PEOPLE

HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST | August 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 08 37

By Mahak Mannan

We look at how hotels in the region can become more accessible for

people of determination.

H

ospitality is an experi-

ence that is enjoyed by

different people from

across the globe - be it

any nationality, market

segment or background.

The vast variety of hotel

brands available in the market today ensures

there is something for everyone.

One growing market segment that hotels in

the region have not fully tapped into is acces-

sible tourism. This market segment enables

people with access requirements or people

of determination, to function independently

when travelling.

Worldwide, the accessible tourism market

includes 1.3 billion people. When considering

friends and family, that number increases to a

market of 2.2 billion people with US $8 trillion

in annual disposable income.

Accessible tourism is not a niche market, ac-

cording to Steven Mifsud, managing director

and NRAC access consultant at Direct Access,

an advisory organisation for improving accessi-

bility for people of determination.

Direct Access works alongside architectural

and construction firms to reviews and advice on

plans avoiding retrofitting later down the line.

For established buildings the company’s access

audits review the current state of a building in

line with local disability access legislation and

relevant international standards.

We asked Mifsud whether hotels in the re-

gion are built keeping mobility of people of

determination in mind and he says there is no

consistency in hotel designs which is a huge

challenge, not only for people of determination,

but for those travelling with them too.

“Due to the young age of the Dubai Uni-

versal Design Code, many sites have not been

built with accessibility in mind from the offset,”

Mifsud says.

“This doesn’t necessarily apply to just hotels

but buildings and applications of all kinds. Cur-

rently there is a mix of accessibility with no con-

sistency, for example hotels built by American

Architects have been designed with the ADA

(Americans with Disability Act) in mind which

is a considerably dated document.”

While architects are great at creating inspir-

ing structures, they lack the experience to in-

terpret how to incorporate building regulations

around accessibility, Mifsud explains. A build-

ing should be designed to meet the needs of all

people who wish to use it. This is not a special

requirement, for the benefit of only a minority

of the population, but a fundamental condition

of good design.

There are a number of ways that hotel design

can be better for people of determination, and

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PEOPLE

HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST | August 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 08 37