First & Foremost Hotels to hire autistic staff

First & Foremost Family Hotels — brainchild of Former Le Méridien and Westin Mina Seyahi, general manager Michael Scully and golfer Ernie Els — will provide employment opportunities for people with autism.

In an interview with Hotelier Middle East, Scully said: “We will employ a certain amount of autistic staff and the long term objective is to put a number of rooms aside for autistic guests and to help the local community.

Commenting on how autistic staff will be trained for the roles, Scully said: “For each (autistic) person, we’d have to find the position that suits.

“Some can be in the front of house – we’re not there to put them in BOH. Anyone staying in the hotel will know that we do have autistic staff. In Holland, there’s one hotel that is fully run by autistic people, and it is well-known for that.”

First & Foremost Hotels & Resorts is looking to sign its first project in the world in Dubai or Egypt within six months. It will aim to fill the family-friendly hotel gap – with a CSR element, to help children and adults with autism.