Building Accessible Hotel Websites for the Aging Traveler and Guests with Disabilities
18/04/08 21:36 Filed in: Guide
Building Accessible Hotel Websites for the Aging Traveler and
Guests with Disabilities
One area in which to stand out is to effectively serve one major opportunistic segment of our customer base: the aging traveler and the traveler with disabilities...
"In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, well before the Internet was available to mainstream America. This act covers all mediums of communication including the Internet, and if your hotel has a website, you are legally liable to ensure that your website is accessible or you could face a lawsuit."
-Sanjeev Misra
As the Internet becomes a more competitive place for the hospitality industry, make sure that your company is a step ahead and a step above in having universally designed and accessible websites. In the last decade, we have seen our industry dramatically altered by both lifestyle and technological changes. Depending on your source, it is estimated that:
- 60% - 75% of hotel reservations in the United States begin with online research via hotel websites or search engines
- 35% - 50% of all hotel reservations are made direct by consumers via the web
- the Internet channel will responsible for over 75% of hotel travel bookings in the near future
With this in mind, hotel management should always be thinking about how to maximize their performance online. One area in which to stand out is to effectively serve one major opportunistic segment of our customer base:
The Aging traveler. America's Baby Boomers, now between 50 and 70 years old, represents nearly 30% of our population with over 80 million people strong. Baby Boomers are also the most affluent segment of our population and they have the savings and disposable income to be high volume travelers.
The Traveler with Disabilities. There are 60 million Americans with disabilities in the United States, growing by over 700,000 people each year and the aggregate income of this group is over $1 trillion with $175 billion in discretionary income.
Both of these segments have challenges related to vision, hearing, motor skills and cognition. With this in mind, it is important that your website is optimized to meet their needs through accessibility and design.
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, well before the Internet was available to mainstream America. This act covers all mediums of communication including the Internet, and if your hotel has a website, you are legally liable to ensure that your website is accessible or you could face a lawsuit.
In order to cater to these market segments, it is important to have a website that is universally designed and accessible. The concepts of universal design are basic; make all information equally accessible to visitors regardless of individual needs.
The most basic methods can be summarized in a few broad statements:
- Websites should be designed in compliance with International Web Standards.
- All audio and visual components of your website should have text alternatives.
- No part of the website should be audio, color or image dependant for visitors.
- All forms, scripts and content should be compliant with assistive technologies.
Take a look at your website and see if your website does not meet any of the statements above. Not only will you be meeting legal requirements, but you will be better positioned than your competitors to service the largest segment of demand for hotels for the future: our ageing guests and guests with disabilities.
One area in which to stand out is to effectively serve one major opportunistic segment of our customer base: the aging traveler and the traveler with disabilities...
"In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, well before the Internet was available to mainstream America. This act covers all mediums of communication including the Internet, and if your hotel has a website, you are legally liable to ensure that your website is accessible or you could face a lawsuit."
-Sanjeev Misra
As the Internet becomes a more competitive place for the hospitality industry, make sure that your company is a step ahead and a step above in having universally designed and accessible websites. In the last decade, we have seen our industry dramatically altered by both lifestyle and technological changes. Depending on your source, it is estimated that:
- 60% - 75% of hotel reservations in the United States begin with online research via hotel websites or search engines
- 35% - 50% of all hotel reservations are made direct by consumers via the web
- the Internet channel will responsible for over 75% of hotel travel bookings in the near future
With this in mind, hotel management should always be thinking about how to maximize their performance online. One area in which to stand out is to effectively serve one major opportunistic segment of our customer base:
The Aging traveler. America's Baby Boomers, now between 50 and 70 years old, represents nearly 30% of our population with over 80 million people strong. Baby Boomers are also the most affluent segment of our population and they have the savings and disposable income to be high volume travelers.
The Traveler with Disabilities. There are 60 million Americans with disabilities in the United States, growing by over 700,000 people each year and the aggregate income of this group is over $1 trillion with $175 billion in discretionary income.
Both of these segments have challenges related to vision, hearing, motor skills and cognition. With this in mind, it is important that your website is optimized to meet their needs through accessibility and design.
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, well before the Internet was available to mainstream America. This act covers all mediums of communication including the Internet, and if your hotel has a website, you are legally liable to ensure that your website is accessible or you could face a lawsuit.
In order to cater to these market segments, it is important to have a website that is universally designed and accessible. The concepts of universal design are basic; make all information equally accessible to visitors regardless of individual needs.
The most basic methods can be summarized in a few broad statements:
- Websites should be designed in compliance with International Web Standards.
- All audio and visual components of your website should have text alternatives.
- No part of the website should be audio, color or image dependant for visitors.
- All forms, scripts and content should be compliant with assistive technologies.
Take a look at your website and see if your website does not meet any of the statements above. Not only will you be meeting legal requirements, but you will be better positioned than your competitors to service the largest segment of demand for hotels for the future: our ageing guests and guests with disabilities.