Hotel Marketing Podcast Episode 228 – Watch Out For the ADA Ambulance Chasers! 

Good Day fellow hoteliers and welcome to episode 228 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast!  I’m Pete DiMaio and I have a dire warning for all hoteliers out there!  Watch out for the ADA Ambulance Chasers! Our industry, and us specifically, have seen an uptick in hoteliers getting served civil suits for their website not being accessible.  This can be very costly and very time-consuming, not to mention really hurt your feelings.  Today on the podcast I am going to walk you through what we have seen, what you can do, and how you can ensure you stay accessible to all.

First and foremost: You want your hotel website to be accommodating to everyone, regardless of ability.  Not because it is the law, but because it is the right thing to do.  As hoteliers, we are charged with being welcoming and hospitable to all travelers.  

Enjoy the full podcast above and reference the links and tools discussed below:

ADA and WCAG background

• A brief history of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• The ADA wasn’t ever intended to cover the web (unless you’re in the 9th Circuit)
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were first published in 1999 by the W3C, with the latest edition 2.1 being published in 2018

Tools to check your website’s accessibility:

• Lighthouse: Chrome browser tool
• Wave: https://wave.webaim.org/ 
• AccessibilityChecker.org: https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/ 
• Avoid PowerMapper 

Remember, WCAG 2.1 adherence is a snapshot in time, not a once-and-done thing. Continually recheck your site to ensure you are staying accessible to all as well as staying within the current regulations.

TravelBoom OUT

Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom or info@travelboommarketing.com.

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