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This New Platform Is Changing Accessible Travel by Verifying Luxury Hotels
Accessible travel company Inclu has just launched a new hotel discovery platform for travelers with disabilities called Inclusive Luxury Hotels. The platform features hotels that have been vetted (or are in the process of being vetted) and awarded "Verified by IncluCare" status for both accessibility and luxury. All the properties featured have demonstrated their commitment to the concept of 'conscious inclusivity' for travelers with disabilities, including mobility, sensory, and neurodivergent exceptionalities.
The platform at launch features 18 hotels and resorts in 10 different countries, with a goal to expand to more than 50 properties by the end of 2025.
Verified by IncluCare accreditation was established in 2022 and is awarded to providers who have completed a four-step process of evaluation, education, and transformation led by Inclu's experts. The program for hotels aiming for accreditation includes a comprehensive Inclusive Hospitality Appraisal of facilities, amenities, and services, an online webinar to train staff, suggested recommendations in an 'action and adjustment plan' to improve accessibility and guest inclusivity, and promotion of the property.
Amilla Maldives is the first Verified by IncluCare five-star property, a ranking that is granted only to hotels and resorts who have demonstrated guest inclusivity excellence for a minimum of 24 months. Some properties are also awarded the ranking on a discretionary basis if they can demonstrate an innovative or exemplary provision for inclusivity.
Six other properties on the platform have been granted Verified by IncluCare status, including: The Atlantic Hotel in Jersey, England; Euphoria Retreat in Mystras, Greece; Hotel Éclat Beijing in China; La Miniera Pool Villas Pattaya in Thailand; Leopard Walk Lodge in Hluhluwe, South Africa; and Ximuwu Lodge in South Africa's Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.
Verification requires hotels to make their inventory of accessible rooms clearly visible on the Inclusive Luxury Hotels website and provide fully confirmed bookings, which contrasts with the majority of hotels that often offer accessible rooms on a request-only basis or make them otherwise difficult to find online.
The platform will also highlight 'En Route' properties that are in the process of verification and have completed the Inclusive Hospitality Appraisal. Eleven properties currently qualify as En Route, including hotels and resorts in Costa Rica, the U.K., Belize, the U.S., and Turkey.
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