in life expectancy among individuals. This suggests that the number of blind and low vision travellers will triple, resulting in an increase in number of no to low vision guests seeking commercial lodging.

Creating a hospitable environment for guests is an investment with no cost. Keep reading to find out more about what you can do to welcome no to low vision guests to your hotel!

Black text reads "all are welcome here" on a brown door mat. A basket of green apples is placed on the bottom right corner of the door mat.

Black text reads "all are welcome here" on a brown door mat. A basket of green apples is placed on the bottom right corner of the door mat.

Before arrival

  • Find out what your guest’s needs are and what you can do to make their stay more comfortable.

  • Explain the services that you can offer.

  • Allocate your guest a room that is suitable for their needs. A wheelchair accessible room is often not the best option as lowered facilities may be difficult for no to low vision guests to use.

At check-in

  • Before you act, inform your guest about what you are about to do.

  • Speak to your guest directly; do not expect your guest’s company to answer on their behalf.

  • Give your guest a tour of the hotel facilities instead of explaining where they are located.

  • Do not pet the assistance guide dog.

  • Walk your guest through the emergency routes and exits instead of explaining it to them.

In the room

  • Remove all obstacles near doorways and hallways.

  • Offer a floor plan and emergency plan in large font and braille.

In the restaurant

  • Offer a table near the buffet, and reserve tables during busy periods (i.e., during breakfast, lunch and dinner).

  • Offer assistance, even if there is an assistance dog or company present.

  • Have available physical copies of the menu in large font and in braille, and online copies accessible via QR codes.

  • When serving meals, tell your guest that you are at the table and inform them of what is being served.

  • Vocalise what you are doing and where items are placed (i.e., “your plate is just in front of you”, “your cutlery is to your right”, “your glass is placed to your left”).

  • Welcome assistance dogs with a bowl of water and dog biscuits.

A waiter is serving a plate of food to a customer.

A waiter is serving a plate of food to a customer.

Whilst ensuring accessibility of physical spaces in your lodging for blind to low vision travellers is essential, it is also important to create a welcoming environment for these visitors through your actions and interactions with them.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive. If you need advice, speak to those who experience it first-hand. A great way to meet blind and low vision individuals is through community groups. Organisations such as Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia and Queensland Blind Association Inc. offer support groups that meet regularly. Visit the links below for more information:

 

Information sourced from:

Jewel Lee
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