Marriott Agrees to Improve Its Accessible-Room Reservation System

Booking an accessible room at a Marriott hotel is about to get easier. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has announced a settlement with Marriott International, addressing barriers to making accessible room reservations at Marriott-branded hotels across the United States.

The negotiations arose from numerous complaints from people with disabilities about the reservation of accessible rooms. Under the agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s office agrees to close its investigation and refrain from filing a lawsuit in exchange for Marriott-branded hotels in the U.S. implementing the following accessibility improvements:

• Marriott properties will be required to accurately list accessible rooms in the company’s centralized electronic reservation system and make this information available to major third-party hotel reservation systems, such as Expedia.com or Booking.com.
• Hotel websites will list their inventory of accessible rooms in a single location, and Marriott will have to report whether they meet the Americans with Disabilities Act’s requirement to offer a minimum number of accessible rooms.
• Marriott is also committed to making more accessible rooms available for booking through its rewards system.
• The company will train its call center employees on how to handle accessible room requests and track guest complaints about accessible room bookings.

Marriott denies violating the ADA and does not admit liability. However, as part of the settlement agreement, he agrees to pay a $50,000 civil penalty in addition to making the above changes.

Marriott is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, directly managing more than 600 hotels in the US, as well as more than 5,000 franchised hotels in the US under more than 20 hotel brands. Hotels that fall under the marriott umbrella include Ritz Carlton, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Aloft, Courtyard, Four Points and more.

The “agreement with Marriott International will significantly improve the experience of people with disabilities when booking accessible rooms at Marriott-branded hotels,” says Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “We commend Marriott International for addressing the barriers these individuals face in obtaining the accommodations they need. “This agreement reflects our commitment to enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires equal treatment for people with disabilities.”