Cycling: here is “Bike’s friends” hotels portal

by Annalisa Tancredi

Are you just leaving for the holidays but still haven’t found a place to store your bike? Are you look for the best hotel for you and your bike? Maybe you should take a look at www.albergabici.it website, the new service promoted by Fiab (Bike’s Friends Italian Federation) to find the best bike-friendly hotels in Italy.
On www.albergabici.it cyclists and cycle-excursionists can easily look through a list of over 1800 accommodations for reception, storage and maintenance of bicycles. A complete map of hotels, cottages, b&bs and campings chosen for quality of services available to satisfy who love to ride and enjoy tourism on two wheels: covered and safe shelters for bikes, maintenance shops, hire bikes, guides, maps and reinforced menu. In 2012 has been also introduced "Bicycle’s friends” brand to identify structures that have all the ideal requirements to host cyclists.

The Fiab organizational officer Michele Mutterle explained us in detail what is Albergabici and what are the features: "The site www.albergabici.it is the only one national website that lists hotels that provide services to travelers on bicycle. The goal is to promote facilities like accommodation for travelers on bike to develop a form of sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism".

How are you promoting the program to Italian hotelier? 
"Many hotelier knows the program thanks to the website or just because they were invited to join us by our partners and our 130 associations during their travels on bike around Italy. Until now the site counts 1.800 accommodation".

This year Albergabici has introduced "Bicycle’s friends” brand: what are the features required to get it?
"The “ideal” hotel must accept a guest even for one night, give the chance to dry their clothes, have a safe and covered place to put the bikes for the night, have an angle with the main tools in which the cyclist can perform maintenance and "dirt their hands", have information on cycling routes and maps of the area and then provide a hearty breakfast. Among the 1800 housing on the site we have selected 200 for the printed catalog which have all the characteristics to be considered “Bike’s friends". Those hotels, in addition, receive a certificate, a plaque and two copies of our BC magazine".

In addition to the site, how is the catalog spread among the cyclists? 
"The catalog was sent as an attachment to the magazine to all our 15.000 members and is distributed at major trade fair we attend". 

Finally, what are the most popular Italian regions which ones best equipped?
"The best equipped hotels in Italy are located in Piemonte, Veneto, Lombardia, Puglia and Emilia Romagna. The most popular regions among tourists are Trentino Alto Adige and Toscana".

Each hotel in Italy can sign their personal data for free and all necessary information about the services offered to cyclists. Annually they had to update their personal data that are crossed with Bicitalia.org, a website that allows the geo-localization of hotels and compare their proximity to bike routes.

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Marriage between tourist accommodation and zero waste philosophy

by Silvia Musso

Federalberghi Capri sanctioned with association of municiplities Anci, a memorandum of understanding which aim is to progressively reduce by 2020 the waste productionfollowing the Zero Waste strategy suggested by Paul Connet. The project, called "Zero Waste Hotel", wants to contribute to land and environment conservation, main factor of attraction for hotels.
The identified incentive is given by substantial discounts on TARSU, fee directly relate to the production of waste - producing less waste you pay less, producing no waste at all you won't pay anything - a benefit for the municipalitie sthat will support less financial burden for the wate collection and disposal service.
To better understand what this project is, we interviewed the President of Federalberghi Capri, Mr. Sergio Gargiulo.

What are the advantages for accommodations?
«The hotel industry is going through a delicate and important changes due to the economic crisis, which impact significantly on the balance of companies, but also to profound changes in consumers lifestyles who constantly stimulate entrepreneurs to differentiate their economic offerings, investing in training and professionalism of the staff and on the quality of service with the help of professional equipment and looking more and more for those products linked to the territory. In this reality, therefore, the role of a union of companies, such as Federalberghi, is not only trying to protect the category, but also to propose tools to improve. This is the meaning of this project that tries to start this sector on the road ofenvironmental sensitivity transforming it into a value and competitive element».

Do you believes that this innovation may have a greater appeal among tourists?
«Marketing experts say that consumers are increasingly focused on issues of respect and safeguard of the environment and tend toward virtuous companies. According to recent surveys, in fact, over 40% of bookings in the hotels is also evaluating the sustainability of the structure, and in the world there are more than 30 certification bodies for eco-sustainable hotels. The sustainable location has two fundamental characteristics: it provides a better travel experience to tourists (authenticity, flavor,color, smell...), it lasts over time and therefore allows the touristic businnes to work with a long term perspective».

What are the strategies for communicating the new philosophy to customers?
«The first key element that provides our project is the training of our staff so that the customer perceives the philosophy implemented in our hotel. Advise for a correct implementation of the Protocol will be placed in the rooms. Finally, during international trade fairs and on web portals our procedures will be given and those who apply our protocol will be identified by a label called "A star for the environment". Federalberghi, along with prestigious and influential partners, has wanted to promote the label as a clear and positive message for a better future for both companies that it represents and for whole».

Among the 14 municipalities that have joined the project stands also Naples, the largest administration. The idea is to extend these practices to all national hotels. The relationship between accomodation and waste reduction is a virtuous path already taken in other European countries. We hope that Italy, the country of tourism hospitality, will be able to welcome this new challenge and effectively communicate it.

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