HOTREC, the trade association representing the hospitality industry in Europe, announced the growing success of its initiative to promote a voluntary fire safety instrument for hotels in Europe. Ms. Anna Torres, CEO of HOTREC, commented: “Eighteen months after the release of the MBS methodology, we see a strong rising interest from our membership to promote this instrument across Europe. Starting with six countries, we are now reaching a total of 13 European countries in which our scheme is being endorsed by hotel associations, and we are confident that even more will join that club very soon”.

The MBS (Management, Building and Systems) methodology is a practical and flexible tool which summarises hotel fire safety into a set of hands-on advices, which any hotelier can easily understand and follow. It is meant to help hotels of all sizes across Europe achieving a high level of fire safety, whatever the national or local legislation in place. It is currently being used and promoted in Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

“This success clearly shows that the hospitality industry is putting safety first and that the MBS methodology is a worthwhile instrument that should serve as the reference to deal with this issue in Europe” further added Ms. Torres.

The MBS methodology is the outcome of a long and complex process which included, in an open and transparent dialogue, representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, travel agencies & tour operators, insurance industry, consumers, other interested parties and the European hospitality industry. This fruitful dialogue enabled to enrich the methodology with stakeholders’ own experiences on fire safety.