A survey has found that 80 per cent of British hotels do not meet basic levels of service for deaf and hard of hearing guests.

Following the study, a profoundly deaf tv presenter is spearheading a campaign to raise awareness of hotels which make no provision for communicating with the deaf and hard of hearing or alerting them in the case of fire.

Clare Chilton, who presents shows covering deaf issues for BBC2, is leading the Deaf to Change campaign to coincide with the second anniversary of the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Chilton claims that although one in seven people in the UK have some form of hearing loss, only 13 per cent of hotels follow recommendations issued by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).

“It is unacceptable for me to be treated as a second class guest when I pay exactly the same rates as others,” she said. “Installing a loop system at reception desks is inexpensive and enables communication with hearing aid users to be more effective.

“Even the most basic facilities such as televisions with text titles are a rarity, which in this day and age is unbelievable!”

“To ensure deaf people can sleep safely, hotels need to have smoke alarms suitable for people with a hearing loss. Most deaf people take their hearing aids out at night, making them less likely to hear a normal audible fire alarm, so flashing alarms and fire alarms systems with vibrating under-pillow pads ensure that all guests are alerted in case of a fire.”

“Deaf people are a significant force in the economy, traveling both for business and pleasure. When you consider the amount of potential income that the hotel industry could generate by offering even basic facilities for deaf people, it’s staggering that we are being ignored. I hope that this campaign will make hoteliers wake up to both the business opportunities and their moral obligations.”

The study was carried out by fire safety products and services company Fireco.