Airbnb Accessible Filters | Disability Friendly Vacation Rentals

Everyone enjoys a good holiday and everybody is entitled to one. Travel shouldn’t be a major leap to the unknown just because of disability or age. Back in the day, finding a disability-friendly vacation rental was as hard as it got. What setting up your Airbnb as disable-friendly consider:

• Is Accessible parking provided?
• Are there steps when entering the property? Is there a lift?
• Are there grab handles in the bathroom?
• How wide is the entrance and hallways?
• Are the rooms spacious enough?
• What is the height of the bathroom?
• Does it have a shower bench?

Today, Airbnb highlights 21 Accessible Filters features that make guests with disabilities find travel accommodation easy worldwide. The new features allow guests to search for listings with specific features such as step-free entry rooms, wider entry space, shower accommodating wheelchairs, and more.

Reasons You Should Adopt Disability Friendly Vacation Rental

People with disabilities with specific needs should not be barred from enjoying a vacation. It is important to understand that it is a ‘niche market’ in the tourism industry. But with that, this creates an opportunity for us to expand our client portfolio as well as improve the quality of the accommodation in the tourism sector.

Here are some reasons you should consider adopting a disability-friendly vacation rental:

More Exposure

Properties with disability accessible features will stretch a great exposure on vacation rental listings. When looking for a property catering to the disabled for specific needs, people type on Google targeted keywords such as Disability Friendly Vacation Rental. This creates opportunity due to the less competitive nature. Think about it. Since it is a ‘niche market’ you develop a strong online presence for targeted keywords, resulting in more search engine traffic and exposure.

The More the Merrier!

Disability Friendly Vacation Rentals not only attract guests with a disability but bring families together. This creates a business opportunity to partner with other niche markets providing guests with recommendations, things to do, and more.

Bear in mind, if you can adapt your property with disability features, you can offer guests something that others cannot. It will benefit you by providing a competitive advantage in your listing that will make guests with disabilities choose your property over other accommodations, improving your search engine ranking.

It’s not an Investment. It’s a Social Bet

It is important to understand that this shouldn’t be considered as an investment but a ‘social bet’. It is our social responsibility to make travel accessible to everyone. You may have heard this saying ‘Do good and good will follow you’. Hence, here is your chance to do good.

Doing so helps creates awareness in promoting entitlement for disabilities to partake socially in the community by adapting to the needs and offering means of accommodation resulting in advantages to your business and the tourism industry.

How to Make Your Property Disability Friendly Vacation Rental?

If you search on Google and type ‘converting the property to disability-friendly vacation rental’. It would suggest a few things like lowering kitchen tables, wider entrances, making cupboards lower, and so forth. Though, it is important to consider that probably they would not be traveling alone and accompanied by someone who is able. Hence, converting the accommodation is not necessarily complicated.

Before converting your Airbnb listing to a disability-friendly vacation rental, do also consider the average size of a wheelchair. The average size of a wheelchair is as follows:

• Standard Wheelchair

  • Width 24-27 inches
  • Length 61- 69 inches

• Motorized Wheelchair

  • Width 27 inches
  • Length 69 inches

Now, that you have thought about it and want to convert your Airbnb listing to a Disability Friendly Vacation Rental, here are some steps you need to take note of.

Entrance

It is a challenge when finding the right vacation rental and for someone who needs disability-accessible features, stairs rule out many properties. Consider that you are also risking receiving bad reviews if your property entry isn’t disability-friendly. Here are some tips you could consider:

• Installing ramps to your stairs making them accessible
• Do not overlook the exterior. If you have a garage, consider the space for vehicle ramps for wheelchairs to enter in and out of the property.
• Lower/add another peephole to easily access when someone rings the doorbell.

Dimensions of Hallways and Doors

It is crucial to understand that having a spacious area would be great to enhance the quality of a guest’s stay. To maximize the guest experience, keep in mind:

• Door frames are wide enough to at least 36 inches, leaving enough room for comfort
• Handles should be at a lower accessibility point
• Consider arranging furniture that could potentially obstruct a disabled person
• Type of flooring that could ease the use of a wheelchair

Kitchen

In every home, the heart is the Kitchen. It is where families and guests come together and enjoy a nice meal. Everyone should be entitled to it and by making this possible for a disabled person, it is important to consider the height of the countertops, fridge handles, kitchen cupboards, and what appliances are needed to be in reach. Bear in mind, to think whether there are any rough edges or obstructions that are potentially dangerous to guests with wheelchairs.

Bathroom

Take note that the bathroom would require modifications and what accessibility measures need to be implemented. However, this depends on the space as it is an important part of the house for a guest to stay. Here are some tips to consider:

• Wide and roll-in showers for easy access and foldable bench
• Adjusting the height of the sink and installing motion-sensor faucets
• Installing hand-rails around the toilet area
• Installing an emergency alarm in the bathroom in case of difficulties
• Non-slip surfaces
• Reachable outlets

Low Light Switches And Smart Bulbs

In providing the best comfort and convenience to a guest with a disability, it would be great to consider positioning the light switches lower on the wall for accessibility. And to think about it, modern technology has made life a bit easier, so you could consider installing smart light bulbs allowing guests to access and adjust lighting according to their preference just from their phones or through remote control.

Home Elevator

If your property is a two-storied bungalow, it would be a great feature to consider a wheelchair-accessible home elevator. Take note that a home elevator does not only benefit the disabled but you as a property owner as well. By having this feature, you instantly make your listing more desirable to guests not only the disabled but families with children or the elderly as well.

Final Word

Converting homes to a disability vacation rental is not only a good act but a social responsibility. Doing so creates a unique selling point as there are not many disability-accessible properties in the market. It also opens doors for travelers and homeowners for an opportunity to appeal to existing niche markets such as eco-lodges and glamping to name a few.

Bear in mind, a disability-friendly vacation rental is slowly prevailing in the tourism sector and by having disability-accessible features provided, not only you bring families together but create social awareness and acceptance in the community. With Airbnb Accessible Filters, listings have been easier to find resulting in enjoyable stays for guests and avoiding bad reviews in the long run.