Bognor's benchmark hotel for the blind
The most striking thing about the Russell hotel is just how normal it is. But the country's first purpose-built hotel for the blind and the visually impaired is far from normal. Subtle differences have a huge impact on its guests' experience, and the good news is that you don't have to knock down a hotel and rebuild it to achieve similar results.
The original Russell hotel, in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, is one of four hotels owned by the charity Action for Blind People. It was in desperate need of upgrading, but it was decided that, for a cool £4m, it would be cheaper to pull it down and start again.
It was a great opportunity to create a benchmark hotel for blind people. Architects and designers worked with a user group made up of a mix of blind and partially sighted people to find out what would be needed.
"The biggest thing that came out of discussions was that blind or partially sighted people don't want special doors and special taps, they wanted this hotel to be as mainstream as possible," says manager Debbie Goodall.
While many of the Russell's features can be achieved quite easily and reasonably cheaply, starting from scratch did offer some major benefits. While not all blind people have guide dogs, the hotel does cater for quite a few, so extra wide corridors were part of the design - to enable two people with guide dogs to pass by each other easily.
Being dog-friendly is something that is becoming more the norm these days in mainstream hotels. But, as the Russell caters for more than the average quota of four-legged friends, it has a number of special facilities that make life easier not only for the dog-handler but also for those who clean the hotel.
A porch in front of reception, with an area for towels, means that dogs can be dried and cleaned when coming in from a walk, thus helping keep the reception area clean. Another important feature is a grooming room, with scales. Guide-dog owners have to adhere to strict rules about their animals' diet and weight, and have to ensure that their dogs are kept in good condition. At the side of the hotel, there is also what is eloquently named the "spend" area - a dog toilet, to the rest of us.
Finding the reception desk is made much easier by a clever design in the carpet. A wide strip, slightly raised and ridged, leads from the main door to the reception desk.
Inside, rather than institutional-style hand rails, the hotel uses dado rails on every wall to help guide people around. On the stairs, a chunky rail acts as a guide, while carpet strips indicate where the first step falls.
The same carpet strips are used in front of the lift doors. The lift is also slightly different in that its call button has a raised blip on it. Inside, the lift has a speaking function, a feature that is fast becoming standard in many buildings.
Notices around the hotel have also been given plenty of consideration. One common misconception about blind people is that they all read Braille; in fact only about 3% of registered blind people in this country do so. Therefore, as well as being in Braille, notices are embossed.
There is a wide range of gadgets on the market that are inexpensive and can make a huge difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people. Bedrooms at the hotel all include, for instance, a liquid-level indicator which sits inside a cup and bleeps when the liquid has almost reached the brim. Talking alarm clocks and big-button telephones are other touches that need not cost a fortune.
"Ideally," Goodall says, "all hotels would have these things. They certainly aren't expensive or hard to get hold of."
The way guests are treated by staff is also a major consideration. All guests are shown to their rooms and then guided around so they know where everything is. The fire procedure is also explained, with information on how to get to the nearest fire exit.
Contrasting colours play an important part in the decor of the hotel. This adds definition and helps partially sighted people to orientate themselves. For instance, the door frames are a different colour from the walls, so that it is easier to find the door. "This is important, because it gives guests a feeling of security," Goodall says.
In the restaurant, Goodall points out, the crockery and tablecloths are also different colours.
Factfile
The Russell hotel
Kings Parade, Bognor Regis, West Sussex
Tel: 01243 871300
Bedrooms: 40
Summer rate: £280 per person per week (including breakfast and dinner)
Winter rate: £217 per week, full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Occupancy: 70-80%
Business sense
The Department for Work, Family and Pensions estimates that the UK "disabled pound" is worth about £45b a year, so investment in adjustments can be justified from a business perspective.
For more information, see:
* Approved Document M of the Government's 1991 Building Regulations (currently under review).
* British Standard 8300: Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people - Code of Practice.
DDA: What you need to know
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) is the impetus for change.
Since 2 December 1996
* It has been against the law for service providers and employers to treat disabled people less favourably.
* A reasonable adjustment must be made.
Since 1 October 1999
Service providers have been required to take reasonable steps to:
\ Change policies, procedures or practices to provide a service to a disabled person; or
* Provide auxiliary aids to enable service provision; or
\ Provide services by other means.
From 1 October 2004
Where a physical feature makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of services, a service provider will have to:
* Take reasonable steps to remove, alter or avoid that feature (considering those options in the order listed); or
* Where that is impossible, provide the service by a reasonable alternative method.
Note: Duties under the act are anticipatory, and all services are included, whether they are paid for or not.
Special features
Dog areas
* The grooming room has scales to monitor that all-important weight.
* The "spend" area - dogs get the option of grass or concrete.
* The porch area, to dry off and get paws wiped, helps to keep the hotel clean.
Reception
* Ridged carpet helps to guide guests to the reception desk.
* A raised button to call the lift avoids confusion with other buttons.
* Carpet strips help identify stairs and the lift area.
Hallways
* Extra-wide corridors allow enough room for two people with guide dogs to pass each other comfortably, and are wide enough for a wheelchair to turn around.
* Dado rails are used instead of institutional-style guide rails. Discreet knobs on the rail indicate a doorway.
* Signs are both in Braille and embossed.
* Old-fashioned keys are used, rather than card keys. User group feedback indicated that blind people preferred keys, as the card system often relies on red and green lights to indicate whether the door is locked.
Bedrooms
* Cassette players in rooms are important for blind people, as they often have newspapers supplied on cassette.
* Big-button telephones are a boon for the partially sighted.
* Talking alarm clocks are very helpful.
* A liquid-level indicator for tea or coffee cups helps prevent scalding accidents.
Bathrooms
* Contrasting-colour tiles help to identify where the toilet and the washbasin are.
* Low-level facilities are useful for wheelchair users.
* Power points are at waist level.
Restaurant
* Table linen and crockery are in contrasting colours to help partially sighted people.
* Menus are available in Braille.
* Staff offer to tell guests where their food is on their plate (using the "clock" system).
Swimming pool
* The pool and a small gym were added to the new hotel to help it appeal to a younger market and to bring it up to the standard of a mainstream hotel. The pool is all one depth, and has steps leading into the water instead of a ladder.
Great gadgets
There are plenty of gizmos and gadgets on the market that make life easier for blind people. Here are a few of the items used in the Russell hotel.
* BT Big Button phone - available from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB): £21.27
* Talking clock - various designs, from Cobolt Systems and RNIB: from £9.99
* Cup-level indicator - Cobolt Systems: £4.75
On line catalogues
Cobolt Systems: www.cobolt.co.uk
Royal National Institute for the Blind: www.rnib.org.uk
