Karisma Hotels and Resorts Takes Major Step Towards Autism Inclusion

Stamford, CT – Apr. 30, 2022 - Autism Double-Checked (ADC), the leading on-line Autism training company for the hospitality industry, has announced that most Mexico-based properties in the Karisma Hotels & Resorts portfolio are now certified as Autism Ready.

“Karisma is highly committed towards responsibility as we have established in our company’s Sustainability Policy, where inclusion and acceptance of differences directly contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 10,” explained Daniel Lozano, VP of Operations for Karisma Hotels & Resorts. “We constantly work to exceed our guests’ expectations by adapting ourselves to their needs. This is the main reason why we decided to prepare our staff members to welcome our guests with autism, because we want all of our guests to feel at home.”

 “Inclusion is only possible if you understand the population that you wish to include,” said ADC Co-Founder and CEO, Alan Day. “It takes specialized training to understand autism, in general, and the difficulties of travel with autism, in particular. Karisma Hotels & Resorts have been tremendous with their dedication to undertaking this training, especially when done in the face of all of the challenges of Covid pandemic and subsequent recovery. Karisma has been dedicated, and in fact truly amazing, in pursuing their vision of diversity and inclusion!”

Every member of staff at every resort who interacts with the public has completed the Autism Double-Checked Foundation Course in “Assisting Guests with Autism” and have now completed the more intensive stage of training on the Phase 2, that allows them to be certified as Autism Ready

• Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancún

   

Additionally, the recently opened hotel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, has achieved Phase One of the program and is now certified as Autism Aware and has the goal to achieve the phase 2 by the end of 2022.

John Mason of Bedford, Mass, and father of a young autistic adult said: “Thank you. The work that you are doing is so important. Travel with our son can be difficult but it is not impossible. Some of our requests may sound strange to those who don’t understand autism but are perfectly normal to people who do know even a little about it. Your training will help travel and hospitality with that important knowledge. Lots of people with a basic understanding of autism would make travel easier for us and we would be able to travel more frequently.”

Karisma Hotels & Resorts will take a further, even bigger, step forward later in 2022. Preparation has begun for producing a Visitor Guide for each resort, which will include information that is uniquely sought by the autism community in order to allow them to plan a successful visit.

The Autism community in the U.S. is approximately 25 million people who, according to Autism Double Checked, are eager to travel and are brand loyal to companies that understand their needs. The online training is offered in English and Spanish and accessible 24/7 to accommodate work schedules. Hospitality staff who have received the training report that they feel enriched by their newly acquired knowledge to provide an extra level of service to travelers with special needs, and appreciation for the opportunity to increase their job training.

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About Autism Double-Checked (ADC):

Stamford CT-based ADC was founded in 2014 by two travel industry veterans: CEO Alan Day has over 20 years of experience in retail travel and – as the father of an autistic son – he recognized the lack of special needs training in the travel industry. Co-founder is David Tait OBE, a career airline executive and author, who among other things started Virgin Atlantic Airways with Richard Branson in 1984 and ran the airline in the USA for 20 years. Together Day and Tait formed ADC with the mission of better preparing travel entities to receive autistic guests while simultaneously readying the autistic guest for what to expect at their destination – the latter is done by way of a customized Visitor’s Guide.

About Karisma Hotels & Resorts

Karisma Hotels & Resorts is an award-winning luxury hotel collection that owns and manages an impressive portfolio of properties in Latin America and the Caribbean. Property brands include Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma; Azul Beach Resorts by Karisma; Karisma Villas; Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts. Properties have been honored with the industry’s top accolades including Conde Nast Traveler’s “Top 100 Hotels in the World,” Conde Nast Traveler’s “Top 30 Hotels in Cancun,” TripAdvisor® Traveler’s Choice “Best Hotels for Romance,” and AAA’s “Five Diamond Award” and “Four Diamond Award.” Karisma Hotels & Resorts is committed to employee and community support while delivering authentic experiences to guests, receiving worldwide recognition for its compassionate and creative approach to hospitality management and product innovations. At Karisma Hotels & Resorts, your paradise awaits. Whether you are looking for an unforgettable honeymoon destination or a spectacular destination to create new memories, our world-class resorts offer extraordinary experiences for every style of travel.

Over the years, Karisma Hotels & Resorts has demonstrated its commitment to promote a responsible tourism in every destination where its hotels are located. Including strategies for energy efficiency, water saving, waste management, biodiversity conservation, carbon footprint, circular economy, human rights, ethics and inclusive environments, the Passion for Sustainability Program is applied in each of Karisma’s hotels to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts in the environment and the local communities. Aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda, Karisma has been recognized as a Socially Responsible Company for the last 6 consecutive years, has achieved EarthCheck Gold Certification, the leading environmental certification in the tourism industry and joined the UN Global Compact, a voluntarily initiative to implement universal sustainability principles, among other programs and certifications.