Designing Sustainable Hospitality Services for The Ridges Hotel Report

This report focuses on designing a sustainable service model for The Ridges Hotel, a proposed establishment in Melbourne, Australia, catering specifically to wheelchair-bound tourists. The report begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction setting the stage for the analysis. It delves into the accessible market, providing an in-depth examination of travel patterns and updated statistics related to people with disabilities. The core of the report centers on the description of the product/service, outlining the specific features and amenities The Ridges will offer to ensure a comfortable and accessible experience for wheelchair users. A theoretical framework, based on the Tourist Service Chain Model, is then applied to analyze the service model. The report concludes with a discussion of environmental and economic sustainability, highlighting the use of renewable energy sources and water conservation strategies. References and appendices, including graphs and demographic profiles, support the findings. The report's objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of sustainable hospitality practices and accessible tourism within the context of The Ridges Hotel.

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Title: Sustainable Hospitality
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Executive Summary
The report focuses on designing an effective service model for an upcoming hotel, The Ridges
based in Melbourne, Australia. It focuses on designing the service that would help in meeting the
needs of tourists bound on wheelchairs and also aims to check the economic and sustainability
factors associated with the service model. Further, the report also contributes in analysing the
service model based on tourism service chain model which helps in integrating theoretical and
practical dimensions.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Analysis of the Accessible Market..................................................................................................4
Description of Product/Service........................................................................................................6
Theoretical Framework....................................................................................................................7
Environmental and Economic Sustainability...................................................................................8
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11
Appendix........................................................................................................................................12
Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................12
Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................13
Appendix 3.................................................................................................................................14
Appendix 4.................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 5.................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 6.................................................................................................................................17
Appendix 7.................................................................................................................................18
Appendix 8.................................................................................................................................19
Appendix 9.................................................................................................................................20

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Introduction
The report would essentially focus on studying and analysing the accessible market regarding
wheelchair based tourists in and around Australia. Further, it focuses on designing an effective
service for wheelchair bound tourist groups while also analysing the factors based on tourism
service chain. Finally, economic and sustainable practices associated with the service would also
be dealt with in the report.
Analysis of the Accessible Market
The people with disability are also observed to suffer from other bodily or mental challenges that
tend to overlap each other. A study revealed that 24 percent of the people that need wheelchairs
for mobility purposes suffered from mental disabilities concerning memorising, learning and also
from understanding of information while again 13 percent of the wheelchair users suffered from
disabilities concerning hearing (Childs 2018). The bar graph in Appendix 1 illustrates the rate of
travelling of people suffering from different kinds of disabilities with also the traversing nature
of the carers of such disabled people.
Different types of opportunities crop up along the tourism and hospitality sector for meeting the
diverse needs of the disabled tourist population in a specific fashion. It is observed that the
incorporation of Wi-Fi acts as an effective support for people travelling with children suffering
from autism problems and also for other travellers. The employment of Wi-Fi technology helps
tourists and travelling groups for carrying out effective interactions via phones and also tablets in
a mobile environment and also for other entertainment based needs (Salman 2018). Further,
tourism population consisting of people with increasing support needs and also disabilities are

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observed to be attracted more in carrying out short and also local trips within a range of 40
kilometres. The growth of interstate tourism generates greater tourism opportunities for the
organisations that focus on catering to the tourism needs of the disabled population (Pavkovic et
al. 2017). Similarly, the tourism needs of the people belonging to high support based groups are
potentially met based on carrying out trips to cultural and historical locations as part of day trips.
Again, the tourism nature of the people concerned with disabilities are observed to be
increasingly concentrated along leisure tourism and also for visiting friends and other relatives
(VFR) based along diverse regions (Childs 2018). The different types of trips undertaken by
disabled and high support groups along the periods 2016-18 is reflected in Appendix 2.
Further, the disabled population interested in tourism are mostly observed to depend on internet
firstly and secondly on word-of-mouth for gaining access to potential information that would
help in making concerted decisions associated to booking and reservations. Again, a study
observed that around 40 percent of the tourism population suffering from disability focus on
developing effective networks with experienced travellers in that the same helps in carrying out
potential planning for touring along diverse regions. In terms of specificity, it is observed that
around 18 percent of the disable tourism population stated that ability to access considerable
amount of information help them in making planned decisions (Pavkovic et al. 2017). 41 percent
of the disable tourism population are observed to focus more on visiting tourism review sites like
TripAdvisor for gaining access to potential information. Again, 36 percent of the disabled
tourism population reflected importance associated to the recognition or knowledge of business
that helps in meeting their travelling needs. 23 percent of the disabled tourism population
focused more on accessing of specialised tourism needs while around 19 percent of such

