An Access Champion is a named individual within a hospitality business who is entrusted with keeping accessibility present, active, and progressive.
Within the Accessible Hospitality Alliance (aha) framework, the Access Champion is the point where intent becomes action.
Why the role matters
Accessibility directly influences:
- Commercial Performance
- Workplace Culture
- Guest Experience
Without a clear owner, accessibility risks becoming fragmented, diluted, or reduced.
The Access Champion exists to prevent that drift.
What an Access Champion does
An Access Champion ensures accessibility remains:
- Visible
- Questioned
- Discussed
- Measured
They are trusted to gather insight from across the business and bring it into the spaces where decisions are shaped.
Job title is irrelevant.
What matters is trust, perspective, and influence.
What an Access Champion is not
An Access Champion is not:
- An auditor
- A compliance role
- A marketing badge
- A finished solution
The role is not about perfection.
It is about progress.
The Collective Dimension
Access Champions are not appointed in isolation.
Within the aha community, Access Champions:
- Engage with peers across the network
- Share learning, challenges, and progress openly
- Contribute to a growing body of shared understanding
This collective exchange is how aha accelerates meaningful, operator-led change across the hospitality industry.
In practice
An Access Champion is a trusted voice who keeps accessibility alive as a shared, evolving responsibility within their business and across the wider hospitality community.
Access Champions are appointed by members of Accessible Hospitality Alliance, membership details are here.