Determining the convenience level of four and five star hotels in Denizli fort he disabled

A significant portion of the world's population faces numerous challenges in their daily lives, especially individuals with disabilities. These individuals encounter accessibility barriers in hotels, where they aim to fulfill the essential need for accommodation, a crucial aspect of tourism consumption. Disabled individuals require the assistance of companions to activities. For them to stay individually in hotels that are potentially accessible, it is crucial for these establishments to have accessible structural features and service elements. This encompases the initiation of accessible reservation systems, as well as the creation of hardware and structural arrangements that cater to all potential barriers in every area within the premises (rooms, bathrooms, common areas, restaurants, bars, etc.). Hotel businesses that stand out with their labor-intensive structure should preferably have specially trained personnel serving disabled individuals. Ensuring full accessibility of hotel businesses for disabled individuals depends on eliminating transportation problems to the facilities. It is thought that the accessibility regulations to be made will positively affect the service quality of hotel bussinesses and their place in the barrier-free tourism market. The research aimed to identify access problems by evaluating the services offered by four and five star hotel establishments in Denizli for disabled individuals. The aim of the study is to examine the accessibility problems experienced by hearing, visually and orthopedically disabled individuals in the tourism sector in Denizli, to identify the deficiencies of the hotel establishments from which they benefit from accommodation services, and to offer suggestions to eliminate the identified deficiencies. Semi-structured interview technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. In the research, two separate interview forms were prepared for hotel managers and disabled individuals. In the research, a total of 15 hotel managers, seven four-star and eight five-star hotel managers, and 104 disabled individuals were reached. Since 19 disabled individuals participating in the research had not previously provided accommodation in hotel businesses, the results obtained from the interviews with 85 disabled individuals were included in the research. As a result of the research, it was determined that the majority of hotel managers stated that they mainly provided services to orthopedically disabled individuals and that other disabled individuals also complained about this situation. Another important result obtained from the research is that accessibility problems for visually impaired individuals in hotel restaurants and bars have not yet been resolved. As a result of the research, it was determined that there are no personnel who know sign language in hotel establishments for hearing-impaired individuals. This situation shows that hotel establishments are not accessible to hearing impaired individuals.