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Furniture is meticulously chosen and positioned so as to be practical for both wheelchair users and walkers; switches can be found by blind guests and those with 20-20 vision, bathrooms are large with stylish handrails to help disabled or older people without making others feel like they’ve woken up in the local hospital. There are ramps to restaurants and bars; low counters at reception desks; hearing loops in all the rooms. No "special arrangements" need usually be made but staff will listen sensitively if they do.

Because the aim of Inclusive Design is to be absolutely subtle--stylish, luxurious even, but at the same time fully accessible--it’s a winning formula for new or forward-thinking hotels.

Our finest example of inclusive hotel design is Makaranga Lodge, a luxury boutique hotel in the Valley of 1000 Hills near Durban, South Africa. It was the brainchild of a couple involved with the local Multiple Sclerosis Society. This spurred them to develop the place as a fully accessible top-range hotel amid 30 acres of beautiful, art-filled gardens.

Over half of the rooms at Makaranga are wheelchair accessible but amid the solid wood furniture and plush fabrics you never feel you’re in a "disabled room." The restaurant has plenty of space and tables at the right height as well as a superb menu and long wine list. The biggest treat is the swimming pool, which slopes gently into a carved-out rock under a trickling waterfall; you can borrow an underwater wheelchair and roll right in. It’s marvelous.

If anyone knows of similar hotels offering high levels of inclusive design ... post them here. As we say, the wave is coming.