Accessible Hospitality Alliance has welcomed Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club into its growing membership. Part of Elite Hotels, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club extends the presence of accessibility-led culture across one of the UK’s most admired hotel groups.
Accessible Hospitality Alliance has welcomed Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club into its growing membership. Part of Elite Hotels, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club extends the presence of accessibility-led culture across one of the UK’s most admired hotel groups.
Set within 186 acres of parkland in the Ashdown Forest, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club brings together heritage, scale and experience in a way that reflects the breadth of modern hospitality. Its history, from First World War convalescent home to convent and now hotel, speaks to adaptation over time; its present-day offer reflects a similar mindset, one that continues to evolve in response to the expectations of guests and colleagues alike.
With 106 bedrooms and suites, alongside dining, leisure and outdoor experiences that span both the property and its surrounding landscape, the hotel offers a vast range of guest experiences across the resort. Within that complexity, the decision to join Accessible Hospitality Alliance signals a clear intention, that accessibility is not a feature to be added, but a consideration to be applied consistently.
As part of the Elite Hotels collection, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club joins a group already engaged in progressing accessibility through membership. From The Grand Eastbourne on the south coast to Tylney Hall Hotel & Gardens on the edge of the Hampshire countryside, and now into the Ashdown Forest, a pattern is forming, one where accessibility is being recognised not in isolation, but across portfolios.
That approach extends beyond the hotels themselves. The Rotherwick Foundation reflects a broader commitment to community impact, while recent partnership work with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People has brought practical learning into hotel teams. Through British Sign Language training and guidance on communication, accessibility becomes something understood and applied by people, not simply designed into spaces.
Graham Copeman, Managing Director, Elite Hotels, said: “We are proud to stand alongside the Accessible Hospitality Alliance in championing accessible hospitality. This partnership reflects our long-term commitment to creating welcoming environments across our hotels, where inclusivity, awareness and continuous improvement remain at the heart of what we do.”
Jonathan Brown, General Manager, Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, added: “We are pleased to be a member of the Accessible Hospitality Alliance as part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility and inclusive hospitality.
“Ensuring that all guests can enjoy our facilities comfortably and confidently is a priority, and we are proud to align with the aha’s mission.”
Charlotte Evans, Group Partnerships Director, Accessible Hospitality Alliance, said: “Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club adds further depth to what is emerging across the Elite Hotels portfolio.
“What is becoming clear is not a series of individual decisions, but a shared direction of travel. When accessibility is considered across multiple properties, consistently and over time, it moves beyond intent and begins to shape experience in a way guests will recognise and return for.”
From Inverlochy Castle in the north of Scotland, through to Swinton Estate on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, into the of City of London with Pan Pacific London, and down to the south coast at Marsham Court Hotel, these and many more operators across the United Kingdom are engaging with accessibility in ways that share purpose and reflect their individual character. The consistency lies in intent rather than uniformity, a shared recognition that inclusive hospitality strengthens guest experience, colleague wellbeing, and business performance.
All members of aha will be present at The aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks, taking place at Barings, 20 Old Bailey, City of London, on Tuesday 9 June 2026.