News Fred Hotels
Thanks to the platform «ginto», we can now provide our guests with detailed information about the accessibility of our venues. A small gesture with a big impact.
Booking a hotel room, meeting for a quick coffee, or choosing a restaurant... What may seem like a simple task can require significant research for people with disabilities. Are the doors wide enough? Is there an elevator to the restroom in the basement? How high is the door threshold? Not all establishments make this information visible on their websites. And «barrier-free» doesn’t mean the same for everyone. The Fred Tschanz team realized just how diverse the needs of guests are when they registered our venues on the «ginto» platform.
«We measured practically every area of our venues and documented them with photos, from the bed height in the rooms to the table height on the terrace», says Cedric Nake, General Manager of Fred Hotels. «Due to the historical nature of our buildings, accessibility is not ideal, and space can sometimes be tight, even for strollers. But the registration process made us realize how important it is to communicate this information transparently to make it easier for guests with mobility impairments to participate in social life.»
«This awareness is a key part of the ginto project», says Julian Heeb, who developed the platform and its associated app. «Anyone can download the ginto app and register venues or add information, whether for their own business or their favorite café. This crowdsourcing approach not only adds direct value by keeping the app up-to-date but also fosters an understanding of the daily challenges faced by those affected.» The ginto-App is free to download and can be personalized according to individual needs. A map shows all the registered venues, which can be filtered by category, from hair salons to government offices to restaurants. Thanks to an active community, there are already over 15,000 entries, with new ones added daily.
The Swiss Tourism Federation (STV) is also working toward more inclusion. Michelle Keusch, who is responsible for the implementation of the OK:GO initiative, supports Swiss tourism providers in collecting and publishing accessibility information for their offerings. «For people with mobility restrictions, accessibility information is just as important as opening hours when planning a trip», says the sustainability project manager. «We offer support in registering with the ginto app and also award participating businesses the OK label. I’m delighted that Fred Tschanz, as a Swisstainable-certified business, is now part of our initiative.»