Scandic increases commitment to disabled guests

With the UN’s International Day of Disabled Persons on Thursday 3 December, Scandic is continuing its commitment to disabled guests, not least through a new service on the website where all the chain’s hotels report exactly what aids and facilities they offer guests with a disability. During 2010, Scandic is also building 150 new rooms for disabled guests.
“This is a long-term commitment, driven by our own Disability Ambassador Magnus Berglund. Walking stick holders in reception, an alarm clock for deaf guests and coffee cups within easy reach from a wheelchair are now standard features at all our hotels,” comments Frank Fiskers, President and CEO of Scandic. Over the past six years, Scandic has worked actively on disability issues. In new initiative from the autumn, Scandic is the first hotel chain to make a complete inventory of all its hotels to see how they meet the needs of guests with special needs. Every hotel’s website carries answers to 80 questions, everything from how far it is from the car park to the hotel entrance to how wide the hotel room doorways are. This information is provided as a way to make it easier for disabled people to plan their travel.
“We’re not stopping at just announcing that the hotels are accessible to all. We now openly set out the facilities and obstacles of each hotel,” explains Magnus Berglund, Disability Ambassador at Scandic.

Profitable investment
Scandic’s work on increasing accessibility is under constant review by Disability Ambassador Magnus Berglund. He drives forward improvements within the hotel chain on everything from training for team members to new technical solutions for guests. Since the work started, Scandic has seen a marked increase in the number of guests with special needs.
“There are 50 million people across Europe with some sort of disability, and they should have the same opportunity to travel and stay at a hotel as everyone else. They are also an economic force to be reckoned with, so investing in accessibility makes sound financial sense for Scandic,” states Frank Fiskers.
Scandic is expanding and is set to build 150 new rooms for disabled guests during 2010. At the same time, the hotel chain is continuing to develop products and services that make life easier for disabled guests. As part of this commitment, a new, extended version of its unique 93-point minimum standard will also be launched next year.

For more information, please contact:
Magnus Berglund, Disability Ambassador, Scandic, tel: 46 709 73 5077
Jessica Agert, Media Coordinator, Scandic, tel: +46 709 73 5013
e-mail: jessica.agert@scandichotels.comScandic is a modern hotel chain where conscious people come for inspiration and renewed energy. With more than 150 hotels and 30,000 rooms, we are already one of the largest hotel operators in Europe. And we are continuing to grow – within a few years, there will be over 200 Scandic to choose from. Visit scandichotels.com.