Jan
Corporate Social Responsibility has always been of paramount importance to House of Fisher. As the Thames Valley’s leading owner-operator of Aparthotels and Serviced Apartments, a key area of focus is ensuring we can cater for as many guests as possible and their varying requirements. You can view our accessibility guide for more details.
We were buoyed by the glowing review we received last summer from inspirational renowned TV and theatre actress Amy Conachan. Amy stayed at our flagship 100 Kings Road, Reading, Aparthotel, whilst performing in Rabble Theatre’s production of ‘Henry I’. Amy has a rare spinal condition leading to her reliance on a wheelchair for mobility.
Within the Rabble Theatre program, House of Fisher received a thank you stating, ‘There are limited accessible options in the UK and Reading is no exception. Just when we thought we had no option we were incredibly grateful to the University of Reading accommodation team for offering accessible accommodation to actor Amy Conachan. During rehearsals a room became available at House of Fisher serviced apartments, where Michela Di Toma and team couldn’t have been more supportive’. Read more in our article here.
Never resting on our laurels, we are keen to understand and evolve as a company. We reached out to the inspiring team at Treloar’s to become involved in their ‘Let Me In’ business accessibility assessments.
Treloar’s was originally founded in 1907 and has evolved to become one of the country’s leading providers of education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training for disabled young people.
House of Fisher welcomed the ‘Let Me In’ team to 100 Kings Road on 1st December 2023 for our assessment. Similar to Amy’s experiences, the overall feedback was very positive, highlighting us as one of the leading local accommodation providers. Positive’s from the assessment included:
- There is disabled parking nearby and also designated parking around the back
- There is step free flat access to the front of the building from the carpark
- There is a permanent ramp for accessibility to the entrance
- Main entrance is wide enough for a wheelchair user to access
- There are wheelchair accessible lifts to other floors
- Layout throughout the main areas of the aparthotel is suitable and accessible
- No obstructions in walkways
- There is a website where you can book and pay for your room in advance
- There are helpful staff present to assist if required which can be contacted from reception
- The website is easy to navigate and use
- There is an accessible toilet toilet on the first floor which was clean, lockable and big enough for a large powered chair to turn around and also enough room for a carer if required
- Emergency pull cord available in the disabled toilet
- There is an emergency evacuation plan with an evac chair
As with every assessment, there are always opportunities to further improve. We have taken on board the informative feedback and will look to implement some of these enhancements in the future.
As part of our refurbishment project at our flagship aparthotel 100 Kings Road, we are updating our accessible apartment with a brand new bathroom. We are keen to make this as functionable as possible whilst looking and feeling great for all our guests – watch this space for further updates!
Operations Manager, Cristina Lopez Gomez, accepted an invitation to visit Treloar’s incredible facility in Alton, Hampshire, earlier this month. It was truly inspirational to see the heart of the operation and how the school and college play such an important role for both the 170 students and the wider community of those with physical and mental challenges.
Thank you, Treloar’s, for your support and awarding us as ‘Let Me In’ certified. We look forward to working alongside you in the future and continuing to improve where we can.
