Accessibility is often treated as something to deal with later.
In reality, it is crucial for the foundation of a website – and needs to be maintained over time.
For hotel websites, this is especially important. Guests need to be able to easily explore rooms, check availability, and complete a booking – regardless of how they’re browsing.
Accessibility Is Defined by Standards
Accessibility isn’t subjective. It’s defined by established guidelines, most commonly WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), currently version 2.2.
These set out how websites should work for people with a range of needs – from visual impairments to how users navigate and interact with content.
For hotels, this means ensuring key information – rooms, amenities, location, and booking – is accessible and easy to use.
Accessibility Begins at the Foundation
Accessibility needs to be considered early.
Structure, content, and interaction design all play a role in how accessible a site is.
That includes:
- Clear room and content hierarchy
- Logical navigation across rooms, dining, and offers
- Readable descriptions and key information
- Predictable interactions across the site
If these aren’t considered from the start, they’re harder to fix later.
Accessibility Needs to Be Tested – Not Assumed
You can’t assume a site is accessible – it needs to be checked.
This usually involves a mix of automated scans and manual review.
Automated tools are useful for quickly identifying common issues – things like missing labels, contrast problems, or structural errors.
But they only go so far. They only catch a percentage of issues, depending on the tool, but they can’t fully assess how the site actually works in practice.
Manual testing highlights how the site behaves – how easy it is to navigate, whether forms and booking journeys make sense, and how it performs with assistive technologies.
Third-Party Tools Can Impact the Experience
Accessibility doesn’t stop at what you build.
Hotel websites often rely on third-party tools – booking engines, table reservations, spa bookings, and enquiry forms. These can introduce issues outside of your direct control.
Common problems include:
- Booking engines that don’t support keyboard navigation
- Reservation tools that aren’t properly labelled
- Pop-ups or widgets that don’t work with screen readers
These tools often sit at the most important point in the journey – converting a visitor into a guest.
That’s why they need to be reviewed just as carefully as the rest of the site.
Where possible:
- Choose providers that follow accessibility standards
- Test how these tools behave within your site
- Avoid relying on tools that can’t be adapted
If accessibility breaks at this stage, it directly impacts bookings.
Website Accessibility Is an Ongoing Process
Accessibility isn’t something you complete at launch.
Hotel websites change regularly – seasonal offers, dining updates, room content. Over time, accessibility can slip if it’s not maintained.
A site might launch in a good place, but without ongoing checks, issues can creep in. New content may not follow the same structure, templates may be used inconsistently, and booking journeys can become harder to use as updates or additional steps are introduced.
Accessibility needs to be part of how the site is managed day to day.
It Should Be Built Into How Your Team Works
Accessibility works best when it’s built into the process.
Across a hotel website, that means:
- Designers considering readability and contrast
- Developers building accessible templates and components
- Content teams structuring room and offer content clearly
When it’s embedded like this, accessibility becomes much easier to maintain.
Accessibility Improves More Than Compliance
Accessibility is often framed as a legal requirement.
But for hotel websites, it directly impacts usability and conversion.
If a guest can’t easily browse rooms, understand what’s included, or complete a booking, the site isn’t doing its job.
Clearer structure, better readability, and smoother journeys benefit everyone.
Accessibility barriers directly cost bookings
Build a Website That Works for Every Guest with three&six
Accessibility isn’t just about meeting standards – it’s about making sure every guest can explore, understand, and book with ease.
At three&six, we build hotel websites with accessibility considered from the start – across structure, design, development, and content.
Because a website that only works for some users… isn’t really working.
Want to make sure your website is accessible, usable, and built to convert? Let’s talk.