Tourism For All: 5 Basic Amenities that Makes a Disabled-Friendly Apartment

Being in a wheelchair doesn’t have to limit you; having a good quality of life and living in a disabled-friendly apartment can make all the difference.

Guest experience is the cornerstone of hospitality, and you should strive to provide unique experiences that your guests will never forget. Regardless of their age, background, or physical abilities, all customers deserve a terrific experience. As a result, all vacation rental managers and hoteliers in hotels and vacation rentals must provide at least the most basic facilities for disabled guests.

Basic Facilities for Disabled Guests in Hotels and Vacation Rentals

Even if you agree to make the changes, figure out what needs to be altered. Begin with a walk-through home examination and consider what might be restricting. Are there any tiny walkways, difficult-to-reach spaces, or areas of the house that stairs can only reach? When considering ways to improve accessibility in your house, this is a beautiful place to start.

Below are some crucial areas for accessibility; however, keep in mind that one size does not fit all. A metropolitan loft or mountain cabin will require different accommodations than a single-story ranch-style home. 

As a result, property investors can select rental properties in convenient locations with critical accessibility characteristics and adapt them over time to accommodate disabled guests.

Do you have the impression that your property isn’t equipped to accommodate guests with mobility, vision, or hearing impairments?

A vast selection of special equipment is available, ranging from simple to complex, to provide great comfort and equitable access to recreational facilities for impaired individuals. 

Just keep in mind that your home will receive a variety of bookings, and disabled guests are among them. As a result, you must design your home to accommodate a wide range of visitors.

When choosing a vacation rental home, keep in mind that single-story properties are better for guests who require a wheelchair, walker, cane, or other assistive equipment to get around. Choose houses and apartments that have a design and layout free of barriers and level differences, small walkways, and difficult-to-reach locations, which may impede mobility for some of your possible visitors.

 Check out our list of adjustments to see what you can do to make your home more welcoming to all visitors.

Adaptations that Makes Disabled-Friendly Apartment

Entrance

Making a disability-friendly entryway is the first step toward making your property more accessible to your impaired guests. Installing a ramp at your home’s front door and enlarging the doorframe are two options for meeting this requirement (90cm wide minimum). Automatically opening doors can also provide more freedom to your visitors.

Stairs

Ensure that all of your rental rooms are wheelchair accessible. You’ll need to install a stairlift or an elevator if different areas of your property are only accessible by stairs. Allow ramp access to your home’s balcony, garden, or other outdoor areas.

Bathroom

Install toilets that are higher off the ground or have grab bars. If the bathroom sink cannot be lowered, install shower and bath seats and an emergency cord in the bathroom. Your restroom must have at least 150 cm of circulation space inside to allow wheelchair users to turn around.

Parking

Make your parking space handicap accessible by installing a ramp or lift, and designate the most comfortable parking places in your rental as “reserved for disabled guests.”

Kitchen

Make the height of your appliances, refrigerator, and counters as comfortable as possible for all types of visitors. Place the light switches and appliance plugs at a comfortable height for everyone.

The Edge of Having a Disabled-Friendly Hotel or Apartment

You will reap several benefits by modifying your rental homes to disabled-friendly apartment facilities, in addition to providing accessible transportation to the society’s disabled and aged. There are always significant financial and time commitments when it comes to repairing and updating a home. However, your extra effort will pay off, and the ROI will justify the costs.

The demand for adapted rental properties is enormous due to a lack of supply in most markets. As a result, these accessibility enhancements will give your rentals a new distinctive selling point that will set them apart from the competition. The “Facilities for disabled visitors” filter will appeal to retirees and seniors.

How to List Disabled-Friendly Apartment on Plistbooking.com?

It would be best if you made your rental known to your target guests after making it accessible for people with impairments. Make sure to label your listings as “disabled-friendly” so that customers looking for this type of accommodation can find them.

1. Add your property’s accessible features to the list of amenities. Provide a detailed, well-written description of your property, including information on accessibility and facilities for disabled visitors. Make it clear that people with disabilities, as well as their service animals, are welcome to stay at your rental property. 
2. Include as many clear images as possible of everything. Include a floor plan or a 360-degree virtual tour of your home if possible. Apart from that, be highly receptive to your visitors’ concerns and wants. Regardless of their abilities, everyone deserves a safe place to stay while on vacation. As a result, hotels and vacation rentals must provide at least the most basic amenities for disabled guests.

Not all disabled-friendly apartment or hotel are built to be wheelchair accessible or accessible to visitors with vision or hearing impairments from the start. On the other hand, vacation rental and hotel managers can make their properties wheelchair and handicap accessible by implementing improvements that benefit both the guests and the hosts.

These modifications and enhancements might be pretty costly at times. They will, however, generate a substantial amount of revenue to offset the costs. It also boosts your company’s return on investment. The government also offers payments to landlords who make their properties accessible to disabled tenants in several countries.

Little Tip: You can build your website too. When it comes to your vacation rental website, the world is your oyster! The benefit of having your page is that you can personalize it and highlight the most critical information. Put reviews that brag about your accessible vacation rental at the top of the website, or add a virtual tour option that highlights the enlarged door frames and ramp entrance.

Follow in the footsteps of other OTAs by including accessibility in the features and amenities section, or add your twist by creating a dedicated page for accessibility or presenting it in any other way you see fit.

Increase Your ROI with PlistBooking.com

Whether it’s fun in the sun, an off-the-grid getaway, or sightseeing in a big metropolis, everyone likes a good holiday. Everyone has the right to relax, regardless of the type of relaxation they seek. So, what do you do if any of your guests require special accommodations to enjoy your holiday rental?

Thankfully, the travel industry is becoming more aware of the growing demand for more accessible travel options. Would you mind signing up for our newsletter to receive more hot vacation rental updates?