Providing sport and hospitality for all

Leisure and Hospitality: Stoke by Nayland Resort

For hospitality businesses like Stoke by Nayland Resort, that means putting a great deal of thought and resources into making our hotel, spa, restaurants, bars, and conference facilities accessible and welcoming to all. There is nothing unusual about that.

You might think inclusivity is harder to manage on our two championship golf courses, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Stoke by Nayland Resort welcomes golfers of all abilities. In 2019, we were proud to host the English Disability Open. This was a first for England Golf (England’s amateur golf’s governing body), with 40 top golfers from across Europe taking part in the event.

Golf doesn’t always have the best reputation for being open to all, but I feel that is unfair. As England Golf said ahead of that tournament: “The event utilises our unique handicap system to allow any player with a disability or impairment to compete, and show the quality and character of players we have in our fantastic game.”

England Golf has worked alongside the European Disabled Golf Association to provide an easy process for players to register for an ‘Access’ pass, allowing anyone with an impairment to register as a golfer with a disability.

Anyone thinking of taking up the sport but who might be concerned about a disability or impairment, please contact our Golf Pro Team. Our team of top PGA professionals will be pleased to talk about access to lessons, to help you get into golf at Stoke by Nayland Resort.

Working hard on our policy

Back to the hospitality side of our business, we’re proud of the steps we have taken and continue to take on inclusivity. We have a Disabled Access Policy that we ensure is updated and recognised by all employees.

The main thrust is to state clearly that Stoke by Nayland Resort welcomes any person with a disability or impairment regardless of age, physical, intellectual or sensory ability. We want any visitor to our facilities to have an enjoyable experience without worrying about access and other problems they might experience elsewhere.

To that end, we’re always looking to identify areas where we can improve further. This involves regular audits and a programme of capital investments throughout our properties, to facilitate reasonable solutions.

We don’t just want to comply with our legal obligations in this area; we want to meet and, if possible, exceed those statutory requirements.

Indeed, we welcome feedback and suggestions from guests and visitors, regardless of any disability or otherwise, to challenge us and hold us to account as guest experience is at the heart of everything we do. I invite readers to visit Stoke by Nayland Resort and experience the service for themselves. And, of course, if you see any area where we can improve, please raise it with a member of our friendly team.