New Hotel Website ADA Recommendations
ADA lawsuits in the hospitality industry remain a hot topic, so we are committed to keeping our customers updated on any developments or recommendations.
We were recently informed that a hotel is being sued by a wheelchair bound guest for not providing enough information on their website regarding the ADA accessible features of their hotel, rooms, and facilities.
We are recommending that all customers review and update your own website ADA content today, to avoid your exposure and liability. You can update the information on your website by logging into LET Group content management system and using the Edit Content Module. If you have any questions, please contact our support team at support@letgroup.com.
Here is some additional information you will find useful:
According to [ADA] regulations, a hotel must identify and describe accessible features in the facilities and guest rooms offered through its reservations service in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess independently whether a given facility or guest room meets his or her accessibility needs.
Thus, rather than alleging that the website itself is inaccessible to users with disabilities, these "new" website accessibility lawsuits claim that a hotel's website violates the ADA by failing to sufficiently identify and describe the physical "brick and mortar" accessibility features of the hotel.
Accordingly, if your hotel does not already provide a plethora of accessibility-related information regarding your property, it is imperative that you make changes to your website as soon as practicable. In particular, you should provide plenty of information about both the common areas of the hotel as well as the accessible guest rooms.
At a minimum, you should include information regarding the accessibility features of the primary features of your hotel - that is, your parking, main entrance, public restrooms, pool lift, restaurants and bars, fitness centers, and business centers. You should also provide information regarding whether there are accessible routes to get to these highly utilized common areas. It is of course equally important that these areas are actually compliant with the ADA, as providing false, inaccurate, or misleading information could result in liability as well.
Additionally, you need to provide as much accessibility-related information as possible regarding the specific room that will be booked. This includes the bed type (double double, queen, king, etc.), number of beds, type of bathroom and shower (roll-in shower, transfer shower, bathtub with accessible bench, etc.), and whether any visual alarms exist.
If you have any questions regarding your website's ADA Accessibility, please email Kent Tewell at kent@letgroup.com with any questions. If you have not purchased our new ADA Website Accessibility Package and had your website updated recently, then you are at risk.
