Any Reservations?

Traveling in the 21^st century has become very “de-humanized”. It used to be that you called a travel agent, stated where you wanted to go, explained how you wanted to travel, and most importantly for a family with a member with a disability, described what kind of accommodations you would need.

 Today, online travel sites have joined the ranks of travel agents. They compete on price, but with details that are limited to promotional photos of the amenities and typical rooms. This provides no help to a family that needs to know if the “accessible” rooms are truly accessible… or do they even understand what the term “accessible” really means.

Whether you are a seasoned traveler or new to accessible family travel, never assume that what you read on a website or hear from someone taking reservations from a Call Center is going to be accurate, or meet your particular needs. Here are four helpful hints to consider before reserving your family’s overnight stay:

 1. Find the phone number for the hotel itself. Calling the toll-free 800 number will have you talking to someone at a Call Center who has no idea about the specific location or its amenities. You can usually get the phone number for the location from the website, or from the Call Center operators.

 2. When you reach the location, ask to speak to someone from the Engineering or Maintenance Department – they are the people who will know everything about the property. If not available at that time, leave your name, number, and specific questions for them.

 3. Don’t ask “Is your property ADA compliant?” or “Is your property accessible?” People will generally answer YES, and they could be wrong! Their understanding of “accessible” could mean “we only have two steps into the hotel” or “we have ADA rooms” but when you get there you find out that they are located up a flight of steps (and there’s no elevator in the building).

 4. Ask specific questions like: Do you have a zero step entrance? Do you have guest rooms with roll-in showers (with no water curbs)? Do you have accessible rooms with more than one bed?

 Most importantly, ask questions that are specific to your family’s needs. If you travel with a portable lift, the space underneath the bed is critical. Also, hotels have a tendency to put extra furniture in rooms – you can request that extra items (side chairs or desks that would block your child’s path of travel) be moved out of your room.

 As a strong and growing customer base, it is important that families traveling with a child – or parent or grandparent – with a disability demonstrate to the travel and hospitality industry that there is power and money behind special needs family getaways too.

Joan W. Stein

President & CEO, ADA, Inc.

Accessibility Development Associates, Inc. (ADA, Inc.) is a respected consulting firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. Specializing in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other accessibility-related laws, the firm provides services to businesses and government. Visit www.adaconsults.com.

 YOUR COMMENTS: Share your hotel tips and travel experiences as families with a child with a disability. What have you learned that could benefit parents following your tracks?