The aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks, brought hospitality industry leaders and people with lived experience of barriers to hospitality together at Barings in the City of London, exposing a commercial reality too long hidden in plain sight. Accessibility is no longer only about compliance.
For hospitality and catering businesses prepared to act early, accessible hospitality is now being recognised as a significant commercial opportunity and increasingly understood as a distinct human capital advantage.
Hotels are just one part of the hospitality business landscape convened by Accessible Hospitality Alliance, but they provided one of the clearest commercial signals from the forum.
Martin Davis, Senior Director – Hotels & Leisure at Graham + Sibbald and an aha Ambassador, following the latest forum wrote on LinkedIn: “Accessibility is one of the biggest untapped commercial opportunities in the hotel sector – and the evidence is becoming impossible to ignore.”
He continued: “One of the hotel and hospitality industry’s most respected operators, Robin Sheppard of Bespoke Hotels who was also one of the founders of the aha, shared compelling examples of the commercial benefits this approach can deliver. At one of their hotel brands, improvements to accessibility generated an additional 100 bed nights every four weeks, creating approximately £10,000 of additional monthly revenue. Another one of their hotels achieved occupancy levels of 74% compared with an average of 42.5%, while accessible rooms achieved rates 12% higher than standard bedrooms.”
Davis added: “Accessibility should be viewed in the same way as sustainability: a strategic investment rather than a compliance exercise. Operators who go beyond minimum standards can create better guest experiences, generate stronger reviews, increase repeat business and ultimately improve returns on investment.”
His conclusion was direct: “For hotel owners and operators, the question is no longer whether to invest in accessibility, but how to maximise the value that investment can deliver for them and their guests.”
Robin Sheppard’s roundtable at the forum saw hoteliers review the return on investment analysis he shared. That discussion was one of several during the afternoon that moved accessibility away from theory and into measurable business practice.
The wider programme placed that commercial case alongside lived experience, employment, design, operations and culture.
The forum was opened by Ross Calladine, Accessibility & Inclusion Lead, VisitEngland, before Denis Sheehan, Managing Director, Accessible Hospitality Alliance, welcomed delegates. Frank Bothwell, Founder, Thomas Franks, addressed the room before the programme moved directly into lived experience through Fair Shot Café graduate Zaki.
Amy Campo McEvoy, Head of Programmes at Fair Shot, later wrote on LinkedIn: “A huge highlight was having our incredible graduate Zaki speak about his journey, from discovering his strengths at college, to joining the Fair Shot training programme, to now working at a prestigious hotel in London.”
Zaki’s message to employers was simple and direct: “DON’T FOCUS ON WHAT SOMEONE CAN’T DO, FOCUS ON WHAT THEY CAN DO”
That message carried through the afternoon.
The Access Champions Collective panel session brought operational experience into the room, showing how accessibility is being progressed inside hospitality businesses by people working directly with guests, teams and properties.
Roundtable discussions considered accessible careers in hospitality, return on accessibility investments, inclusion as a marketing advantage, communicating open access, appointing Access Champions, and the meaning of accessible hospitality as the friendly, generous reception and entertainment of all guests, visitors, or strangers.
After a refreshments break, Robbie Laidlaw, Managing Director of Thomas Franks London, shared lived experience. Thomas Franks London later posted: “Robbie spoke about his son, Gray.”
The same post continued: “His message was clear: people with Down Syndrome do not need sympathy. They need belief. They need advocates. They need opportunity. And they need employers willing to say yes.”
For hospitality and catering businesses, Laidlaw’s message went to the heart of employment, welcome and opportunity.
Ed Warner MBE, CEO, Motionspot, addressed accessible design, showing how hospitality environments can work better for guests and colleagues when access is considered earlier and more practically.
Shelley Cowan then shared her personal accessible journey, adding further lived experience to an afternoon shaped by commercial evidence, operational learning and human reality.
The response following the forum suggested the afternoon had landed.
Frank Bothwell, Founder, Thomas Franks Group, later wrote: “Best conf yet.”
His takeaway was equally clear: “We are now accelerating towards clear action and defined goals. Positive changes are being cemented in place.”
Stephen Malley, Founder, SPM Consults, wrote: “This was by far the best aha I’ve attended.”
He added: “The ratio of operators / advocates / sponsors was brilliant – which led to some really interesting (and factually driven) conversations by the hoteliers themselves.”
The strongest praise belongs to the people who filled the room: those who shared lived experience, those who listened, those who challenged their own assumptions, and those now taking learning back into their businesses.
Accessible Hospitality Alliance convened the conversation. The progress belongs to the people prepared to act on it.
At Barings, in the City of London, accessibility was not presented as a future aspiration. It was shown as a commercial reality, an employment opportunity, a design responsibility and a human imperative already taking shape across hospitality and catering.
The next aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks, takes place on 4 November in London, where the challenge will be to turn the momentum from Barings into further measurable action.
If you are interested in attending the next forum register your interest here. Tickets cost £495 + VAT and will be available from 1 October 2026 .
Further articles to follow
Accessible Hospitality News section will continue reviewing The aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks, through a series of articles over the weeks and months ahead, including:
Accessibility as commercial investment, not compliance
A dedicated article examining the here and now commercial opportunity accessibility presents, led by the observations of Martin Davis and the return on investment analysis shared by Robin Sheppard.
Zaki, Fair Shot Café and the employment potential of people with learning disabilities
A closer look at lived experience, employer opportunity and why hospitality and catering businesses should focus on what people can do.
Thomas Franks and accessible employment in action
Exploring Robbie Laidlaw’s contribution, Frank Bothwell’s call to action and Thomas Franks’ commitment to creating employment opportunities.
The Access Champions Collective: from intention to operational change
A review of how Access Champions are helping hospitality businesses move from interest to implementation through shared practical learning.
What delegates took back into their businesses
A follow-up article drawing on post-event reflections from operators and employers, highlighting the actions now being considered and taken.