Accessibility Return on Investment (ROI) Hotel Brooklyn

How the hospitality industry can unlock the £15.3billion spent each year on accessible tourism

Hotel Brooklyn Manchester - investment in accessible facilities delivered additional revenues of £217,000 in its first full trading year.

Accessible tourism in England is a £15.3 billion a year market. Guests requiring accessible rooms tend to travel with others, take longer trips and are loyal guests to hotels that get access right.2 Hotel Brooklyn is a multi-award-winning boutique hotel which epitomises the business case for embedding accessibility from the outset.

“The ceiling hoist made it so easy to transfer, and the shower facilities were out of this world”

Return on Investment

In 2022, the hotel’s first full trading year following Covid-19 restrictions, accessible overnight accommodation provided Hotel Brooklyn an additional £132,000 in that 12-month period. This equates to £7,333 additional revenue per accessible room and over 100 extra bed nights every four weeks. This was made possible because the accessible rooms had the hotel’s highest occupancy levels and were universally popular for all guests.

Significantly, Hotel Brooklyn’s vision of well-designed accessibility has had a positive impact on event bookings for groups that include guests with access requirements. These events contributed an additional £85,000 revenue in 2022. From charity dinners and award ceremonies to accessible weddings, Hotel Brooklyn has hosted large annual events to smaller, more informal get-togethers, with many disabled guests also booking an overnight stay.

100
extra bed nights every 4 weeks

£7,333
additional revenue per accessible room in 2022

£85,000
annual revenue from associated events

Accessible design from the outset

Making the disabled guest experience as independent and inclusive as possible was central to owner, Bespoke Hotels,’ ambition for Hotel Brooklyn. To realise this vision, the UK's largest independent hotel group engaged inclusive design specialists, Motionspot, to design and supply Hotel Brooklyn’s 18 accessible suites and build in attractive access principles and features throughout the hotel’s communal areas which include conference rooms, a restaurant, bar, and mini cinema.

Accessible design features

Motionspot designed and supplied a number of beautifully accessible features at Hotel Brooklyn to make the disabled guest experience as independent and inclusive as possible:

• Ceiling track hoists subtly concealed in light fittings and stored within built-in storage
• Removable matt black grab rails and shower seats which can be removed when not required by disabled guests
• Wall-mounted basins featuring discreet integrated hand grips that can be used from a seated or standing position
• Lever shower controls and easy-to-use toilet flush plates
• Discreet accessible bedroom furniture including safes, mini-bars, wardrobes, desks, and adjustable height robe hooks
• Electric curtains that can be controlled from bedside panels
• Interconnecting rooms for family and carer access
• Well planned circulation space throughout the hotel including a wheelchair accessible reception desk and stylish wheelchair accessible public toilet.

Removable grab rails and shower seat

Accessible bedroom with concealed ceiling track hoist

“Hotel Brooklyn has demonstrated how accessibility can be incorporated into a luxury hotel. We acknowledge that we are on a journey to provide accessible experiences for all guests, and the feedback we receive from visitors is helping us to raise the bar even further at future Hotel Brooklyn sites. We hope the success of Hotel Brooklyn inspires others in the industry to look at how they can improve their accessible facilities to help make UK hospitality more accessible for all."

Images: Electric curtain controls and switches. Accessible bedroom furniture including desk, safe, mini-bar, and adjustable wardrobe

“In collaboration with Bespoke, we have been able to turn traditional hotel industry thinking on its head. Too often, accessible rooms feature second-rate design and are less desirable but, at Hotel Brooklyn we have proven that the beautifully designed accessible rooms can be the most popular in the hotel. Making accommodation more accessible is not just the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense.”

How to improve accessibility and unlock the Purple Pound

Motionspot is an award-winning built environment inclusive design specialist which can support businesses to achieve beautiful, accessible, and inclusive facilities with:

Accessible product packs

Motionspot’s design-led product packs are a quick and easy way to create fully compliant shower and toilet facilities with a luxury feel. Perfect for hospitality, office, and retail settings.

Explore our Doc M packs online or get in touch with our expert team to discuss your needs.

Bespoke accessible design and products

For bespoke finishes and design, or for larger developments, our skilled team can curate the perfect accessible product mix to complement your project’s design intent and budget.

Inclusive design consultancy

Motionspot’s unique approach goes beyond minimum access standards and considers design for physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities (including neurodiversity). We also design environments that are welcoming for people from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and gender identities as well as considering the intersections.

Our inclusive design consultancy services include:

• Development of inclusive design strategies and standards
• Inclusive design evaluations to uncover the challenges in existing buildings and potential design solutions
• For new builds and refurbishments - giving inclusive design recommendations through all RIBA stages
• Staff training on inclusive and accessible design principles and products

Discuss your business’ requirements with Motionspot's access and inclusion experts by emailing team@motionspot.co.uk or calling 020 3735 5139.

Appendix

1. Additional revenue is classified as the income generated by Hotel Brooklyn Manchester’s 18 accessible rooms between 1st Jan 2022 - 31st Dec 2022 where the revenue per accessible room exceeds the revenue generated by standard rooms due to the higher occupancy level not higher rates for the accessible rooms. Accessible events are classified as those where the organiser has an access requirement or it is an access related event.
2. VisitEngland research.