Accommodation a Priority for Sochi

Representatives from the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee were at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Headquarters in Bonn, Germany this week to discuss accommodation and services for the next Paralympic Winter Games.

Paralympic Family Hotel planning, operations and services was the focus throughout the day in Bonn, with IPC representatives Stephanie Keller, Thanos Kostopoulos and Kim Liu in attendance. Sochi representatives included Denis Sekachev, IOC/IPC Services Vice President, Vyacheslav Shashkin, Head of Accommodation, and Irina Nesterova and Maria Trofimova from the International Relations Department.

IPC Head of Protocol and Hospitality Stephanie Keller said: “The visit from the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee was fruitful, as they presented extensive plans for accommodation at the Winter Games in 2014. We certainly look forward to continuing our successful collaboration in the future.”

During the productive meetings, an overview of the Paralympic Family Hotel project was given covering design materials, the hotel building, accessibility, transition requirements and hotel management services. Additionally, Sochi representatives brought hotel plans that provided a layout of the floor plans, rooms, office and working space, public areas and accreditation centre.

The full day at the IPC Headquarters was concentrated on the roles and responsibilities of the Paralympic Family Hotels, referencing previous Games experiences at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

The concept and participants of the Paralympic Hospitality Centre was also overviewed, with examples of activities and services to be provided.