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respondents reflected their interest in studying of tourism cases (Childs 2018). The same is
reflected in Appendix 3.
The demographic profiling of the travellers with different types of disabilities is reflected in
Appendix 4.
The types of the nature of different types of disabilities concerned with the disabled or special
support population interested in tourism is highlighted in Appendix 5 and 6.
The different types of trips undertaken by the disabled tourist groups along the period 2016-18
are illustrated in Appendix 7.
The different purposes for which the disabled and support groups felt interested for carrying out
their tourism activities is highlighted in Appendix 8.
Description of Product/Service
The Ridges, a hotel to be developed in Melbourne would focus on designing effective services
for tourist groups suffering from disabilities and also potential support needs. The services would
include the generation of travelling vehicles like vans and cars that would help in collecting
tourists from airports and other specific destinations and would also help people on wheelchair in
carrying their wheelchairs by folding them or also based on creating space for tourists to ride the
vehicle on their wheelchairs. Further, the staffs involved in driving the vehicle, collection of
tourists and also at the hotel need to be adequately trained for generating an effective and
comfortable touring experience to the tourists bound by wheelchairs. The staffs at the check-in
counters are needed to be highly approachable in nature by the care giving population or tourist
groups. They are needed to be adequately trained in cordially welcoming the wheelchair bound

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tourists and are also required to prudently work in making the disabled tourists gain an effective
understanding of the benefits and amenities available at the hotel (DK Travel 2018). The
elevators and also the hallways of the hotel are needed to be made wide enough such that the
same would help in easy movement of the wheelchair bound tourists in and around the hotel. The
rooms dedicated in hosting the wheelchair bound tourist groups are required to be fully equipped
with electrical switches, calling bells and alarms along with the shower knobs that can be easily
accessed and used by the disabled tourist groups in a comfortable fashion. Further, the hotel beds
are also required to be rightly designed such that the same would help the wheelchair bound
tourists in getting in and out comfortably and easily. Swimming pools at the hotel are required to
be effectively designed based on the use of ramps that would help the wheelchair bound tourists
in easily dripping inside the water and also in coming out of the pools. The parking of the
wheelchairs are required to be effectively carried out near the entrance and exit points such that
the same helps to be easily accessed and collected by the care giving population (Kostelnick
2018).
Theoretical Framework
The Tourist Service Chain Model is basically designed for mapping the journey of users or
tourists. It was first employed for understanding accessibility points by a study conducted by the
German Automobile Association. The same is reflected in Appendix 9.
The transportation of the tourists bound on wheelchairs to and from the hotel premises would be
carried out based on the employment of electric or green vehicles that would be spacious enough
for helping the disabled and support group tourists enjoy mobility while sitting on their
wheelchairs.

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In terms of service and assistance, the management and staffs of ‘The Ridges’ would essentially
focus on cordially welcoming the guests bound on wheelchairs while also addressing their
queries in an effective and prudent fashion. The hotel management thereby focuses on enhancing
the level of touring experience for the disabled tourists (Pavkovic et al. 2017).
Likewise, regards to staying and sleeping wide corridors and hallways along with spacious
elevators are required to be designed for helping the tourists bound on wheelchairs to carry out
their easy movements. Further, the swimming pools are required to use ramps for helping the
tourists enjoy their stay. The beds need to be ergonomically designed with also the switchboards
for the disabled persons to use in an effective fashion.
Finally, the entertainment and cultural aspects associated to the visits of the disabled tourists
bound on wheelchairs would be adequately met based on designing of touring programs during
daytime for the tourists to iconic and cultural locations and also based on arranging of evening
cultural parties and events (Childs 2018).
Environmental and Economic Sustainability
Uses of renewable energy resources are required to be made by The Ridges based in Melbourne,
Australia in terms of using electrical vehicles for collection of wheelchair bound tourists and care
groups from airports and other such destinations. The use of electric vehicles contributes in
totally eliminating the emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and also in rendering
of comfortable commutation. The battery of the electrical vehicles or green vehicles needs not to
be charged based on the use of electricity but rather the use of solar photovoltaic cells mounted
on top of the vehicles would help in driving the vehicles along different destinations (OECD
2018). Likewise, the solar energy resources are also focused on being used for generation of hot

