DaveP, on Jan 13 2010, 12:04 AM, said:
My only comment is calling your property a "Health Centre". Market it to everyone, as holiday accommodation and take bookings from any one and everyone. Having able bodied clients booked in one property and wheelchair user in another is a good mix. Having all units occupied by wheelchair users may not be what most paying clients want.
Hi Dave ,
Thank you for your input, is great to hear someone else's point of view and it sems that you are in the know..
We could not have it named anyhing but a "health center " as it was the only thing that Thailand does not have ... a place for people with a mobility issue .
Resorts , hotels have so called " disabled rooms" but when we stayed at Sheraton ( was the only hotel that had big enough rooms ) Kevin had to be brought in through the laundry ramp and need I say how the smell and all other associated factors made us feel?
He did not leave the room at all for the few days we stayed there.
Resorts are "10 a dime here" so to speak and the government was not interested in having a foreigner company (100%) open a small resort ( we have 20 rooms) as they can make a lot more money from the big conglomerates .
It took us 2 years of endless interviews , explanations and repeatedly knoking on closed doors ,to finally have it aproved .
It did not help that many foreigners come here and..... are up to not good hence tougher laws for the rest of us.
As a carer, I wanted to offer respite services at affordable rates and the carer can be proximal to the loved one but relinquish the physical aspect of it when they come here.
I wanted to give to the impared mobility community something that rarely people around us think about : time to recharge the carer's bateries. and perhaps save a relationship from disolving under the tremendous pressure that a SCI puts on anyone.
We wanted to offer things as physio , aquatherapy ,etc, to promote recovery .
Also by opening DCH we raised awareness in a society that had no room for disability of any kind to the point that most of them do not see Kev's w/c but him and that applies to many officials.
Long story....sorry about the ramble .blushing02:
At the moment we need all the help we can get to promote this little resort and we would be grateful of any contacts .
Mioara
www.dureahealthcenter.com
Just a small addit: yes ,we do take bookings from everyone regardless of their mobility status as we do not discriminate.
Edited by MDK, 13 January 2010 - 06:39 AM.