Start Date
8-1-2011 8:00 AM
End Date
8-1-2011 9:15 AM
Track
1. Track 1 – Formal Paper Presentation
Subject Area
Lodging
Faculty Member
Woody G. Kim, Ph.D. Robert H. Dedman Professor of Hospitality Management Director of International Center for Hospitality Research Dedman School of Hospitality Florida State University 288 Champions Way, UCB 4116 P.O. Box 3062541 Tallahassee, FL 32306-2541 (850) 644-8242 Email: wkim@cob.fsu.edu
Abstract
The purposes of this study are three-fold: (1) to identify the perceptions of the guests with disabilities regarding their hotel experiences, (2) to identify the perceptions of hotel executives regarding the feasibility of implementing guest needs in both hotel design and service policies, and (3) to provide a general framework to the industry. Interviews were conducted with leaders of national organizations serving disabled persons. Respondents from the hotel perspective included hotel executives from individual properties. The responses from guests with mobility impairments offered the most suggestions and the greatest need for special accommodations. Responses regarding hotel staff in the mobility disability segment echo those from hearing and visual impairments, with all respondents indicating a need for better staff sensitivity training. A six-component framework to better serve guests with disabilities was created. If adopted by the industry, the implications of this framework extend to both guests and individual hotel properties.
Keywords
hearing, visual, and mobility disabilities, framework, communication, in-room orientation
Toward Creating a Framework to Accommodate the Needs of Disabled Hotel Guests
The purposes of this study are three-fold: (1) to identify the perceptions of the guests with disabilities regarding their hotel experiences, (2) to identify the perceptions of hotel executives regarding the feasibility of implementing guest needs in both hotel design and service policies, and (3) to provide a general framework to the industry. Interviews were conducted with leaders of national organizations serving disabled persons. Respondents from the hotel perspective included hotel executives from individual properties. The responses from guests with mobility impairments offered the most suggestions and the greatest need for special accommodations. Responses regarding hotel staff in the mobility disability segment echo those from hearing and visual impairments, with all respondents indicating a need for better staff sensitivity training. A six-component framework to better serve guests with disabilities was created. If adopted by the industry, the implications of this framework extend to both guests and individual hotel properties.