Role of Mobile Apps in Booking Accessible Travel: Part One

Millions of people with disabilities around the world have the desire and financial means to travel, yet many choose to stay at home. The lack of accessible hotel facilities is a major barrier for far too many potential customers, even today. One way hotels are working to remedy some barriers is the development of mobile apps designed to improve accessibility.

The hotel industry generates approximately between $400-500 billion U.S. dollars in revenue globally each year.¹ Mobile apps can play an important role in providing accessible travel options by not only allowing people with disabilities to retrieve information with greater ease, but also allowing them to make travel arrangements independently in advance.

The Scandic – the Nordic region’s leading hotel chain with 230 hotels across Europe – has incorporated accessibility as a core component of its business practices.² Major hotel chains, such as Starwood and Hilton, are conducting pilot studies on mobile apps designed to give guests access to their rooms and possible other areas of the facilities.

Hilton is testing applications for Android and iOS versions of the Hilton HHonors mobile app to access various areas of each property. Areas that require a room key can be accessed using the mobile app, such as entering the fitness center, executive floors, elevators and parking facilities, among others.³

This technology has positive implications for people with disabilities. For example, a guest with a mobility-related disability will potentially be able to independently get in and out of their hotel room. While the mobile room key app is still being rolled-out, it has been enabled for use in at least 10 U.S properties this year. Next year, there are plans to use this technology across 11 major hotel brands globally, including: DoubleTree, Hampton Inn, Embassy Suites and Waldorf Astoria.⁴

Starwood announced a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone app, called SPG Keyless that allows Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members to use a keyless entry that corresponds to their room number.⁵

Hotel managers admit the technology is not perfect, and are looking at ways to prevent security breaches. However, it does present an opportunity to lessen existing accessibility barriers. Could voice command or assistive device linked to a smart app achieve the same result?⁶

Progress is not without its own set of challenges. In a blog posting, a Marriott mobile app user indicated having difficulty using the iPhone app in an attempt to reserve a room with accessible features. The blogger indicated that upon booking an accessible room using the mobile app, an “error” page appeared.⁷

These kinds of software application issues will inadvertently make travel difficult, keep people with disabilities from accessing services from major hotel brands, as well as lead to potential lost revenue for the travel and tourism industry.⁸

As the accessible tourism market grows, it’s incredibly important for the hotel industry to be aware of their customers’ access and functional needs. Improved accessibility – including among mobile apps – represents a dynamic cultural shift toward improved facility and service improvements designed to better serve the accessible tourism market.⁹

¹Travel, Tourism and Hospitality (accessed March 1, 2016); available from

http://www.statista.com/markets/420/travel-tourism-hospitality/

²Accessible Hotels, Nordic Style (accessed February 25, 2016); available from

http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/4410/accessible-hotels-nordic-style

³Hilton and Starwood hotel guests can soon unlock rooms with smartphones Style

(accessed February 25, 2016); available from

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2842645/hilton-and-starwood-hotel-guests-can-soon-unlock-rooms-with-smartphones.html

⁴Hilton and Starwood hotel guests can soon unlock rooms with smartphones Style

(accessed February 25, 2016); available from

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2842645/hilton-and-starwood-hotel-guests-can-soon-unlock-rooms-with-smartphones.html

⁵Hilton and Starwood hotel guests can soon unlock rooms with smartphones Style

(accessed February 25, 2016); available from