“The League of the Strong” NGO asks the Cabinet of Ministers to make hotels accessible. To do this, it proposes to amend the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “Some issues of determining the types of hotels, establishing, reviewing and changing the categories of hotels and other temporary accommodation facilities.” The letter with proposals was sent to the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine. This was reported by Daria Sydorenko, executive director of “The League of the Strong” public union.
“The new draft resolution hardly regulates the issue of accessibility of hotels for people with disabilities. This may lead to a narrowing of the existing guarantees enshrined in the current building codes and national standards. That is why we propose to include in the document the points that are already enshrined in the legislation for all types of hotels, regardless of their category,” said Daria Sydorenko, executive director of “The League of the Strong” NGO.
We are talking about guarantees of accessibility of hotels for people with disabilities. They are defined in section 6 of DSTU 4269:2003 Tourist services. Classification of hotels and in the State Building Standards B.2.2-40:2018 “Inclusiveness of buildings and structures”. The draft resolution should state that these standards apply to all hotels regardless of category: “five stars”, “four stars”, “three stars”, “two stars”, “one star” or “basic”, hotel complexes, rest homes, campsites, glamping sites, and hostels.
The current state building codes and DSTU stipulate that new and existing hotels, regardless of category, must have equipment to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The entrance to hotels must be adapted. At least one room and one bathroom in the public part of the hotel must be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. In public areas (lobby, halls, catering facilities, etc.), there must be places for people in wheelchairs. All of these are the mandatory minimums that establish accessibility guarantees.
“The League of the Strong” also asks to take into account the proposals of people with disabilities and public organizations. It also proposes to hold joint consultations to finalize the requirements for hotels and other accommodation facilities that would guarantee accessibility.
As a reminder, on May 9, 2024, the official website of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine published a notice on the publication of the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “Some issues of determining the types of hotels, establishing, reviewing and changing the categories of hotels and other temporary accommodation facilities.” The draft provides for the approval of a new Procedure for determining the types of hotels, the procedure for establishing, reviewing and changing the categories of hotels and other temporary accommodation facilities.