Beh Siew Kim, chief financial and sustainability officer,lodging, Capitaland Investment, announces newcommitments for Ascott that are structured aroundthe playbook's five-pillar framework. PHOTO: THEASCOTT

[SINGAPORE] Hospitality company The Ascott- the lodging business unit of CapitaLand -on Friday (Nov 14) launched its DisabilityInclusion Playbook for the accommodationsector.

The playbook was developed in collaborationwith disability services and supportorganisation SG Enable, the World SustainableHospitality Alliance and non-profit TheValuable 500, with input from disabilityinclusion experts from Colorful Earth.

It is publicly available and offers guidance onhow to address the diverse needs oftravellers with disabilities.

At its launch event on Friday at CitadinesScience Park Singapore, Senior ParliamentarySecretary Eric Chua from the Ministry ofSocial and Family Development and Ministryof Law said the playbook "sets a newbenchmark for the hospitality industry".

It is structured around five pillars: inclusivetraining, physical spaces, hiring, digitalinterfaces and programmes.

Lee May Gee, chief executive of SG Enable,said: "(The playbook) offers actionable steps,case examples and design principles thatmake inclusion both achievable andsustainable.'

Topics discussed include governance andstrategy, barrier-free infrastructure,accessible programmes and job redesign foremployees with disabilities.

A practical guide

In an interview with The Business Times, BehSiew Kim, chief financial and sustainabilityofficer of lodging at CapitaLand Investment,said it serves as a "comprehensive, holisticand practical guide" for hospitality players inthe accommodation sector.

For example, it looks at ways to configurerooms and walkways at properties, trainingprogrammes for associates, and how to makedigital interfaces more accessible.

Beh and her team started to develop thisplaybook after realising that they could notfind any comprehensive resources in thesector that catered for disability inclusion.

"Therefore, we felt that there was a need tocreate this resource so that people can use itand adopt it very quickly," she said.

Lee added: "Many employers also remainuncertain about how to implementreasonable workplace adjustments, redesignjob scopes, or tap the right training andsupport.

"Although the sector is generally positiveabout inclusion, capability and confidencegaps persist, and more can be done to embedinclusive principles into daily operations,service design and customer experience.

The development process involved anassessment and comprehensive gap analysis,workshops with stakeholders, andintegrating feedback into the content.

Beh emphasised the importance of disabilityinclusion from booking the trip to checkingin at the accommodation to departure. Thismay involve having larger fonts on thewebsite and ensuring accessible rooms areequipped with grab bars.

Lee said: "As populations age and affluencerises, the silver tourism dollar is growing,and travellers are increasingly prioritisingdestinations that are accessible, welcomingand inclusive."

Besides making changes at the properties tobe more inclusive, Beh also noted that staffworking in hotels, serviced residences andco-living spaces should be trained in how toengage with guests with disabilities.

"Hospitality, after all, is about welcomingyour guests, and it must be guests of alltypes," she said.

Ascott currently operates more than 1,000properties in 230 cities globally.

Ascott's disability inclusion efforts

The development of the playbook follows thememorandum of understanding signed lastyear between Ascott and SG Enable to pushfor disability inclusion.

On Friday, Ascott also announced a new setof disability inclusion commitments. From2026, at least one Ascott property in everymarket it operates in will host a communityprogramme dedicated to disability inclusion.

By 2027, all of Ascott's front-line associateswill have to complete disability awarenesstraining. At the Ascott Centre for Excellence,the company regularly runs trainingprogrammes for hospitality professionals.