Image used for representation only.
Accessibility to people with disabilities is a significant aspect in hotel rating under the new hotel grading classification system being implemented by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), said a QTA official.
“The new hotel grading classification system we launched last year places accessibility guidelines drafted in accordance with international best practices at the core of development plan for all hospitality establishments in the country by the hotels and hotel apartments. In simple terms, for the first time in Qatar, the number of stars a hotel has is directly affected by how accessible it is,” said Nasser Al Maslamani, Director of Planning and Quality, Qatar Tourism Authority.
Al Maslamani was addressing the opening of the inaugural Accessible Qatar Conference yesterday at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
He said that licensing inspection teams had already completed onsite inspections of all four- and five-star hotels in Qatar last year and that these hotels are now making the required adjustments to maintain or improve their classifications in adherence to the new criteria.
“This year we are working on to complete the inspections for all three-, two- and one-star hotels by 2018. We aim to have completed the inspections of all hotel apartments by then,” he added.
The QTA guidelines also mandate that hospitality staff members are trained to manage and meet the requirements of guests with special needs, according to Al Maslamani.
“To help the hospitality sector achieve these requirements, we are working hand in hand with experts from Shafallah Centre and Al Noor Institute to train hotel personnel on the best practices in this field,” he said. He underlined the importance of QTA’s partnership with Sasol Qatar for its pioneering initiative Accessible Qatar, “which helps to amplify the voice of the disabled community in Qatar and ensure that their needs are at the forefront of major initiatives.”
Launched last year, Accessible Qatar is a smartphone app and website where the disabled community is able to view the public and tourism locations and outlets in Qatar and whether they are accessible and in what way, thereby bringing new mobility and further inclusion for the disabled community.
Presently, 100 locations around Qatar, ranging from retail locations to hotels and public parks, have been audited by an expert and detailed information is available for people with various types of disabilities.
Al Maslamani announced QTA will be continuing its partnership and with Sasol Qatar as part of its commitment to accessibility. “We will be working with Accessible Qatar to analyse the accessibility of exhibitions to take place in Qatar with a view to ensuring that business events that are licensed by the QTA are accessible to all,” he said.
“It will come to you as no surprise that accessibility is relatively a new field in Qatar and we have a long way to go before all our venues and establishments will meet the specific standards that will make Qatar truly accessible to all. However, we are committed to working with you as our partners in the public and private sectors to ensure that tourism and hospitality sectors are held to the standards that befit our country and our visitors,” he said.
The two-day conference runs alongside Project Qatar, the 14th International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition and is aimed at raising awareness about accessibility, encouraging knowledge-sharing, and influencing project developers toward making existing and future venues accessible.
