Considered by many in the tour and travel industry in the U.S. as an example of best practices for a hotel property, the reputation of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Harrisburg—it is a few minutes’ walk from the state capitol building—is, in part, a function of timing.
We wanted to know more about this property, so we recently paid it a visit and talked with Joe Massaro, general manager, who showed us around and talked with us.
How did it come to get that reputation? “It was being built in 1989/1990 as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was being enacted,” Massaro told us. “The property’s owners were contacted by a local accessibility advocacy group to discuss the design. This proved to be a very valuable relationship as the hotel layout was influenced greatly by the advice given.”
After the Hilton Harrisburg opened, Massaro explained, “this relationship became known and groups serving individuals with special needs began to use the facility. The hotel continues to this day to serve some of the original groups from when we opened.”
During our walk-through of the property, Massaro pointed out accessible features everywhere, including the hotel’s lobby and entrance area: that is, there are no ramps or stairs on the ground floor—features usually found in any large hotel lobby and entrance area. As a result, wheelchairs need not negotiate steps or grades.
Light and electrical fixtures are at a height convenient to those in wheelchairs, and wide-door bathrooms have no barriers to climb over for those who use a wheelchair when showering.
Other questions we asked Massaro, along with his answers, include the following:
Is the hotel able to increase room rates in order to cover the costs of accessible-friendly features?
“We have not increased rates specifically due to accommodations for persons with disabilities. Our accessibility and training has allowed us to capture more business from groups who have persons with special needs.”
What percentage of rooms are “ADA-oriented?”
“Rooms with accommodations including roll in showers, etc. total 3.5 percent of our guest rooms.” (The hotel has 341 guest rooms—do the math.)
Does the Hilton Harrisburg market to this audience through travel agents?
“No, we don’t market directly through travel agents however we do highlight our accessible features when describing our hotel to all guests.”
What have you learned about working disabled travelers or travel agents that you can share?
“The individual is a person first and the needs of one are not always the needs of the next. I’ve learned not to be uncomfortable asking questions about how we can best serve.”
Finally, it helps that Massaro has a long history with the hotel. He has been with it since before its opening. After a number of years in other managerial roles, he became its general manager more than a decade ago.
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