11 December 2009
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Even if you don’t have a hotel in Manhattan, you will want to know about the “Manhattan Hotels ADA Compliance Review Survey” conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ’s reach is nationwide and other cities are targeted for the same kind of survey and enforcement.
In an interview on the Hotel Law Blog earlier this year, Coming to a Theater District Near You: The DOJ’s ADA “Survey,” my partner, Marty Orlick, described the sweeping scope of the DOJ’s ADA Compliance Review Survey of Manhattan hotels. In that interview, Marty emphasized that hoteliers who receive the questionnaire should be aware that DOJ investigators may have already been to their hotel — in fact, the DOJ’s sub rosa investigation may be why the hotel received the survey in the first place.
In today’s interview on the same topic, Marty explains what hotel owners and managers should do when they receive the DOJ’s ADA Compliance Review questionnaire in the mail. (First: take it very, very seriously.)
Marty Orlick is one of the top ADA lawyers in the country, with more than 300 ADA lawsuits and investigations under his belt, and is actively involved in defending hotels that are included in the DOJ’s ADA survey.
What to do when you receive an ADA Compliance Questionnaire from the U.S. Department of Justice
Jim: So, I am a hotel owner or manager and I get an envelope from the DOJ with the ADA Compliance Review questionnaire inside. What do I do?
Marty: First, take it very seriously. Make sure the questionnaire gets to the right person as quickly as possible. That person should call an experienced ADA lawyer to walk them through this potential minefield of questions. The DOJ is surveying both hotel owners and managers, and the last thing you want is for this document to be sitting in someone’s inbox while the person tries to figure out what it means and who should be dealing with it. Every question on the form has been carefully crafted to elicit important information about ADA compliance. The survey is specifically focused on identifying architectural access barriers and, equally important, your hotel’s ADA policies and procedures. It is very detailed. Completing the questionnaire will take time and careful thought.
Don’t complete it yourself. Have a lawyer review it and advise you, first.
Jim: Why can’t a knowledgeable hotel professional answer the questionnaire? Why should an lawyer get involved?
Marty: Each question is designed to obtain precise information about complex, technical compliance with the ADA guidelines. Each answer may create liability. Your answers can also help you to avoid exposure. The questions must be thoroughly understood from a “Standard of Compliance” as defined by law. The right answer to a misunderstood question can cause serious problems that could cost you dearly. For example, the age of the property and the year that construction or “alterations” were performed can significantly impact the answers to questions.
Many hoteliers have spent time and money making their properties accessible to the disabled, and they may believe genuinely — but erroneously — that their properties are in compliance with the ADA, when in fact they still have barriers as defined under Title III of the ADA
Jim: Give us an example of a question that could cause a hotelier problems.
Marty: Questions about guest rooms have to be answered with great care. The questionnaire will likely ask for a description of all room categories in the hotel, and the number of accessible rooms in each distinct room class, as hotels are generally required to provide accessible rooms in each class. The thing you have to ask is: “What is a category or room class”? If this part of the questionnaire is completed by listing each marketing or price-point category, as opposed to actual different room types, you are going to have a problem. You should consider identifying guest rooms according to functional categories based on the types of amenities they offer. Your hotel may have many marketing-driven categories for rooms, but in actuality your rooms may simply be singles, doubles, queens, kings and suites.
In other words, if your “suite”, for marketing purposes, is a room that has an extra lamp, you may describe it separately for marketing purposes but you may not want to list it in a separate category on the questionnaire. If rooms cost an additional five dollars per floor, but there is no difference between the rooms on the 17th and 18th floors, they should not be listed in separate categories.
Jim: That could be tricky. Is there a little leeway in answering this questionnaire?
Marty: No, not much. You must be absolutely truthful! Remember, the questionnaire is submitted under penalty of perjury. Besides, it is likely that a DOJ investigator has already been to your hotel and knows the types of rooms you have.
Jim: What else should the owner or manager do, after he or she gives you a call?
Marty: The ADA Compliance Review specifically focuses on the hotel’s written accessibility policies and procedures. So, the ADA lawyer should ask you to start pulling together documentation. We need to review the written ADA policies and procedures that are provided to staff to see what they look like. Policies and procedure manuals should detail all the devices installed and all the processes the hotel has established for serving disabled guests.
Jim: Give us some examples of what those documents would include.
Marty: Your written policies and procedures manuals should include how to easily identify which ADA compliant rooms are available when customers call for reservations. It should include procedures for hooking up telephone “TDD” devices or smoke alarms for the hearing or seeing impaired, or any other specialized equipment needed for specific disabilities including repositioning furniture and guest amenities.
