Hotels Meeting the Need

As of March 2012, hotels were expected to comply with a set of ADA requirements. The pool and Jacuzzi, as well as bathrooms and other areas must be accessible. Many had a hard time meeting these requirements and a 60-day extension was given to the hotels.

I fell into this information after booking a room through Priceline. After I booked online, I noticed the hotel's website mentioned ADA so I called to ask for a room with an accessible bathroom. Usually a handicap room means extra space in the room and bathroom. The hotel staff explained that I was able to get two adjoining rooms for the one price I already paid through Priceline. The room with the king size bed would be equipped with a handicap bathroom.

When we arrived at the hotel, the staff was as helpful as they were on the phone. I was worried that this dream was too good to be true. I thought for sure, I was going to get slapped with a bill. However, we received the two rooms without an extra charge. The space was helpful in many ways. The bathroom had railings everywhere, was large and it was easier to maneuver Ben around. In addition, Ben's sleeping is crazy again and the extra room made a difference for us.

There does not seem to be a lot out there about these recent changes, but here are some articles I found:

New ADA Standards for Hotels

Hotel Pool Lifts

Next time you book a hotel, ask questions about what is provided in terms of accessibility. By law they may not charge you for the extra room IF they only have king size beds with a handicap bathroom and you need two beds in the room. This is a loop-hole right now. As new hotels are built, they will provide handicap bathrooms with two beds. Some hotels may already have this option, you just have to check first.

** And we stayed at Holiday Inn using Priceline Name Your Own Price. I highly recommend both.

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