ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES
FOR NEW BUILD OR MAJOR REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS
ACCOR Hotels must be designed in order to:

Offer similar services to all guests including disabled people

Ensure no discrimination would result from the design or construction
Provide access for disabled people to all guest areas of the hotel.
Supply guest rooms specifically designed for disabled people.
Comply with all statutory and Local Authority requirements in respect of disabled persons.

IMPLEMENTATION
1. In countries where there is no existing policy approved by Accor head office, Accor shall endeavour to
implement the present Accor guidelines. When an Accor approved policy has been approved, countries
shall implement and maintain such policies without modifications in which case such policies will take
precedence over the present guidelines.
2. The above requirements are applicable to all construction or major refurbishment projects of hotels
bearing an Accor hotel Brand whether as a subsidiary or under a management or franchise agreement.
However the physical constraints of existing buildings may render the strict implementation of these
requirements either technically impossible or unreasonably expensive. In such case the building owner
or Accor country managing director shall make all necessary adjustments and shall keep records of
appropriate documentation for any justification if required.
3. Other features than those described in this document may be required by Local Codes or Local
Authorities and as such shall be provided by the Owner / Developer / Contractor as appropriate.
Generally, subject to points 1 & 2 above, the most demanding between the present Accor guidelines and
local codes or authorities requirements shall be implemented.

DEFINITION OF DISABILITY
Subject to local regulations, a disabled person shall be defined as someone who has a physical or mental
impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out day-to-day
activities. This list is not exhaustive but includes people with physical, sensory, or mental impairments,
including learning disabilities. In relation to building design, this means that as well as those elements, which
are included within the local regulations additional measures, need to be taken. This covers elements such
as colour definition, sound enhancement, orientation, etc.

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ACCORS ACCESSIBILITY PHILOSOPHY

UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY:
Accor is committed to a policy of equality, inclusion and accessibility in the delivery of its services to
members of the public, and in the employment opportunities afforded to existing and future employees.
Accor fully recognises the diversity of cultural, religious and individual abilities of its customers and
employees. Accor is active in ensuring that any potential sources of discrimination are addressed in both the
physical attributes of the facilities it provides, the buildings it uses and in the management practices and
procedures it adopts.
Accor endeavours to ensuring that the facilities it provides, uses and manages afford its customers and
employees the opportunity to maximise their individual abilities and enjoy safe and, wherever possible,
independent participation and access. Accor services to the public include the provision of sleeping
accommodation and registration associated with this together with the provision of vending facilities and or
other food and beverage offerings.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DESIGN TEAM

The project design team will undertake the following steps in all new and existing service provision:
All designers will work to the latest applicable legislation and good practice guidance on accessibility
available at the design and construction stages.
The design team will develop a written accessibility strategy manual. It will detail the design philosophy of the
building with regard to accessibility for all areas of the hotel, as well as the use, testing and replacement of
any specialist equipment, suggested maintenance cycles and priorities, and the reasons why particular
designs, materials, finishes, equipment and colour schemes were chosen. The manual will be seen as an
important resource in the on-going management of the hotel.
The Design Team will ensure that adequate provision of places of refuge is made for use in the event of an
emergency.
Signage: The corporate, directional and information signage adopted in the hotel will be designed in
accordance with the recommendations of the applicable Sign Design Guides and local regulations.

GENERAL ACCOR DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL:
Disabled people should be able to visit the hotel both independently and with carers
Fire escape procedures for each area to be confirmed with local Fire Authorities. Relevant hotel
procedures and pictograms to be set up in coordination with hotel management.
All single doors accessible to disabled people to be 800mm minimum clear passage
Access Control devices to be located at 1200mm high maximum.
Internal signage to be easy to read (size of lettering, capitals & lower case, contrasting colours)

EXTERIORS & ENTRANCES:

The hotel entrance should be well lit and clearly signed from the access route. Street entrances:
Dropped kerb & tactile sign pavement to entrances & visual clues to highlight entrances
Staff access, access from car parking or other entrances to include dropped kerbs and minimal
gradients.

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 Night-bells, videophones or hearing aid compatible intercoms with light indicators at 1200mm h max.
The main entrance doors for public use are to be wide enough for wheelchair access (Minimum 800
mm free passage; Recommended 1000mm) and easy to operate.

