Checking in to Check out Hotel Etico Blue Mountains: Australia’s First Social Enterprise Hotel

Narrowly missing my chance to visit the Blue Mountains National Park (located just a short jaunt from Sydney) back in 2020 when nationwide lockdowns hit Australia hard, I was awarded the opportunity to finally make it over  when I was invited to visit Australia’s first ever social enterprise hotel – Hotel Etico, located conveniently in Mount Victoria, on the western edge of the national park.

The hotel offers young people with a range of disabilities (including but not limited to autism) the chance for a career in hospitality – which unfortunately would likely be unobtainable for many people with disabilities otherwise (it’s no secret that unemployment and underemployment for disabled adults are rampant within our modern global society).

The Blue Mountains remains Australia’s most visited national park out of more than 600 national parks across the country (for reference, Australia has more national parks than any other nation in the world), and I couldn’t wait to see what this gorgeous Victorian manor – now a hotel – had on offer for trainees with disabilities.

Disclaimer: I was kindly hosted as a guest of Hotel Etico. As always, all opinions are my own.’ in italics please

History

While the hotel is quite new (with the hotel only having first opened its doors in early 2020), the roots of this ambitious enterprise go back much further.

The initial idea for Hotel Etico emerged in Italy nearly 2 decades ago. In 2006, a young man named Niccolò Vallese with Down Syndrome started an internship at a local restaurant. It is said that while it was the owners’ first time dealing with anyone who had an intellectual disability, it didn’t take much time for them to see how Niccolò was blossoming in this new environment, whilst showing the remarkable potential he had as a hospitality professional.

This progressed into the restaurant’s owners understanding the need to remove the existing employment barriers preventing people with disabilities from achieving their full potential within the workplace. Eventually, a permanent internship program was developed, which eventually caught the attention of a local banker, Alex Toselli. This interest soon took the idea to new heights, leading to the establishment of Albergo Etico Onlus (Hotel Ethical Not-for-Profit Association) in 2013, followed by the first Albergo Etico Hotel opening in the north Italian town of Asti in 2015.

Subsequently, the Hotel Etico Australia project was established in 2017 by Alex Toselli, Andrea Comastri and Tracylee Arestides, with founding financial and mentoring support from Paul and Sandra Salteri, and co-seed funding from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, along with backing from other funders. There are now a total of 9 hotels which have expanded beyond Italy, with locations around the world in the likes of Argentina, Palestine, Albania, and, of course, Australia.

Hotel Etico

The building which houses the Hotel was first built in 1876 for John Fairfax (founder of the Sydney Morning Herald) and is adorned with vintage decoration and original finishings. The historic Mount Victoria Manor and gardens – which the hotel now occupies – are in keeping with the town itself, having been constructed in typical Victorian style.

Unfortunately, Fairfax didn’t live long enough to fully appreciate life in the manor, as he passed away the following year, in 1877. The grand mansion subsequently fell under the possession of his son, Sir James.

The house was originally constructed as two adjoining residences. In 1882, it was described as “2 mountain villas with ornamental grounds and paddocks a few yards from Mount Victoria Railway Station.” This was the year that the Fairfax family, instead of selling, decided to rent out the property. The first tenant was George William Atkin, who provided a place for accommodation and transport to the Jenolan Caves. He left shortly after, in 1885, and the second tenant was Jessie Mary Ennis, who ran the property as a boarding house. However, in 1886, she was injured in a serious railway accident and moved back to Sydney.

For the next year, the Wilkins family ran it as a boarding school for girls, though the house was then sold the following year, in 1887.

The property subsequently went through many owners and iterations in the subsequent 100 years or so. The most notable being George Cooper and family, who owned the property for approximately 80 years. Refurbishing the facilities and making many major additions that can still be found onsite today.

Since its recent refurbishment as the wheelchair accessible Hotel Etico, the lodgings have been fitted with a total of 15 unique cozy rooms with en-suite and luxury comforts. Surrounded by stunning scenery and wildlife, guests can now experience a mixture of traditional and modern comforts effortlessly fused into one.

Rooms range from standard queen size, all the way to a heritage large family room which sleeps up to 5 people. All rooms are fitted with heating, mini fridges, Wi-Fi, and stocked toiletries.

As well as the view of the Blue Mountains themselves, guests are welcome to enjoy all the historic manor house has to offer – including ample cozy seating both outdoors and indoors. Facilities include a library, games room, conservatory, bar, restaurant, gardens, tearoom, and various other sitting rooms. Visitors can enjoy a drink from the bar while playing a tabletop game in the games room or sit back and listen to weekly live music events on a Friday evening.

Employment and Independence Programs

So, you might be wondering how exactly the hotel is setting itself apart from others in the country as a forerunner in accessibility. Well, being Australia’s first social enterprise hotel means that it exists to deliver high-quality vacation experiences to guests that will facilitate a work, training and live-in program for people with disabilities, enabling them to transition to open employment and become more independent once the program has finished.

The hotel’s independence program specifically sees trainees supported by staff members, enabling them to participate in and contribute to the daily operations in the hotel and its restaurant – rotating their work through a range of hospitality roles. Targeted at young adults (ages 18-35) with a disability who are interested in becoming hospitality professionals and living a more independent life, the program has been a huge success since its launch and currently boasts a 100% success rate.

Integral to their Independence program is the ‘Academy of Independence’, a dedicated apartment within the hotel where hospitality trainees stay on their rostered workdays, providing them with a setting to experience supported independent living.

