Adapted accommodation that prioritizes well-being, safety, and sensory tranquility

The Autism Friendly certification promotes a new way of traveling through Spain, thanks to hotels that adapt spaces, services, and protocols to the needs of people on the autism spectrum, creating safe, understandable, and comfortable environments. Pioneering initiatives in the Region of Valencia, the Canary Islands, Madrid, and Andalusia demonstrate how inclusion is naturally integrated into the tourist experience, consolidating a more humane form of hospitality and positioning these establishments at the forefront of truly accessible tourism. In the Community of Madrid, Novotel Madrid Center has become the first hotel in the capital awarded Autism Friendly certification. This establishment integrates visual aids in common areas, a quiet space to reduce sensory overload, priority check-in, and preferential tables in its dining facilities. Their team has received specific training and applies adapted protocols, as well as using “Somos Infinitos” autism-recognition cards and offering sensory kits that ensure priority and personalized support. In the Region of Valencia, the Hotel Port Azafata Valencia has become a regional benchmark after obtaining this certification through a process that involved specific training for most of its teams and adapting common areas with pictogram signage. The measures implemented include priority check-in, quiet rooms, preferential breakfast reservations, and sensory kits, all integrated within the Guest of the Planet initiative, which formalizes the hotel’s commitment to socially responsible tourism.

KN Arenas del Mar (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) incorporates adapted menus in its buffet restaurant © KN Hotels

In the Canary Islands, KN Hotels has established a comprehensive approach to cognitive accessibility. Their establishments implement fast check-in protocols, personalized attention, and menus with pictograms to facilitate communication. This adaptation includes accessible signage, visual anticipatory guides, and staff trained in ASD, guaranteeing a more understandable stay. What’s more, KN Arenas del Mar, KN Matas Blancas, and KN Columbus have incorporated adapted menus within their culinary spaces, reinforcing a barrier-free communicative experience. Also in the Canary Islands, Paradise Park Fun Lifestyle Hotel incorporates this certification within an environment that combines family spaces and adults-only areas. This 4-star hotel applies fast check-in, pictogram signage, adapted menus, easy-to-download guides, and a team with awareness of ASD. Its services—including the Bar Strelitzia and room service—feature visual aids that facilitate every stage of the journey, from advance planning to the stay itself. Finally, deLuna Hotels, in Andalusia, has obtained this certification after reinforcing its commitment to cognitive accessibility across all its establishments, creating environments in which guests and families can access adapted resources. The chain has developed menus with pictograms at the Gastrobar Rincón de Don Vicente, the Restaurant El Patio, and the breakfast service at the Gran Hotel Luna in Granada. Its protocols include fast check-in, easy-to-understand guides, accessible signage, personalized attention, and a team trained in autism and neurodivergence.