Greek hotels that offer equal hospitality services for all guests were honoured at the “Accessibility Pass” official launch event on 18 June in Athens.
The Accessibility Pass is a global certification scheme that classifies hotels’ and conference centres’ accessibility level, based on their infrastructure, services and personnel skills.
It aims to help people with accessibility needs find a hotel or conference centre that can accommodate their specific needs, making their overall hospitality experience a simple and friendly one.
“Improving accessibility for people with disabilities has a very special position within the national tourism plan of Greece,” Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said during the launch event.
The Tourism Ministry is examining every possible financial intervention through European funds to help upgrade the infrastructure of Greek hotels that decide to get the “Accessibility Pass” certification.
“It is our duty to ensure the conditions and be concerned with the unobstructed and dignified access of our fellow citizens to holidays, entertainment and the beauties and the colours of Greece,” she said.
Greek accessible hotels
Based on universal criteria, “Accessibility Pass” evaluates the accessibility features of hotels and conference centres, including existing infrastructure, services and personnel’s proven ability to cater for individuals with accessibility needs, i.e. seniors and people with disabilities (motor, visual, hearing, cognitive).
Nineteen Greek hotels have received the “Accessibility Pass”.
Accessibility certifications were also awarded to 164 professionals that successfully completed the “Accessibility Pass” training and examinations in hotel management, hotel guest services and hotel housekeeping and facilities services.
“Accessibility Pass” certificates awarded to hotels and conference centres certify their accessibility at the moment they were awarded and are valid for one year. Renewal through re-assessment is required, for the certification to be valid. In the meantime, it is the hotel’s or conference centre’s responsibility to ensure that its accessibility features are maintained during the certification period.
The certification of Greek hotels and their human resources departments was conducted by PEOPLECERT.
Source: ENAT
