With the June 28, 2025 deadline for the European Accessibility Act (EAA) fast approaching, hoteliers operating in or targeting the EU face a pivotal moment: ensuring their digital channels are fully accessible to all guests. At The Hotels Network (THN), we believe accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about delivering exceptional hospitality both online and in person.
What’s Changing and Why It Matters
The EAA is a landmark EU directive that aims to harmonize accessibility requirements across digital services. For hotels, this means that every aspect of a brand’s online presence, including browsing, booking, and customer service, must be accessible to users with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments.
Complying with the EAA requires meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards. This isn’t just a legal obligation; it’s an opportunity to enhance user experience and build a stronger, more inclusive brand.
What Hotel Websites Need to Do
To comply with the EAA, hoteliers must ensure their websites and online services meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Key requirements include:
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Perceivability and operability: Ensure readable text contrast, scalable fonts, and logical content structure. Avoid auto-play content unless it is user-controlled.
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Accessible booking systems: Make all forms screen reader-compatible and navigable by keyboard. Clear labels and error messages are essential.
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Inclusive media and alt text: Provide captions for videos and alt descriptions for all key imagery.
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Assistive technology compatibility: Ensure your site works seamlessly with screen readers and other assistive tools.
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Consistent user experience: Maintain uniform navigation, provide an accessibility statement, and prioritize error prevention.
Why Accessibility Is About More Than Compliance
Meeting the EAA standards isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s also a smart move for your brand. In fact, designing with accessibility in mind can directly boost your website’s performance and conversion rates. Here’s how:
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Greater reach: Accessibility opens your website to a wider audience.
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Improved user experience: Accessible design often leads to cleaner, more usable interfaces for everyone.
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Better SEO: Accessible content is easier for search engines to index and rank.
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Brand trust and reputation: A commitment to inclusivity strengthens your image as a guest-first brand.
At its core, accessibility is an extension of hospitality—it’s about making everyone feel welcome, online and off.
How The Hotels Network Helps
At THN, we’ve enhanced our personalization tools to be inclusive by design, fully aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA and EAA standards. Our goal is simple: to help you create digital experiences that are accessible, compliant, and easy to manage.
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Screen reader compatibility: All content created through our platform is structured to work seamlessly with screen readers, allowing guests with visual impairments to navigate, browse, and book with confidence.
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Keyboard navigation: We ensure full support for keyboard navigation, so users with mobility limitations or personal preferences can interact with your website without a mouse.
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Color contrast warnings: Our built-in warning system alerts you if your selected text and background colors don’t meet accessibility contrast requirements, helping ensure content remains readable and user-friendly.
Example of Layer compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA and EAA standards
By embedding these features directly into our Personalization platform, we simplify compliance and make accessibility an integral part of your design process, no extra steps required.
Get Ready for June 28th
With the EAA deadline fast approaching, now is the time to ensure your hotel’s digital presence is accessible, compliant, and welcoming to all. Whether you’re optimizing your booking engine or refining your website messaging, THN is here to support you.
Want to talk to our team about how to prepare? Get in touch with one of our experts.
