Creating More Inclusive Travel

Spire Hospitality + Autism Double-Checked

At Spire Hospitality, we believe travel should be accessible to everyone. Through our partnership with Autism Double-Checked, we are working to create more welcoming, understanding, and supportive hotel environments for guests on the autism spectrum and their families.

This initiative is deeply personal for our organization.

Spire Hospitality CEO Chris Russell understands firsthand how difficult travel can be for families navigating autism. One of his two daughters is on the autism spectrum, and for many years, his own family was among the 87 percent of families impacted by autism who choose not to travel due to uncertainty and lack of accommodations.

“For more than 20 years, we were part of that group,” Russell shared. “There just wasn’t any place for us to go.”

That experience helped shape a vision for change.

Turning Experience Into Action

The idea gained momentum during a conversation among Spire’s Leadership Council when a member of the team shared that she herself was on the autism spectrum. That moment brought the issue even closer to home.

“We realized that autism wasn’t just something affecting our guests — it was affecting our own employees,” Russell recalled. “As a hospitality company, we saw an opportunity to improve the travel experience for families while also creating a more inclusive workplace.”

From that conversation came a company-wide commitment: to make travel more accessible for neurodiverse guests and their families.

Spire partnered with Autism Double-Checked, an organization dedicated to helping travel companies develop autism-awareness programs and certify autism-friendly accommodations.

What Autism Double-Checked Certification Means

Through this partnership, Spire hotels undergo a comprehensive training and certification process designed to help team members better support guests with autism and sensory sensitivities.

Training includes:

• Specialized leadership training focused on awareness, empathy, and guest support
• Role-specific training for hotel team members, including front desk, housekeeping, food & beverage, and operations staff
• Education on sensory sensitivities, communication differences, and behavioral understanding
• Practical guidance on how to help guests and families feel comfortable during their stay.

Every certified property also provides resources to help families plan their visits with confidence, including guidance on quieter spaces, dining options, and supportive local venues.

Today, Autism Double-Checked training is also incorporated into Spire’s onboarding process for new team members, helping ensure long-term commitment to inclusive hospitality.

Supporting Neurodiversity Beyond the Guest Experience

Spire’s commitment extends beyond guest services.

At our corporate office, the company works to support neurodiverse individuals entering the workforce by hosting mock interviews for people on the autism spectrum, offering feedback on communication, presentation, and confidence-building.

These initiatives reflect our belief that creating inclusive spaces benefits both our guests and our teams.

Travel With Confidence

For families seeking autism-friendly accommodations, Spire’s Autism Double-Checked certified hotels provide a place where vacations can be planned with greater peace of mind.

“Our goal is simple,” Russell says. “Families should be able to travel knowing they’ll be understood and supported.”

While the initiative strengthens the guest experience and the hospitality industry as a whole, Russell is clear about the motivation behind it:

“It’s good for business, but that’s not why we do it. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.”