The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with a Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites in Columbus, Ohio, owned by Badrivishal, LLC, Inc., (Defendant) regarding compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Complainant’s family planned to spend a Thanksgiving holiday with family in Columbus, Ohio. The Complainant called the Hotel and made reservations. Hotel staff represented that it had two accessible rooms with roll-in showers and the Complainant reserved both: one for the Complainant’s spouse and one for Complainant’s parents. However, upon arrival at the Hotel neither room had a roll-in shower. So a complaint was filed with DOJ.

In response to the complaint, the DOJ investigated the Hotel, including an onsite architectural survey and determined that certain aspects of the Hotel do not comply with the 1991 ADA Standards. As a result of the agreement, the Defendant will provide the following:

• access for customers at the hotel with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs

• the hotel will remove barriers to accessibility by making physical modifications so that parking, entrances, public restrooms, the front desk, drinking fountains, and routes within the hotel are accessible

• the hotel will ensure that the rooms, including bathrooms, that are required and advertised as accessible to people who use wheelchairs are accessible

• the hotel will pay $20,000 in damages to the couple harmed by the discrimination

SUMMMARY: This hotel has been in existence for many years yet it still was not in compliance with the ADA. This lawsuit was avoidable if the owner of the hotel had been proactive about ADA compliance. Richard Acree at ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, is experienced and qualified in inspections of hotels for ADA compliance. If you own or manage a hotel, it is imperative that you maintain the hotel in a high level of ADA compliance. Otherwise you could be the next hotel getting a long and expensive visit from the DOJ.

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If you observe a hotel that is not ADA compliant and you would like to know how to proceed, please see the link at What To Do When A Building Is Not ADA Compliant or Accessible.

ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, offers ADA/ABA/FHA accessibility compliance inspections for buildings and facilities, as applicable to the different laws, and expert witness services with respect to ADA/ABA/FHA laws for building owners, tenants and managers. Also, ADAIN offers consulting for home modifications as a CAPS consultant for people wishing to age in place in their homes. For a complete list of services please see ADAIN Services.

Thank you