Opening doors through internships - Sudima Hotels
A six-week, paid internship has become a powerful way for Hind Management/Sudima Hotels to remove barriers to employment for disabled people and grow confident, capable teams at the same time.
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Introduction
The Open Doors internship programme gives disabled people an opportunity to experience hospitality work, build confidence and decide what comes next, while also helping Hind Management/Sudima Hotels learn how to do things better.
For Christine Hurring, who leads People and Culture at Hind Management/Sudima Hotels, starting a programme that gave disabled people an opportunity was an easy decision.
“Hospitality is about people,” she says.
“Our values are simple - we care, we work together, and we do the right thing - and we come back to them every day.”
From good intentions to action
Hind Management/Sudima Hotels has long supported accessibility and belonging, but Christine says progress accelerated once the organisation became deliberate about what it wanted to achieve.
The company created a dedicated role to design and implement an internship programme across Hind Management/Sudima Hotels. The result was Open Doors, a structured, paid, six-week internship for disabled people.
“It sounds bigger and harder than it is. It’s really about sitting down, removing barriers, and being willing to adapt.”
How the Open Doors programme works
Open Doors is designed to be practical and flexible. Interns are paid and spend six weeks rotating through different parts of the hotel, supported by teams who understand the purpose of the programme.
The structure is consistent - six weeks, clear support and meaningful work - but each placement is tailored. Hours, tasks and environments are shaped around the individual intern and the department hosting them.
“The recruitment and interview process can be daunting for anyone, and we wanted to remove that barrier,” Christine says.
“This gives people the chance to come into the business, see if they like it, and leave with confidence, whether or not they stay with us.”
If a suitable role is available at the end of the internship, interns are encouraged to apply. If not, they still leave with experience, skills and something tangible to add to their CV.
"This gives people the chance to come into the business, see if they like it, and leave with confidence, whether or not they stay with us."
Learning from lived experience
For Zoe Elvin, who joined Sudima as an Open Doors intern, the programme was a chance to explore hospitality without pressure.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Zoe says. “I was just happy to do whatever they needed me to do.”
That work covered a variety of tasks across the business, including a highlight of loading an ice bucket into a robot for room service delivery.
Zoe lives with a physical disability after having a stroke as a child. During her internship she learnt what interested her and where she felt most comfortable.
“It’s important that programmes like this exist,” she says.
“People with disabilities don’t always get the opportunity to show what they can do. Just because we need things done a bit differently doesn’t mean we can’t work.”
Zoe also provided practical feedback, from room layouts to accessibility considerations, helping Hind Management/Sudima Hotels identify improvements they may not otherwise have noticed.
Building confidence across the business
One of the biggest early barriers was fear. Christine says many team members worried about saying or doing the wrong thing.
“That fear disappears with education,” she says.
Accessibility and disability awareness are now part of induction, and teams hosting interns have also changed.
Christine describes a “wrap‑around” effect, where people become more empathetic, more thoughtful and more aware of how small adjustments can help everyone.
"That fear disappears with education."
What has changed?
The Open Doors programme has created benefits well beyond individual internships.
Hind Management/Sudima Hotels now has teams actively asking when the next intern is coming, staff referring people into the programme, and a culture that looks for solutions rather than barriers.
For Christine, the impact is simple and lasting.
“What I’m most proud of is the opportunity to genuinely change people’s lives,” she says.
“And what makes me even prouder is that this isn’t something we have to battle for. The business believes in it, backs it wholeheartedly, and together we simply get on and make it happen.”
Just ask
Start by creating one paid internship. Ask what support will help, remove the obvious barriers, and be prepared to adapt. You may find the benefits flow both ways.
