Going on vacation often means preparation and planning. This is true for all travelers. People with disabilities often have to do a lot of extra planning when they want to travel. Thankfully, many service providers in the travel and tourism industry have recognized the need for action. Hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and tour operators are increasingly responding to the special needs of people with disabilities. This results in more and more opportunities to travel barrier- free and an improved accessibility of recreational facilities and cultural institutions. In this context, it is not only necessary to equip the premises accordingly. Special needs and limited mobility also play an important role for the journey. “At least in the industrialized nations, the number of low-threshold accesses, grooves in the floor for people with visual impairments and visual-auditory information boards in local public transport has been increased. There is a similar development regarding long-distance trains or buses,” the Internet platform MyHandicap states in its German version.
Meeting DIN standards and training employees
There are DIN standards for barrier-free construction so that people with reduced mobility exactly know if a hotel is suitable. These regulate the width of passages where two wheelchairs must be able to pass each other, the height at which control elements may be installed so that they can be reached without effort, or the dimensions and equipment of the sanitary facilities. In addition to the construction measures, social aspects play an important role as well,and thus the staff’s attitude is crucial. How do I behave when I interact with wheelchair users or people with visual or hearing impairments? Do I offer help or behave as if there is no restriction? In order to ensure a barrier-free travel experience, it is important to address these kinds of uncertainties and to train the staff accordingly, so that they can respond to the individual needs of all guests without fear or worries. Below, we present you some Green Pearls® hotels that are not only aware of their responsibility towards the environment, but also towards the special needs of people with disabilities, and respond to them accordingly.
Dream vacations for all
Hofgut Hafnerleiten is ideal for taking a break, providing radiation-free rooms, culinary pleasure and idyllic, individually designed themed houses, one of which has been constructed to be completely barrier-free. At the “villa wonderland” Keemala in Thailand, there are also two rooms that have been specifically designed and equipped for people with reduced mobility. In addition, all public areas such as restaurants and toilets are easily accessible by lifts or ramps. To ensure free movement on the grounds of the Keemala, there is a special car that transports guests and their wheelchairs across the hilly terrain. At the hotel Leitlhof in the Dolomites, the entire hotel area is barrier-free and the spacious rooms ensure a relaxed vacation for people with disabilities. Those looking for a barrier-free nature experience will find it at the model region Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, where the Berghotel Rehlegg is located. The scheme “Modell-Management-Plan Barrierefreiheit” implements numerous aspects in the Klausbach Valley, and covers accessibility measures as well as special facilities for people with disabilities. These include, for example, wheelchair-accessible viewing platforms, a barrier-free suspension bridge over the river Klausbach as well as audio guides for people with limited eyesight.A convenient planning tool for travelingThe hotel Leitlhof is a member of “Südtirol für alle” (South Tyrol for all). On this platform for barrier-free traveling, more than 300 hotels, farms and holiday homes have joined forces to create suitable conditions for wheelchair users, people
with visual, intellectual, hearing orwalking impairments. In addition to a searchoption for accommodations, the platform also provides assistance in planning trips. The app “Südtirol für alle” offers extensive information on more than 600 institutions and providers, from museums and hiking trails to numerous other leisure activities. This helps to avoid unpleasant surprises and to plan trips by checking if the locations and offers are barrier-free.
A convenient planning tool for traveling
The hotel Leitlhof is a member of “Südtirol für alle” (South Tyrol for all). On this platform for barrier-free traveling, more than 300 hotels, farms and holiday homes have joined forces to create suitable conditions for wheelchair users, people
with visual, intellectual, hearing orwalking impairments. In addition to a searchoption for accommodations, the platform also provides assistance in planning trips. The app “Südtirol für alle” offers extensive information on more than 600 institutions and providers, from museums and hiking trails to numerous other leisure activities. This helps to avoid unpleasant surprises and to plan trips by checking if the locations and offers are barrier-free.
Social responsibility in Freiburg
The Green City Hotel Vauban also provides barrier-free rooms, giving people with disabilities more travel options. Moreover, the inclusive hotel, run by a non-profit organization, employs about as many people with as without disabilities. In addition to accessibility, tolerance and social responsibility are particularly important at theGreen City Hotel Vauban. The hotel routine can be quite stressful at times, so they put great emphasize on talking calmly to each other to avoid unnecessary pressure; socialinteraction has top priority. Employees are trained according to their intellectual, physical or mental impairments. The declared goal of the Green City Hotel Vauban is to actively support people with disabilities. In addition, hotel manager Johannes Staub emphasizes in an interview with Green Pearls: “It is most important for us that guests notice that we are a sustainable and integrative hotel and that people with disabilities are living all around us without being noticed. We want guests to realize that individual hotels with sustainable approaches are good for our environment and people won’t have to miss anything during their stay.”