Hotel Etico is part of the Tourism Local Navigators Pilot; an Australian Government initiative set up to boost employment opportunities for people with disability in the tourism sector.

Etico themselves are 1 of 12 organizations across Australia that have been appointed by the Department of Social Services and Austrade to deliver the pilot scheme – with the goal of “providing advice and connections to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to help and support SME’s tourism businesses address barriers to recruiting, retaining, and progressing employees with disabilities”.

In addition, they are also delivering the ‘Blue Mountains Tourism Disability Inclusion Project’. This project includes the delivery of interactive workshops, individualized support, coaching, peer support and disability-led capacity-building activities for employers to enhance their knowledge and understanding.

My Stay

After arriving at the train station, I made the short 5-minute walk to the hotel. My 2-night stay at Hotel Etico was in a Standard Queen Room, which overlooked the back garden. The rooms are tastefully furnished, which creates a beautiful, cozy atmosphere.  I just wanted to hibernate in my room the entire time!  I was met with torrential rain for the majority of my stay, which did leave me inside most of the time. No major complaints, however, as the hotel was the perfect place to sit back in comfort and enjoy the outside view of the sprawling forest – rain or not.

The hotel isn’t massive, but there are plenty of places to unwind inside. The games room and reading rooms are both perfect for sitting back in comfortable seating, but with no natural light penetrating inside, I much preferred lounging either on the outdoor veranda, in the bar area or in the dining areas. I do find something soothing about being able to sit back while reading your book, surrounded only by the sounds of rain and the extensive native bird population within the park.

When the rain wasn’t on, I tried to make the most of the area surrounding the hotel. There are 2 gorgeous viewpoints that give you serious breathtaking panoramas of the expansive valley below the town. Should you wish to check either out while in the area, then search for either ‘Mitchell Ridge Lookout’ or ‘Sunset Rock Lookout’. Neither will leave you disappointed. ‘Pulpit Rock Lookout’ and ‘Mount Piddington’ were also recommended to me by the hotel staff. However, I was unable to make it to either because of the weather conditions.

A delicious self-serve continental breakfast buffet is available for all guests every morning from 7.30am to 9.30am. As a pescetarian, there were only 2 meat options I couldn’t eat, and I left the table feeling full, satisfied and well-caffeinated both mornings. While I do pride myself on a healthy diet, the giant industrial pump of Nutella was a little too good to resist.

Although dinner is not included in the room price for guests, it is well worth the money I paid at their in-house restaurant, Niccoló’s – It was easily some of the best authentic Italian food I’ve ever had outside of Italy! Being a massive seafood lover, the first night I opted for the gamberi pizza, which was delightful. While on the second evening, I was a little hungrier, so I chose to go for porcini arancini as an entrée, followed by the gamberi fettuccine as a main dish – again, both heavenly and filling. As a fully table-serviced venue, guests can also order drinks while eating at the restaurant, which will be brought to them. Otherwise, guests can order directly from the bar at any time (whether you are eating in the restaurant or not). The bartender made seriously delicious cocktails, and you are welcome to ask for anything not listed on the menu to see if they are able to whip it up for you!

It can get busy during dinnertime, so I recommend booking ahead of time to ensure you have a spot ready and waiting for you. The second night, I did forget in my haste to do so, but the staff were very accommodating and set up a private table for me in the events room, away from the busy dining room – something I very much appreciated.

Final Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed my short – but memorable – stay at Hotel Etico. The concept behind its inception is fresh, yet so desperately needed not only in the hotel industry, but also for the young disabled community who crave work within the wider hospitality field without the usual means to gain such employment.

I had some opportunity to engage with the staff both before and after my presentation, and it was great to see them not only full of curiosity towards my travels, but also their enthusiasm for their work while on shift. It was such a plus for me knowing that most of the staff also had a disability, it took a lot of pressure off me from the usual masking I find myself having to do, as well as minimizing the chance of encountering staff who usually end up misunderstanding me due to the ‘double empathy problem’ (i.e. differences in communication styles).

The hotel itself is in a gorgeous part of the Blue Mountains National Park that is often overlooked due to its location on the far edge of the park. Nevertheless, it makes for the ideal location for those who need to decompress and want to take in the natural beauty of the area without competing with too many other visitors. The town itself is small, so easily walkable from one end to the next. While the number of food options within the town is not vast, I found the menus to be varied enough that I didn’t have to worry about finding something to eat and, as previously mentioned, the hotel’s in-house restaurant serves the best Italian food I have ever had the pleasure of eating in Australia. So, make sure you at least stop by for a bite to eat – even if you don’t intend to stay in one of the rooms.

While a car is pretty much recommended to get the most out of the tourist side of the Blue Mountains, the train line does stop at Mount Victoria – there are several amazing viewing platforms that require minimal hiking as all are just off the main road through town, though they will require a short walk or car journey from the hotel to reach them.

All in all, I would highly recommend the Hotel Etico experience to everyone – disabled or otherwise. Disabled guests should find comfort in knowing that there will be mutual understanding from the accommodating staff, as well as having their needs properly met by a business that prides itself on leading the way in accessibility. Non-disabled guests, on the other hand, might use their time at the hotel to reflect on their own pre-existing biases, and understand that we all deserve an equal chance at gainful employment and professional success – regardless of whether we have a disability or not. Having read the reviews online, it is great to see many guests have seen the positive benefits the program has brought (while also enjoying their stay, of course).

Note: A special thanks to Hotel Etico who kindly provided additional photography for use in this article. All credit goes to the rightful owners.

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