The Inclusive Edit badge exists for one reason.
Not compliance. Compliance is the floor. Compliance is the building regulation minimum that a hotel meets because it must, not because it has decided to. Compliance does not tell a wheelchair user that a hotel has thought about their experience. It tells them that a planning inspector has been satisfied.
The Inclusive Edit badge tells you something different. It tells you that a property has been assessed against a lived experience standard, has met that standard across four categories, and has demonstrated that the commitment to genuine accessible luxury is embedded in the way the property operates. Not just in the room. In everything.
The Four Assessment Categories
Category One: Physical Access
Physical access covers the full movement pathway from arrival to departure. Not just the accessible room. The arrival process. The check-in desk. The lift. The route from the lift to the room. The room itself. The route from the room to every facility the property offers.
The assessment is conducted as a wheelchair user moves through the property in the way a guest actually moves through it. Not a checklist inspection of individual elements. A full experiential review of whether the property enables independent, unobstructed movement throughout.
Category Two: Service Training
The best physical access in the world is undermined by a team that has not been trained to support it. Service training covers whether the hotel’s team understands accessible needs, responds to them with confidence and competence rather than discomfort, and creates an environment in which a wheelchair user is treated as a guest with specific requirements that have been prepared for.
Category Three: Pre-Arrival Communication
Great accessible stays begin before arrival. The pre-arrival communication assessment covers whether the hotel proactively reaches out to accessible guests, whether the information provided is specific and accurate, whether the team member handling the communication has genuine knowledge of the property’s accessible provision, and whether written confirmation of agreed arrangements is provided.
Category Four: Guest Experience of Independence
The fourth category is the one that determines everything. Independence is the measure. Not access. Access is the means. Independence is the goal. A wheelchair user who can move through the whole property, use every facility, reach every experience and make every choice without requiring assistance has had an independent luxury experience. That is the standard.
The Assessment Process
Properties seeking The Inclusive Edit accreditation begin with an application through the accreditation page on this platform. The assessment visit is conducted by The Inclusive Edit founder, Luiz Faye, or by an accredited assessor working to the same standard. The visit follows the full guest journey from arrival to departure.
Properties that meet the standard across all four categories receive The Inclusive Edit badge. Properties that do not meet the standard receive a detailed report of what needs to change and the option to re-apply following those changes.
All accreditations are reviewed annually. The badge is renewed following re-assessment. Standards are rising as the market develops and the assessment evolves accordingly.
Why the Badge Matters
For the hotel, The Inclusive Edit badge is a credible third-party signal to the fastest-growing segment of the luxury travel market that the property is genuinely prepared for them. For the wheelchair user, it is the clearest available indication that the property has been assessed by someone with lived experience against a standard that goes beyond building regulations. For the industry, it is a benchmark.
How to Apply
Properties interested in The Inclusive Edit accreditation programme should contact the team directly here. The programme is currently open to luxury hotels, resorts, retreats and residential properties worldwide.