Good practice:

bett+bike by ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club e.V.)

When it comes to accommodation, cycle tourists have specific wishes and needs when staying overnight (e.g. lockable parking space, repair tools, etc.). In order to respond to these needs, the largest German cyclist association, ADFC, has developed a “bett+bike” certificate which allows cyclists to easily identify high-quality, bike-friendly accommodation. On the “bett+bike” website and corresponding mobile app, cycle tourists can choose from among 5.800 certified hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels, nature lovers' houses and campsites across 4.000 towns in Germany and Europe. In all “bett+bike” accommodations, cyclists can rely on a quality standard and bike-friendly on-site services.
The “bett+bike” certificate requirements for accommodations are:
• the possibility of a one-night stay
• lockable space for storing the bikes overnight
• room for drying clothes and equipment
• full breakfast
• information on regional offers for cycle tourists
• basic repair kit and information on repair shops
With increasing growth of the “bett+bike” network, ADFC aims to provide not only bike-friendly accommodation, but to make biking trips easier in general and more comfortable. The participating places obtain tour material about regional tracks and offers for their cycle guests from the ADFC. Additionally, places are encouraged to offer supplemental services e.g. cooperation with a bike repair shop, luggage transfer to the next accommodation or the possibility of e-bike rental.

The project has been funded by the ADFC without external subsidies. The operating costs are partly paid by the participating accommodations (130,00 € admission fee plus yearly fee of 60,00€ to 490,00€, depending on the size and kind of accommodation).

According to an ADFC 2017 study, at least 5.2 million people/year went on a bicycle journey for three or more nights in Germany. The results reveal growing trends and underline the increasing importance of cycle tourism. The numbers indicate that a network to coordinate infrastructure on bicycle routes and appropriate accommodation facilities are needed. This goes in line with the amount of accommodation incorporated in the “bett+bike” network, which has risen from 216 in 1995 to 5.800 in 2017.

The increasing amount of certified “bett+bike” accommodation makes it difficult to ensure regular checks for compliance with quality standards. Promoting the certification’s reliability has also become more important with non-validated services such as Airbnb offering “bike-friendly” accommodation.

Based on the structure and experience of networks similar to “bett+bike” a steady and high-quality setting for cycle tourism could be established. The combination of an online platform with a mobile app, in which access to several bike-friendly accommodations is given, secures a more comfortable and reliable planning of bike trips.
Through different search functions, businesses can be filtered according to the users’ needs and are displayed on a map. The results can be saved in a favourites list, called directly for a booking or selected for navigation from the current location. Moreover, the different accommodations along the cycling routes can exchange information on current numbers of tourists and connect in cases of emergency (e.g. if a certain route is closed).
A European network connecting bike-friendly accommodations and assuring a certain quality, matched to the specific desires of cycle-tourists, could be a major step forward to promote cycle tourism.