On Monday, the Balearic tourism minister Iago Negueruela announced that hotels in the Balearics have so far requested three million euros of government aid for changing beds to adjustable beds; this aid corresponds to 25,000 beds.
This aid is well short of what the government had budgeted - 15 million euros. The deadline is to therefore be extended until the end of April. If there is an amount from the 15 million still to be requested, it will be added to later government aid packages for schemes related to the tourism circularity and sustainability law.
The reason for introducing these beds is to reduce the risk of chambermaid occupational injury. The law gives four-star superior and five-star hotels until 2027 to change all their beds and other hotels until 2028. There are deadlines along the way, e.g. 30% of beds in five-star hotels must be adjustable by the end of 2023. Hotels risk fines of 500 euros per bed for non-compliance. Hotelier representatives, especially those of smaller hotel companies, have complained that the government underestimates the cost of adjustable beds and that the available aid is insufficient.
Aid for a different purpose - hotels' energy transition projects - has all been requested. This is for changing diesel boilers to more efficient ones. The budgeted amount of 12.5 million euros has been exceeded. It is up to 20 million euros. The difference will be made good when later aid packages are announced.
The total initial budget for aid for different schemes is 60 million euros.
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