Hospitality for All – Addressing Accessibility in the Hotel Industry
Accessibility in the hospitality industry is not a new subject. For decades, hotels would install ramps at the entrances of their properties and grab bars in guestroom bathrooms. But, on July 26, 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, therefore making hotels accessible to all a top priority for every hotelier across the U.S.
Specifically, it was Title III of the ADA found in Title 42 of the U.S. Code, in Section 12182 that set everything in motion.
“The laws that apply to the hotel industry when it comes to individuals with disabilities are the same laws that apply to all places of public accommodation,” said Charles S. Marion, partner, Blank Rome, an international law firm. “Title III prohibits discrimination based on disability in the activities of places of public accommodations. Businesses that are generally open to the public fall into one of 12 categories listed in the ADA, one of which is hotels.”
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“In the ADA litigation brought against hotels, we’ve also seen claims brought under certain state and local statutes that also prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities,” Marion noted, citing California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, New York State’s Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law as examples.
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"Hospitality for All – Addressing Accessibility in the Hotel Industry," by Adam Perkowsky was published in Hotel Business Magazine in February 2024.