The Bivio Centre in Bratislava. (source: Bivio)
Operating since 2018, an inconspicuous hotel on Alstrová Street in Bratislava-Rača looks more like a home from the street though it has a laundry room, a kitchen and a restaurant, as well as accommodation on the first floor.
The hotel is called the Bivio Centre, the Sme daily writes.
An otherwise ordinary hotel, there is a non-standard team by Slovak standards. People living with various disabilities work here. In fact, it is an integration social enterprise and a rehabilitation centre, established with the support of the Danish foundation Velux.
The centre is not a closed bubble living on various funds.
One regular customer of the laundry, for example, is a nearby retirement home and also the Presidential Palace. President Zuzana Čaputová herself visited the place. Older people and families like to spend their free time at the hotel, and yoga is regularly practiced in the community garden in the back.
Moreover, work alongside individuals with disabilities has been life-changing for employees like Andrea Joštová and Matúš Mellard.
"They have something that ordinary people don't. When they come to work, they are happy and glad to work, and their smile and commitment is contagious," said Joštová. She is responsible for the laundry and the hotel.
Mellard, who manages the restaurant, added that he learned more patience and honesty from his colleagues.
Restaurant at Hotel Bivio. (source: Bivio)
