Hotels receive new sensory ratings

A new ratings system for hotels will provide information for
guests with physical disabilities, including visual and hearing
impairments.

Hotels, guest houses and self-catering accommodation will be
assessed against four levels for mobility and two each for the
sensory impairments under the new National Accessible Scheme.

A level two mobility rating, for example, would show that the
accommodation is suitable for a person with restricted walking and
for those who use a wheelchair some of the time.

Each standard can be displayed on signs outside the
accommodation or in advertisements. The mobility ratings feature
the silhouette of a person using a walking stick or wheelchair,
while the sensory rating has an image of an eye or ear.

Tourism minister Kim Howells said: “These new standards
will improve the quality of accommodation, make holidays for
disabled people more enjoyable and open up a market worth many
millions of pounds in tourism business.”

The ratings replace the previous National Accessible Scheme
which covered mobility only.

The new ratings system has been launched to the hospitality
trade and will be introduced in England first before being rolled
out across the UK.