Website accessibility
Accessible Holiday Let Website Guide for UK Owners
An accessible holiday let website is easy for everyone to use and tells guests exactly what access to expect.
You’ve probably had a guest ask whether your hut has steps, or whether the path from the car is flat. An accessible holiday let website answers those questions before they’re asked, and it works for people using screen readers, keyboards or larger text. That means two jobs. The site itself must be usable by everyone, and the pages must publish honest access details about your property.
Neither is hard, and you can do most of it without a developer. Here’s where to start.
What makes a holiday let website accessible
An accessible site can be used by people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive needs, including those on screen readers, keyboards or voice controls. The benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and level AA of version 2.2 is the usual target.
In practice, for a small accommodation site, that comes down to a handful of habits.
- Colour contrast. Text should stand out clearly from its background. WCAG AA asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text. Pale grey on white fails, and so does white text over a bright photo.
- Alt text on photos. Describe what the photo shows, such as “Shepherd’s hut with three steps up to a wooden deck”. Screen reader users rely on it.
- Real headings. Use headings in order so people can jump through the page, rather than making text bold and bigger.
- Descriptive links. “View our huts” tells someone more than “click here”.
- Keyboard use. Every menu, button and form should work with the Tab and Enter keys, with a visible highlight showing where you are.
- Readable text. Text should resize without breaking the layout, and videos should not play sound automatically.
- Captions on video. A tour video needs captions or a text description.
The access information you should publish
Publish specific, measurable facts rather than the word “accessible”. Guests with access needs read these details to decide whether to book, so vague claims send them to another listing.
This matters even more for glamping, where the setting is part of the product. A hut up a gravel track and three steps is a very different stay from a lodge with a level entrance. Put the details on each unit’s page, with a link from your main access page.
| Detail | What to say |
|---|---|
| Parking | Distance from parking to the front door, and the surface |
| Paths | Gravel, grass, slope or paved, and how wide |
| Entrance | Number of steps, step height, ramp or handrail |
| Doors | Door width, in centimetres |
| Beds | Bed height, and space to move around them |
| Bathroom | Wet room or bath, shower seat, grab rails, toilet height |
| Outdoor extras | How to reach the hot tub or fire pit, and whether there are steps |
| Pets and assistance dogs | Your policy, in plain words |
Add photos of the entrance, the bathroom and the route from parking. A guest can read “two steps” and still want to see them.
If a feature isn’t available, say so. A guest who knows there are four steps can plan for them, and one who finds out on arrival can’t.
Making booking calendars and forms usable
Booking calendars and forms are where many accessibility problems turn up, because they are the most interactive part of the site. Test them first, since a guest who can’t finish the booking is a booking lost.
Check that every field has a visible label, not just grey placeholder text that disappears when typing starts. Make sure date pickers can be used with the keyboard, and that error messages say what went wrong and how to fix it. Embedded booking widgets vary, so test the one you use rather than assuming it works.
Offer another route too. A phone number and a short enquiry form let guests who struggle with a calendar ask you directly.
When you need an accessibility statement
For most small private businesses an accessibility statement isn’t a legal requirement, but it’s good practice and takes about an hour to write. It’s a short page that tells guests what to expect from your site and your property, and who to contact.
A useful statement covers these points.
- how accessible the property is, linking to the details on each unit’s page
- the standard you’re aiming for with the website, such as WCAG 2.2 AA
- any known problems, such as an older PDF or an embedded widget you can’t change
- how to contact you for another format or for help booking
- the date you last reviewed it
Be honest about the gaps. A statement claiming everything is perfect is less believable than one that names two known issues and says when you’ll fix them.
How to check your own site
You can run a useful first check in about 20 minutes with free tools and your own eyes. It won’t catch everything, but it will find the common problems.
Automated checkers only find some problems, so treat a clean score as a start. A real person trying the site tells you more.
Making accessibility part of your site build
It is much cheaper to build accessibility in than to bolt it on later. If you are planning a new site, ask your designer how they handle contrast, headings, alt text and keyboard use before you sign off. Our holiday let and cottage website design work starts from these basics.
The same changes help everyone. Clear contrast helps in bright sunlight, simple forms help on a small phone screen, and honest access details save you repeat emails.
FAQs
Is a holiday let website legally required to be accessible?
The strict accessibility rules for websites apply to public sector bodies. Private businesses that serve the public still have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to avoid discriminating against disabled people. How that applies to your site is a legal question, so ask a solicitor if you are unsure.
Do I need an accessibility statement on my holiday let site?
It isn’t a legal requirement for most small private businesses, but it is good practice. A short page that says what your site and property offer, what they don’t, and how to contact you builds trust and saves guests from sending the same questions.
What is the easiest way to improve my site’s accessibility?
Start with the basics. Add descriptive alt text to photos, check text has strong contrast against its background, use proper headings, and label every form field. Then try your site using only the keyboard. These fixes cover many of the problems guests meet.
Should I describe my property as accessible if it has steps?
Only if the facts support it. Accessible means different things to different guests, so describe what is actually there, such as the number of steps, door widths and bathroom layout. Honest detail helps guests decide and avoids disappointment on arrival.
Find out what’s stopping your site getting bookings
Send us your website and we’ll tell you, for free, what’s stopping it getting bookings. Get your free website audit, or get in touch if you’d rather talk it through.