Waymap’s innovative navigation and mapping solution offers a range of benefits to hotels, from seamless guest arrival and effortless hotel navigation, to personalised recommendations and optimised staff efficiency.
Hotels are an essential part of the travel experience, providing accommodation for millions of people worldwide. However, despite significant progress in promoting accessibility in recent years, hotel accessibility is still something that is lacking, meaning that some guests are not accommodated for.
Lack of essential information & signage, wayfinding issues, and architectural barriers pose significant challenges for blind guests. In short, hotels aren’t very accessible, leaving guests dependent on staff assistance or fellow guests.
In this article, we discuss the importance of addressing these issues and, in doing so, creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
Hotels Still Fall Short in Meeting Accessibility Needs
Modern hotels tend to meet the basic accessibility standards that are required of them, but don’t go beyond that level. For example, hotel wayfinding is mainly provided through visual signage, which is either hard-to-read or completely inaccessible for visually-impaired guests. This wayfinding problem also extends to emergency exit signs and maps.
The architecture and layout of hotels can also pose a major accessibility challenge, if accommodations aren’t made. Narrow hallways, inconsistent flooring surfaces, and improperly marked stairs or ramps pose risks and hinder safe navigation.
Hotel guests want independence, and don’t want to be forced to ask for assistance just to complete simple routes, such as from the reception to their room. Guests, of all backgrounds and disabilities, just want to be able to move around the hotel environment in a confident and independent manner.
Therefore, in order to foster inclusivity and ensure equal access for all guests, hotels must address these accessibility barriers. It is only through a serious commitment to accessibility that hotels can truly embrace the principles of inclusivity and provide an exceptional experience for all their patrons, regardless of their access needs. Solving this problem will enable hotel guests to navigate the hotel independently, and with dignity.
An Inclusive Hotel Experience Benefits Everyone
Today’s hospitality industry is highly competitive. As a result hotel staff, upper management, and property owners are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance guest experiences and drive revenue growth. Improving accessibility for all guests, including those with disabilities, is an often-overlooked strategy that can significantly impact a hotel’s profitability and growth.
A Larger Customer Base. By enhancing accessibility, hotels can tap into a larger customer base that includes individuals with disabilities and mobility challenges. By catering to the needs of this significant demographic, hotels can attract a new segment of customers who are often overlooked by competitors.
Enhancing Brand Reputation. Hotels that prioritise accessibility earn a reputation for being more inclusive and caring, driving more bookings and attracting guests who value socially responsible businesses. By demonstrating their commitment to providing equal opportunities for all guests, hotels can also enhance their brand reputation and differentiate themselves from competitors.
Increasing Guest Loyalty. Individuals with disabilities often face challenges in finding suitable hotels that meet their specific needs. By taking advantage of the latest technology, and providing accessible & inclusive facilities, hotels create a comfortable and welcoming environment for all guests. When guests experience excellent service that caters to their unique requirements, they are more likely to return to the same hotel in the future.
Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Standards. By proactively investing in accessibility measures, hotels not only avoid any potential legal & regulatory ramifications, but they also position themselves as leaders in inclusivity, attracting guests who look for establishments which put accessibility first.
Expanding Revenue Streams. Hotels that prioritise inclusivity and accessibility can also partner with accessibility service providers, tour operators, and organisations that cater to individuals with disabilities to offer specialised services.
By making accommodations more accessible, hotels can attract a larger customer base, enhance their brand reputation, build guest loyalty, ensure compliance with legal standards, and potentially open up new revenue streams. In short, prioritising accessibility is a win-win situation for everyone.
But how do you make a hotel more accessible? That’s where Waymap comes in.
What is Waymap?
At Waymap, we offer an indoor navigation solution that solves the problem of accessible and inclusive wayfinding for hotels. Our app enables users to navigate around indoor environments confidently, without having to rely on GPS, QR codes or physical Bluetooth beacons.
Instead, Waymap combines a breakthrough revolutionary algorithm with the motion sensors already on the phone. This enables the delivery of accurate and reliable navigation instructions, without relying on any external signals.
Waymap’s indoor location technology and fully accessible user design ensures simple and accurate turn-by-turn navigation in hotels of all shapes and sizes.
How Waymap Revolutionises Hotel Navigation
The Waymap app creates and manages real-time building maps, and offers an innovative solution for all the indoor navigation needs of a hotel. We help to make hotels safe, accessible, and inclusive.
Waymap’s indoor navigation tech can help you give your guests have an enjoyable, stress-free stay. Our app is designed to be user-friendly, allowing guests to easily find their way to their rooms, the restaurant, or any other location within the hotel.
Our innovative solution can help provide guests with an inclusive, accessible experience, whilst reducing the workload of hotel staff. With Waymap installed, guests can find what they need quickly and independently, freeing up staff to focus on providing a personalised service. In addition, the Waymap app is designed with safety in mind.
Guests can quickly and easily find emergency exits, elevators, and other important locations in the event of an emergency.
In the highly competitive hospitality industry, hotels must embrace innovative technologies to stand out and deliver exceptional guest experiences. Waymap’s state-of-the-art navigation and mapping solution offer a range of benefits to hotels, from seamless guest arrival and effortless property navigation to personalised recommendations and optimised staff efficiency.
By integrating Waymap into their operations, hotels can elevate their guest experiences, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge in the market. As hotels strive to provide unparalleled service, Waymap will be an invaluable tool in enhancing guest satisfaction and loyalty, propelling the industry into a new era of hospitality.
Waymap. Accessible Indoor Navigation, for Anyone, Anywhere.
Do you work in the hospitality industry or property management? You can boost your venue’s accessibility, attract a larger and more diverse community of guests, and create a safer and more inclusive space for all, just being installing Waymap at your venue!
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