More than 150 million people in Europe have some type of allergy. Most of them probably do not need specific allergy-friendly hotel rooms. But the fact is that more people are asking for more allergy-friendly options at hotels.
Scandic is the world’s first hotel to introduce a standard for allergy-friendly rooms. This means that guests booking allergy-friendly rooms can expect considerations including wooden floors and fragrance-free, hypoallergenic toiletries approved by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association. The rooms are also prepared according to strict cleaning procedures and are not located on floors where pets can stay.
Scandic launched its accessibility standard in 2005. Since then, the standard have attracted attention and been used the world over. The standard has now been broadened from 135 to 159 points to include a new category with strict guidelines to meet the needs of travelers with allergies.
– There’s a clear demand for the accessibility solutions we offer and we get many requests to make guests’ stays more allergy-friendly. We’ve also already seen how successful our allergy-friendly “breakfast for all” has been. Our goal now is for all Scandic hotels to offer at least two allergy-friendly rooms within a year, says Magnus Berglund, Director of Accessibility at Scandic.
During the spring, Scandic will also release an updated version of its award-winning online accessibility course. The online accessibility course was originally developed for Scandic’s 18,000 team members as an integral part of Scandic’s accessibility initiatives, since interacting with and serving guests is the most important consideration, regardless of their needs. The course is available on Scandic’s website so everyone can learn more about how to provide high-quality service to people with accessibility needs.
– We’re always working to find solutions to make our hotels more accessible. While we’ve offered allergy-friendly rooms at Scandic for some time, we’re particularly proud that they’re now part of our accessibility standard. And the fact that our online course is widely used by others in the hospitality industry to improve service also gives us high marks.
Accessibility at Scandic
Since 2003, Scandic has been focusing on making its hotels accessible so they can welcome all guests regardless of their needs. Today, Scandic is the only hotel company in the world that provides information on how accessible each hotel is on their particular hotel sites at scandichotels.com. Scandic is also the only hotel company to have formulated an accessibility standard that currently covers 159 points, 105 of which are mandatory at all hotels. At newly built Scandic hotels, all 159 points apply.
Scandic also applies a “design for all” concept. Design for all means that an accessible room should be designed just as well as any other room, with smart solutions that are barely noticeable except to the people who need them.