CAR PARKS:
2% or more of car parking spaces shall be reserved for disabled visitors with a minimum of 2 spaces
Reserved spaces will be 5m x 3.3m minimum, be clearly defined, adequately lit, close to the entrance.
At least one access route with no steps to the public areas shall be available from the designated
parking bays and drop off points.
Wheel chair logo to be painted on floor AND a vertically mounted sign for disabled people only for
each disabled bay + floor paint to be a different colour from other spaces.
Large print sign at car park entrance indicating way to Hotel entrance and reserved bays.
Intercom/night bell with light indicator or videophone at 1200mm max at hotel entrance doors.
Doors leading to the hotel to be 800mm clear effective passage

PUBLIC AREAS:
All doors to access any room in hotel (front & back of house) shall be 800 mm free passage
Seats should be freely movable and some should be available with armrests. Clearance between
tables should be sufficient to allow wheelchair users to have the choice of seating locations.
Hotel reception desk to be in sight of the entrance and readily identifiable as such by those with visual
impairments and have adequate signage.
Hotel reception desk to be fitted with induction loop and include a writing section at 760mm high or a
separate welcome table to be provided (guest relation desk for example)
If telephone sets are made available to the public, then at least one set shall be designed for use by
disabled people.
Public toilets designed for wheelchair bound people shall be provided & located in the same areas as
other public toilets.

LIFTS:
An unobstructed space of 1500mm x 1500mm minimum should be available on each landing outside
the lift doors
Minimum car size = 1100mm x 1400mm; door opening width = minimum 800mm
Call controls : To contrast in colour and luminance from plate and wall, be with tactile sign (floor
numbers in relief + Ground floor button protruding) and be located at/below1200mm from floor
Handrails to be fitted all around car at 900 mm from floor
Mirror to be included on wall facing doors starting above handrail at 900mm from floor
Audible announcements to be available
Emergency communication system with induction coupler and visual indicator indicating help request.

BEDROOMS:
Bedroom corridors:
Bedroom corridors shall be minimum 1200mm wide (Preferably over 1400mm whenever possible)
The layout and number of accessible rooms in any hotel building configuration must not result in high
wheelchair traffic in any corridor.
Double doors to include 1 leaf 900mm wide and vision panels (extending down to 500mm FFL)
Bedroom doors to be of contrasting colour from surrounding walls
1500mm x 1500mm wide sections to be included on each floor to allow wheelchair U-turns.
Signage in corridors to be contrasting letters to background, easy to read, embossed and located at
max 1400mm high
Bedroom nb signs to be of contrasting colour, embossed and located between 1m & 1.4m high

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All bedrooms and suites :

Entrance doors to be 800mm clear passage
When windows are openable by guests for fresh air, levers to be at a maximum of 1300mm high.
Door handles or lock controls to be easy to operate & located between 900mm & 1000mm from floor.
Bedrooms specially designed for disabled people: (Wheelchair Accessible Bedrooms)
Bedrooms specially designed & equipped for wheelchair bound people shall be provided to a similar
level of decoration and facilities to regular rooms. (Minimum 2% or 2nb). They should also allow use
by hard of earring or poor sighted people.
Wheelchair accessible bedrooms to offer 2 beddings or zippable twin beds to accommodate a carer.
All these rooms should be located as close as possible to the main entrance / reception area or in the
vicinity of the lifts and offer a variety of locations within the building.
At least one of the disabled bedrooms shall be inter-connecting with a regular bedroom.
When several suites are available, at least one should be designed to allow use by disabled guests.
Signage in accessible bedrooms to clearly identify that staff are available to offer assistance if
required.
Other special bedrooms:
It is recommended to offer several other bedrooms equipped to accommodate hard of earring or poor
sighted people.

ADMINISTRATION OFFICES AND STAFF FACILITIES:

Should a disabled person be employed at the hotel, ACCOR has a stated policy for identifying
individual needs and undertaking reasonable adjustments.
Staff welfare/dining facilities to be located in an accessible location.
All doors to access administration areas or staff rooms to be 800mm clear passage and to be fitted
with lever handles appropriately contrasted in terms of colour and luminance.
Showers to be fitted with wall grab rails.
Openable windows in offices or welfare/dining rooms to be with handles at or below 1300mm high
Whenever dedicated toilets to administration offices are provided, they must include at least one
wheelchair accessible cubicle.

STAIRCASES:
Handrails on both sides and extending by 300mm after last step (bottom & top).
Landings to be fitted with visible and tactile floor warnings to indicate area before 1st step down.
The final exit escape doors at the base of stairs to be easy to open (fitted with large lever handles/bars
with push down to open signs).
All staircases are to be provided with luminance contrast to the handrail and step nosings.

EMERGENCY EXITS:

Exits to be clearly identifiable and easy to open for any people

Exit doors should not have threshold causing obstructions
Fire exits should not lead on steps
It should be possible to move away from the building to safety for all occupants

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