DI OGNUNO returns to Hospitality – Il Salone dell’Accoglienza with a new experiential space dedicated to accessibility in the hotel and non-hotel industry. This year’s theme is the design of an inclusive and comfortable breakfast room that enhances the various needs of food, physical and cognitive accessibility, using targeted design solutions.
This continues the collaboration started last year between the leading event in the HoReCa sector, Village for all – V4A, a company specialized in Accessible Hospitality, and Lombardini22, a leading group in the Italian architecture and engineering scene.
After the success of the last edition, the multi-year project DI OGNUNO returns to Hospitality – Il Salone dell’Accoglienza with a new experiential space dedicated to accessibility in the hotel and non-hotel industry. This year’s theme is the design of an inclusive and comfortable breakfast room , which enhances the different needs of food, physical and cognitive accessibility, using targeted design solutions.
The concept is the result of the desire of Hospitality , the leading international fair in Italy for hotels and restaurants organized by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, to develop an area that tells the story of accessible hospitality. The idea was studied and created by the team of architects from Lombardini22, specialized in fair design and accessibility, and thanks to the consultancy of Village for all – V4A. The goal is to propose an immersive experience that highlights the critical issues of a less inclusive design and, at the same time, demonstrate how to intervene to improve accessibility and the well-being of all users.
“ The DI OGNUNO project was created to offer concrete and immersive experiences to restaurateurs, hoteliers, bartenders and operators of public establishments. The goal is to make people understand what inclusivity really means, not only by observing it, but also by living it: how it feels to move around with a wheelchair, or to manage the difficulties of those who are, for example, visually impaired. This year we focused on the breakfast room, a key area for every accommodation facility. We offer ideas and solutions to all operators to respond to a rapidly growing market need that represents an important business opportunity ” – comments Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi .
“ The DI OGNUNO project is a true laboratory of ideas and solutions for the HoReCa sector ,” says architect Cristian Catania, Reinventing Fair project director and Design for all consultant at Lombardini22 . “ Its mission is to raise awareness among operators and professionals on how accessible design can improve the quality of hospitality, while generating social and economic value. An inclusive environment is not only an advantage for guests with specific needs, but represents an opportunity to improve everyone’s experience and expand the pool of potential customers, also generating an economic return. This path,” concludes Catania , “also aims to open a discussion on accessibility as an element of innovation for the creation of spaces that are truly FOR EVERYONE .”
“You don’t go on holiday because you respect the rules – underlines Roberto Vitali CEO and co-founder of Village for all – V4A , but because you feel welcomed and listened to. Accessible hospitality is not a regulatory obligation, but a strategic lever for the future of the sector: it means offering a welcome that is attentive to everyone’s needs, improving the customer experience and generating new market opportunities. Accessible Hospitality is that which knows how to transform accessibility into economic and social value, innovation and sustainable growth for businesses.”
EVERYONE’S experience: living comfort and discomfort
“We are too used to discomfort, we must get used to comfort”: this is the assumption from which the concept of this edition arose. The installation is divided into two areas : one dedicated to discomfort , designed to underline how discomfort is often part of our daily life, and one to comfort, which represents a place designed with awareness to create well-being for the guest. Its shape recalls a footprint, a tangible representation of the concept of universality and diversity.
In each of the two areas, visitors will be able to experience the two experiences first-hand, thanks to the collaboration with ASTRID – the Trentino Association for Inclusion and Disability OdV, which accompanies visitors in the immersive experience by illustrating the specifics of the project.
External area: discomfort. In the open area of the experiential zone the visitor finds himself in a breakfast room that presents exacerbated criticalities.
You are immediately faced with a series of architectural obstacles : a high-pile carpet that hinders your movements, the legs of the breakfast table, square and angular, are cumbersome and multiple, preventing you from sitting comfortably and the space around the seats is narrow. The buffet area is also deliberately inaccessible: the top is too high, the labels that accompany the dishes do not specify the list of ingredients, the risers are high and placed too far from the edge, the containers are too similar to each other making it difficult to recognize the food and the cutlery is difficult to grip.
The furnishings have colors that do not contrast well with the floor, making it difficult to recognize the seats. The disturbing factors also extend to the environmental quality : the spotlights are very bright and made dazzling by the presence of a mirror sphere. Thanks to a sound shower , the acoustic disturbance of the chatter in a crowded restaurant is reproduced and communication is unclear. At the center of the table, an olfactory vial reproduces the smells of different foods mixed together. Olfactory design is a fundamental element to ensure comfort in a space dedicated to food, to prevent the smells of the dishes from overlapping. Even at the communication level, the non-inclusive design is exacerbated in the discomfort area: white writing on mirrored walls makes reading very difficult.
Internal area: comfort. In the room dedicated to inclusive design, all those attentions that make the spaces welcoming for everyone are applied.
The furnishings are accessible and comfortable : the table is round to facilitate communication between diners and lip-reading, and is supported by a single support , making it easier to insert the legs under the top. The seats are ergonomic and different from each other to make them recognizable. There is enough space around the table to move easily around the seats and the lighting is soft and subdued. The walls of the room are covered with reconfigurable sound-absorbing panels to create intimate and shielded areas that isolate from external noises and facilitate understanding the conversation. The wall panels are clear and easy to read, thanks to the contrast between the colors, the appropriate size of the text and the use of pictograms. In this area we also find a buffet table, but this time the user can use it in an accessible way. The table is at a comfortable height, the ingredients of all the foods are specified, the containers for the dishes are easily distinguishable from each other also thanks to the use of different colors. The edge of the top is clear to place the plate, and the lids of the food warmers slide, so as not to tie up the hands. Here too we find olfactory vials that reproduce the aromas of different foods (coffee, vanilla and cinnamon), but this time the smells are easily recognizable and not unpleasant.
Accessibility beyond physical barriers
The DI OGNUNO project does not limit itself to highlighting architectural issues, but also delves into sensory and food accessibility .
Olfactory design is a fundamental part of the experience, for example through olfactory stimulation elements it is possible to show how a well-designed environment can improve the well-being of guests. As already demonstrated, acoustic design also plays a fundamental role in ensuring comfort. Avoiding materials that reflect sound and covering the walls with sound-absorbing materials capable of capturing sound energy and reducing reverberation can guarantee a pleasant experience for everyone.
Food inclusivity is also a key aspect, with a choice of dishes to suit all dietary, religious and cultural needs of users.
Visitors to the stand are given a special menu , a collection of practical advice for hospitality that is more attentive to the needs of each guest. This gift is intended to be a tool for raising awareness among professionals in the hospitality sector, so that they can orient themselves in responding to the different needs of guests at the facilities.