HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND ACCESSIBILITY

Abstract

This study deals with the issue of hospitality offered to people with reduced mobility, when staying in hotels. It addresses the concept of Accessibility from the point of view of Architecture, and Social Inclusion. It begins by defining the terms disability and disabled; next, supported by the results of the Census (IBGE,2000), it gives a portrait of disability in Brazil. For the definition of hospitality and commercial hospitality, it uses the concept of Lashley. At the same time, it also reflects on the theme of accessibility in hotels, using the definitions given by architecture and social inclusion, and comparing these with real experience. The final analysis is the result of the information obtained through qualitative research carried out with specialists, which seeks to understand what are the barriers, in addition to the architectural difficulties, encountered by people with reduced mobility, when staying in hotels. It also presents an interview carried out in Chile, with the Public Relations Manager of a hotel which is managed by a person with reduced mobility, and who therefore has a different outlook on the situation studied. Key words: Accessibility; Hotel management; Hospitality.