Only 11 hotel rooms in major UK cities are equipped with hoists – essential equipment for disabled travellers – despite there being around 700,000 hotel rooms across the country. This stark shortage highlights a significant accessibility gap in the hospitality industry, which is legally bound to make “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act 2010.
Recent research by Snowball, an app created by accessibility advocate and wheelchair user Simon Sansome, reveals the extent of the failure. The app, often described as “TripAdvisor for the disabled community,” provides user-generated reviews of accessible services and locations. Snowball’s findings indicate that, out of the few rooms available with hoists, the majority are located in rural holiday lets or specialist accommodations, with just 11 rooms in major city hotels offering the necessary equipment for disabled guests.
The research shows that, of the limited availability, 44 rooms with hoists are found in specialist holiday let locations, such as the Marsham Court Hotel in Dorset. However, only 11 rooms across major hotels in UK cities provide hoists, with the following breakdown:
- Holiday Inn offers three rooms with hoists in London Heathrow, Cardiff, and Birmingham.
- Premier Inn provides two rooms with hoists in London Archway and London Stratford East.
- Several hotels offer just one hoist-equipped room each, including Able Stay in London, Accor Group in Liverpool, Pan Pacific in London, The Londoner Hotel, Voco Hotel in Leicester, and Z Hotel in London.
Shockingly, major hotel chains including Travelodge, Britannia, and Marriott confirmed they do not offer any hoist-equipped rooms. Hilton, DoubleTree, and Best Western could not confirm the availability of hoists in any of their rooms.
Simon Sansome, who was paralysed from the waist down following an injury in 2014, created Snowball to raise awareness of accessibility gaps across the UK. The app has grown out of a Facebook community Sansome started, which has since reached over 30 million people, illustrating the demand for accessible information within the disabled community.
“This research is a stark reminder of the hospitality industry’s failure to provide even basic facilities for disabled guests,” said Sansome. “For the 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK and the 7.8% of the population who rely on accessible infrastructure, this lack of provision is nothing short of discriminatory. For many, a hoist is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.”
Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. However, the findings of this investigation raise questions about the hospitality sector’s compliance with these obligations. For many disabled people, hoists are vital for safety, mobility, and dignity during travel, especially those with neuromuscular disorders, spinal cord injuries, or other conditions that impair mobility.
The data from Snowball underscores the urgent need for standardised accessibility features in all hotels, regardless of brand or price point. As the app continues to grow, providing a platform for disabled travellers to share their experiences, it is hoped that legal standards and consumer expectations will lead to significant changes in the hospitality sector, ensuring hotels are accessible for all.