Accessibility Consulting Services for Hospitality Overview It is our continuing experience that lawsuits are being filed against hotel owners who believe that their facilities are fully compliant with the ADA. We recommend a proactive approach. The ADA Standards have been revised The changes are significant. In part, bathrooms in accessible guest rooms and suites are now required to provide more wheelchair maneuvering space than mandated by the previous standards. How this will play out in an existing hospitality facility will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Existing Facilities First, we perform an access survey of the facility, and prepare a report that identifies latent barriers to access, explains the pertinent points of law and recommends alternate methods of achieving compliance. (Contact) Developing a Plan Using the access survey as an framework, the facility then creates an ADA Action Plan. An effective plan includes design requirements, budget costs, priorities and a timetable. Some barriers can be eliminated immediately and at no cost; others may require a simple change in policy. Significant barriers can trigger major alterations. Having a compliance plan in place shows good-faith, and the removal of barriers reduces exposure to litigation. New Construction and Alterations We provide plan review for your architect, to ensure that the finished facility will be fully compliant with the requirements of state and federal accessibility law. It is much less costly to identify issues early and on. We provide site inspections at key points during construction, to verify that things are being built as designed. Defense expert in an ADA lawsuit We provide expert witness services for hospitality organizations sued under federal civil rights law. We prepare an access survey report for the defense, addressing each allegation. We work with owners and their attorneys to keep the matter in a settlement conference instead of a courtroom. We stand by the defendant through the settlement process, and prepare rebuttal to frivolous and unfounded demands. We identify the minimum requirements of enforceable federal statute, and recommend the least costly methods of achieving compliance. We recommend settlement language that will help the defendant to maximize the tax deduction and tax credit that are available for removal of barriers to access. Hospitality venues we have worked with include American Inn Best Western Budget Inn Comfort Inn Crown Plaza Days Inn Doubletree EconoLodge Hilton Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Express Howard Johnson L’Enfant Plaza Hotel Marriott Ocean Manor Ramada Red Roof Inn Sheraton Travel Inn A comprehensive list of over 600 completed projects is provided in the accompanying CV: (Contact)