It should also include procedures for the evacuation of disabled guests in event of emergency, and how to deal properly with disabled guests who have service animals.
Jim: That’s a long list — is that it?
Marty: No, not by a long shot. Plus, you need to show how your reservations, sales and operating staff are trained in all these procedures.
Jim: So the first thing a hotel owner or manager does is call you and send you the questionnaire. Then you direct them to collect this documentation. Now what happens?
Marty: Next, we will set up a time for a professional independent access consultant to review your property for access barriers and we will respond to that part of the questionnaire. As I mentioned in the last interview, the DOJ has probably already been through your property, so you want to respond to this part very carefully. After you turn in the survey, the DOJ will come in with their team and perform a more formal site inspection.
Jim: So, what happens after the DOJ performs their inspection?
Marty: The DOJ’s people will determine what action needs to be taken. At that point, my job as your ADA lawyer is to advise you as to what is required by law and what is not, and to negotiate a reasonable resolution, taking into account the DOJ’s concerns and the resources you have available. We will most likely come up with a voluntary compliance agreement that everyone can live with. The goal here is to bring your hotel into compliance and provide accessibility to your disabled guests in a way that works for everyone.
Jim: With your experience in defending more than 300 ADA cases, how would you say that these ADA sweeps by the DOJ differ from the other ADA lawsuits you defend?
Marty: The issues are not much different. However, the DOJ is more serious about meaningful change than some ADA plaintiffs I have dealt with in the past. The DOJ is typically more concerned about compliance.
Jim: Thanks, Marty.
Other ADA defense and compliance resources
You can access the full library of ADA materials on Hotel Law Blog by going to the home page, selecting the tab at the top that says “HOTEL LAW TOPICS”, and then clicking on “ADA Defense & Compliance” in the drop down menu . . . or by clicking here.
Below is a partial listing of articles by JMBM’s ADA Defense Lawyer team:
The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide — Free Download
ADA Defense Lawyer: New ADA standards for website accessibility
Starwood Hotels and The Phoenician get an expensive (and unnecessary) lesson in ADA compliance.
DOJ sues 3 of NYC’s top Zagat-rated restaurants for ADA violations
Charles Schwab settles claim over website accessibility
A blast against frivolous, serial ADA lawsuits in striking the right balance
New ADA compliance standards for golf courses. What do they mean to you?
How to handle an ADA lawsuit . . . and How not to do it
How a recent ADA case affects all hotels but particularly conference centers and meeting hotels
Defending ADA lawsuits. How your hotel website can make you a target for ADA lawsuits
Martin H. Orlick is one of the top ADA defense lawyers in the country. He has helped hotel, restaurant, retail and other commercial property owners defend more than 500 ADA cases. In addition to defending lawsuits and governmental investigations, Marty’s team of ADA specialists focuses on enterprise-wide ADA compliance and litigation prevention, including facilities, website and operational compliance. He is also is a senior member of the law firm’s Global Hospitality Group®, a partner in the real estate department, and a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). For more information about ADA compliance and defense, contact Marty Orlick at 415.984.9667 or morlick@jmbm.com.
Jim Butler is a founding partner of JMBM, and the founder and chairman of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group®. He is recognized as one of the top hotel lawyers in the world and has authored or co-authored The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook, How to Buy a Hotel Handbook, The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide, and The Lenders Handbook. Jim has led the Global Hospitality Group® in more than $87 billion of hotel transactional experience, involving more than 3,900 hotel properties located around the globe. Jim’s team has worked on more than 60 EB-5 projects over the past three years. 310.201-3526 or jbutler@jmbm.comThis is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. We’ve done more than $87 billion of hotel transactions and have developed innovative solutions to unlock value from hotels. Who’s your hotel lawyer?
Our Perspective. We represent hotel owners, developers and investors. We have helped our clients find business and legal solutions for more than $125 billion of hotel transactions, involving more than 4,700 properties all over the world. For more information, please contact Jim Butler at jbutler@jmbm.com or +1 (310) 201-3526.
Jim Butler is a founding partner of JMBM, and Chairman of its Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group®. Jim is one of the top hospitality attorneys in the world. GOOGLE “hotel lawyer” and you will see why. Jim and his team are more than “just” great hotel lawyers. They are also hospitality consultants and business advisors. They are deal makers. They can help find the right operator or capital provider. They know who to call and how to reach them.