NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
An award-winning Spanish hotel chain has blazed a trail with its disability policies. Ian Taylor reports
Braille signs are installed throughout Illunion’s hotels; right, Professor Graham Miller
Spain’s Illunion Hotels still leads way in accessibility
Ilunion Hotels, formerly Confortel, is a chain of three and four-star properties in Spain and the Balearic Islands with an unprecedented commitment to accessibility.
It was recognised by the World
Travel & Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in 2015, when it won the People Award, and in November Ilunion won the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Ethics Award for its “pioneer policies and outstanding commitment” to accessibility. Beatriz Rubio, responsible for accessibility at Ilunion, said: “We are maximising the integration of disabled people in the workplace. Up to 40% of our workforce has a disability. [But] we have four special employment centres where at least 70% of the workforce has some sort of disability. “Whatever angle you look at it, the impact is positive. People with disability are especially motivated because they have to overcome [challenges] and put in extra effort, and this is transmitted to the rest of the workforce.
“Workers have the opportunity
to develop professionally and personally. Our colleagues develop a sense of pride in a company that actively works towards constructing a fairer society. Clients are delighted to participate in such a positive project and have the opportunity to go back to their companies to copy our model. “We’ve noticed clients distinguish
us from our competitors because of our social work, and that is why they choose us. We added five establishments to our portfolio in the last year [and] our business and reputation are growing.” Rubio told Travel Weekly: “When a new hotel joins, we make it up to the level of the law and then add extra. It’s not only the rooms, also the elevators, the width of doors, the front desk, adding wheelchairs and
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travelweekly.co.uk 5 January 2017
“We’ve noticed clients distinguish us from our competitors because of our social work”
installing a fire alarm for the deaf. “We’re specialised in visual impairment. We have braille signs in every room, special key cards, braille menus, meeting rooms with braille, shower and shampoo gel [containers] in braille. “But what is most important is
staff training. Our hotels are for everyone, but our staff training is special. People with a disability want to be treated as normal.” Ilunion owns, rents and manages properties, and it sells through the trade as well as direct. Rubio said: “We want to show it’s possible to be a profitable business while giving opportunities to people with disabilities.” The Ethics Award will be
presented as part of the 13th UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid on January 18. Other awards will recognise excellence and innovation in tourism in four categories: public policy and governance; enterprises; non- governmental organisations; and research and technology.
2017 is UN’s Year of Sustainable Tourism
The UN has designated 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, with the UN World Tourism Organisation charged with organising the year’s events. The title may seem clumsy, but the aim of demonstrating tourism’s potential to drive sustainable growth is laudable. The UNWTO hailed it as “a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism”.
Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
The finalists for the 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards will be announced this month. The awards aim to recognise
and promote best practice in sustainable tourism, with the winners selected by a panel of experts led by Professor Graham Miller of Surrey University School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. The winners will be announced at the WTTC Global Summit in Bangkok on April 26-27.
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