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water from taps and showers. Likewise, the hotel also focuses on the employment of biomass
energy for running the operational activities. The gas generated from the use of the biomass
resources would be used for moving of turbines that helps in the generation of electrical energy
for carrying out the day-to-day functions (Vourdoubas 2016).
Metering of water resources serves to be an effective way in which the hotel can focus on
measuring and also monitoring the consumption of water carried out along a specific period.
Metering is to be mainly carried out while pumping of ground water resources and also
circulation of surface water along pipes are carried out by the company. Monitoring the use of
water level consumption based on use of gauges also acts as an effective metric for measurement
of use of water resources (Government of Western Australia 2017). Sustainable ways of sourcing
of water needs to be essentially carried out based on the storage of rain water resources and also
based on carrying out of desalination activities in a 60/40 ratio. Large reservoirs are required to
be constructed within the hotel premises for collection of rain water resources. Apart from the
use of natural resources water the managers in the hotel need to carry out effective liaison with
supplier groups such that the same would help in reaching safe and clean water for both
commercial and residential uses (Chibili 2017).
For designing of services for people bound to wheelchairs, The Ridges can effectively meet the
objectives of ‘fair-trade’ principles in that it focuses on use of electric vehicles for helping in the
commutation of the people. The use of green or electric vehicles thus would help in reducing the
ecological or carbon footprint of the hotel. Again, the designing of the service would help in
generating employment opportunities for the local population associated to the recruitment of
drivers and caring staffs for the disabled. It would thus help in enhancing the level of tourism
experience for the disabled (Legrand, Sloan & Chen 2016).

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Conclusions
The report highlights the case of The Ridges an upcoming hotel based in Melbourne that is taken
to be specifically designed for hosting and accommodating of tourists bound on wheelchairs. It
adequately reflects on the different types of service standards and programs that the hotel is
taken to design for helping the disabled tourists enjoy an effective touring experience. Further,
sustainability and fair-trade practices to be maintained by the hotel are also underlined in the
report.

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References
Chibili, M 2017, Modern Hotel Operations Management, Routledge , New York.
Childs, C 2018, 'Understanding the opportunity for Australia in Accessible Tourism ', Victorian
Government and Tourism and Events , Queensland.
DK Travel 2018, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Czech and Slovak Republics, Dorling Kindersley
Ltd, China.
Government of Western Australia 2017, Metering and measurement, viewed 21 May 2019,
<http://www.water.wa.gov.au/licensing/metering-and-measurement>.
Kostelnick, C 2018, Mosby's Textbook for Long-Term Care Nursing Assistants - E-Book,
Elsevier Health Sciences, United Kingdom.
Legrand, W, Sloan, P & Chen, JS 2016, Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of
sustainable operations, Tayor and Francis, New York.
OECD 2018, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018, OECD Publishing, United States.
Pavkovic, I, Lawrie, A, Farrell, G, Huuskes, L & Ryan, R 2017, 'Inclusive Tourism: Economic
Opportunities', Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney,
Sydney.
Salman, S 2018, What would a truly disabled-accessible city look like?, viewed 21 May 2019,
<https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/14/what-disability-accessible-city-look-like>.

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Vourdoubas, J 2016, 'Energy Consumption and Use of Renewable Energy Sources in Hotels: A
Case Study in Crete, Greece', Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, vol 4, no. 2, pp.
75-87.
Appendix
Appendix 1
(Childs 2018)