TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Hotels

27 California Hotels Sign Agreement to Improve Guest Room Accessibility

by

Two twin beds in a hotel room.

In a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, it was announced that agreements had been reached with 27 hotels in Southern California following investigations into their accessibility and ADA compliance.

According to the press release, hotels agreed to remedy ADA violations pertaining to the accessibility of hotel rooms, while others “also agreed to relief that includes adding additional accessible rooms and communication features for persons with disabilities, ensuring that booking websites provide sufficient information about accessible features, and the payment of civil penalties.” A number of the properties, which had been found to be charging more for accessible guest rooms, agreed to halt the practice.

To read the full text of the Department of Justice press release and to see a list of the hotels involved, visit the DOJ press site.

World’s First All-Rooms-Accessible Hotel to Open in West Virginia on New Year’s Day 2022

by

Rendering of a hotel exterior.

On January 1, 2022, a new boutique hotel will open in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia featuring 28 guest rooms and two suites. Built inside of what was an abandoned schoolhouse building, it will be named – perhaps unsurprisingly and as a tribute to its past – The Schoolhouse Hotel.

The project is being financed by The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). By investing in small businesses, affordable housing and commercial real estate projects, CDFIs generate job growth in struggling communities across the United States.

The City of White Sulphur Springs is a community that has faced particular difficulty in recent decades. In 1993, following the coal industry’s departure from the area and the subsequent population decline, the city’s high school was forced to close its doors. And in 2016, a major flood destroyed homes and businesses and took the lives of 14 people in less than an hour. Many businesses, already struggling due to a weakened local economy, never reopened.

Charles Hammerman, CEO of the Disability Opportunity Fund, said that White Sulphur Springs came to his attention after two area moms called his office, searching for work opportunities for their disabled children. Now, more than 25 years after the city’s school shut down, Hammerman’s DOF is making a substantial investment in the community. The school-turned-hotel will employ up to 40 people, providing the city with an opportunity to benefit from increased tourism.

In keeping with its focus on the disability market, DOF has committed to making The Schoolhouse Hotel fully accessible. When it opens next year, it will be the world’s first hotel where every room is adapted for use by disabled people. Full accessibility, universal design and an accessible booking experience that matches customers to the room that will best meet their needs are priorities that DOF hopes to normalize, and Hammerman said that he hopes his hotel will serve as an example for the lodging industry.

To learn more about The Schoolhouse Hotel, click here.

See You in Court: Hotels Targeted for Not Describing Accessibility Features

by

Close-up view of bed in hotel room.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires places of lodging to “identify and describe accessible features in the hotels and guest rooms offered through its reservations service in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess independently whether a given hotel or guest room meets his or her accessibility needs.”

Jim Butler, a hotel attorney, recently warned hotels about a surge in lawsuits targeting hotels for violations of this provision. He says that this is a popular avenue for ADA attorneys, because “one need only visit the defendant’s website or the websites of their OTAs to quickly test for compliance.” Since attorneys need not actually visit the hotel in order to file suit for violations of the requirement to describe accessible room features, filing cases is easier and faster.

OUR TAKE: Unclear information is often one of the most significant barriers to accessibility, and it also prevents businesses and destinations from taking full advantage of the disability market. Making accessibility information clear is the most important factor to mitigate the chances of getting sued. To see a model of an accessible landing page any hotel can emulate using a template developed by TravelAbility, click here.

To read more ADA lawsuits surrounding a lack of information about accessibility, click here.

5 Accessible Design Changes Most DMOs Don’t Think About (but should)

by

group of adults some using a wheelchair some using a cane talk in the center of a large lobby

Before writer Brad McCannell explains five architectural changes that work for everyone, he points out his pet peeve. That would be when someone he is meeting with about building accessibility says, ‘I’m already accessible because my building meets code’. His story focuses on making meaningful changes to buildings. Read his full post, here.

OUR TAKE: A few facts to keep in mind when planning accessibility design in the age of concurrent pandemics, wildfires, tornadoes, and murderous hornet invasions. First, you’d best have an emergency plan for everyone, including people with disabilities. (The ADA law doesn’t stipulate that you must.)  Second, implementing a design that’s accessible for all should not only about wheelchair access. Second, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while it’s true that 13.7% of people with disabilities use a wheelchair. It’s on you to think about agility, hearing, vision, and cognition, too. Roughly 30 million Americans said they had difficulty climbing stairs or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches, or walker according to the last nationwide census.

To read more on this topic, visit our archive of disability advocates, here.

New Cleanliness Sessions Added to TravelAbility Summit 2020

by

TRavSummit Oct 12-14 omni Orlando resort at Championsgate Kissimmme, FLOrida

COVID-19 is a fast-changing story. Two topics we believe will remain top of mind for a long while are guest experience and social distancing. The TravelAbility Summit 2020 team just added new sessions that address these topics.  Find the full agenda for the Summit, here.