Skift Take
Two out of three staff members at Martigny Boutique-Hotel in Switzerland are people with intellectual disabilities. We could all learn a lesson or two from the hotel's inclusive workplace and how the property maintains boutique standards.
Of the 70 team members at the Martigny Boutique-Hotel in the Valais region of Switzerland, 40 come from a foundation supporting people with intellectual disabilities.
“They have a lot of pride and their families do too, because they are placed in society,” said Mathias Munoz, director of Martigny Boutique Hotel. “They have coworkers and teammates. For everyone, it’s a really good thing to share life and work and to be integrated into society.”
Martigny’s model of a commercial-hotel-meets-social-inclusion project has been operating for almost eight years, but it remains a rare example in the industry. As more hotels try to boost their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (that sometimes seem thin at best), the 52-room Martigny Boutique Hotel is making legitimate societal change.
A staff member at work. Photo by Olivier Maire. Source: Martigny Boutique-Hotel in Switzerland.A few other hotels, like the nearly-year-old Shepherd Hotel in
Photo Caption: Staff members outside the Martigny Boutique-Hotel in Switzerland, which employs 40 people with intellectual disabilities. Source: Martigny Boutique-Hotel