In what is believed to be a first-of-its kind hospitality experience, a New Jersey hotel is offering guests an autism-friendly suite.
The so-called Alpine Suite at the Clinton Inn Hotel in Tenafly, N.J. features unbreakable glassware, furniture with rounded edges and a door with a high lock that beeps when it unlatches. What’s more the television is secured to the wall, the windows are locked and the room’s iron is tucked away. A private dining room is also available for guests of the special suite.
The idea is to offer parents a place they can stay with their family where they don’t have to worry about something getting broken or a child wandering off.
The room has special significance to hotel manager Tony Morreale whose own son has autism. His goal was to create an atmosphere where people with autism are welcomed rather than shunned, as he has felt at times while traveling with his own family.
So far the suite is a hit. “We had peace of mind,” one guest told the Hackensack (N.J.) Record. To read more click here.
