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Vienna, December 31, 2023
Dear travelers, dear hoteliers, dear people responsible for tourism in Austria,
since 2014, I have been committed to making travel easier for people with limited mobility and have done everything I can to make the hotel industry aware of this important target group so that travelers and hotels can benefit equally.
A long journey with numerous challenges and beautiful experiences began with my vision of being able to easily book an accessible hotel room anywhere in the world so that everyone can travel wherever they want. A lot of passion, time, and money went into the development and promotion of roomchooser.
Unfortunately, I had to realize that the interest in barrier-free tourism in Austria from the political side, various organizations and associations to hotels is, to put it cautiously, limited. To sum it up with the basic tenor of many appointments and jury feedbacks: “roomchooser is a great project that needs to be supported. And your energy and commitment are admirable.” But it was only lip service, while similar projects in other countries are constantly receiving investment and support. But we know: “If the world ends, I’ll go to Vienna. Everything happens there ten years later.” Maybe the time will come in Austria too when our “tourism destination” will give barrier-free tourism a priority.
When I finally decided to take hotels from roomchooser that only responded to guests' requests when asked again or not at all, the wheat was separated from the chaff. In the end there were only a handful of hotels in Vienna that I can say about with a clear conscience that they value guests with disabilities.
I did my best and know that I was able to make it easier for at least some guests to plan their stay in Vienna and to help them. I enjoyed doing it. But I can't and don't want to fight against the windmills any longer and to have to maintain a travel agency business while those who are actually responsible stick their heads in the sand.
Nevertheless, I remain committed to accessibility. If you want to experience Vienna barrier-free, you will find barrier-free offers on equallywelcome, where you are warmly welcome.
A big thank you goes to everyone who accompanied and supported me on this journey. And to those who stood by me as I made this difficult decision to close this chapter. They all know they are meant.
With kind regards,
Michael (Sicher)