New monitoring platform helps hotels maintain web accessibility compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, avoiding costly lawsuits
(New York) – June 10, 2019 — The newly merged Travel Tripper and Pegasus is seeing significantly increased demand for its ADA Compliance Auditing and Monitoring Program. Travel Tripper, a hotel technology innovator known for its reservations and e-commerce platforms, added this feature to its suite of services earlier this year to assist hotel properties as they strive to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Travel Tripper’s ADA Monitoring Program was designed exclusively for hotels, which can become targets for ADA compliance lawsuits. According to the law, hotels are not only expected to comply with physical accessibility requirements of their public spaces and rooms, they are also expected to operate websites that comply with WCAG 2.1 AA-Level standards, which make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. The first in the hospitality industry, Travel Tripper’s automated solution monitors a hotel’s website for technical violations of web accessibility guidelines, flagging operators to resolve the issue.
In addition, the company’s ADA compliance experts also conduct regular audits of a hotel’s website to ensure inclusion of essential accessibility content and messaging. As a result of these efforts, Travel Tripper has significantly helped its clients mitigate the risk and decrease the volume of incoming ADA lawsuits. The company’s tools have been utilized by a range of independent properties and small hotel groups, as well as at properties flagged by industry-leading brands such as Marriott, Equinox, Westin, Renaissance, Sheraton, and Le Meridien.
“Every hotel is vulnerable to ADA lawsuits, but independent hoteliers are especially at risk in this arena due to limited resources,” said Nate Lane, Senior Director of Digital, Platforms at Travel Tripper and Pegasus. “Using our ADA Monitoring Program, hotels of any size can stay on top of compliance requirements and keep lawsuits at bay.”
Hotels are common targets for ADA lawsuits because of the extensive list of regulations governing the hospitality industry. Nearly every major hotel brand and countless independent hotels have been targeted by these lawsuits, which show no signs of abating. In 2018 alone, 24,605 charges were filed under the ADA, compared to 19,453 in 2009.
Hotels interested in learning more about Travel Tripper’s ADA Monitoring Tool can visit https://www.traveltripper.com/solutions/ada-compliance-hotel-websites. The company will also host a webinar on the basics of web accessibility compliance for hotels on June 12 at 12pm Eastern Time. To sign up for the webinar or to view a recording later, visit https://try.traveltripper.com/hsmai-ada-compliance-webinar/.
