Hotel ADA Defense Lawyer: ADA Compliance is no longer an option - By Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com

ADA defense and compliance advice from Hotel Lawyers: An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, is an important federal law applicable to all hotels in the United States because they are places of "public accommodation." And just as the federal Civil Rights Act became a powerful instrument to prevent discrimination by hotels, the ADA is now assuming commanding importance in eliminating "barriers" to the use and enjoyment of hotels, restaurants and other facilities governed by the act.

In tough economic times, we all want to slash "unnecessary" expenses, but the costs of a proactive ADA compliance program deserve a more "critical" rating than many have given it up to now. And as the saying goes, you can pay a dollar for prevention today or many times that amount tomorrow in defending litigation and meeting a higher standard after your operation has been put under a plaintiff's microscope. The Department of Justice's recent ADA sweeps in New York City, and the rising tide of private ADA lawsuits filed against hotel owners are compelling proof.

We predict more DOJ sweeps and enforcement action in U.S. cities in 2009 and 2010, and significantly increased enforcement efforts by private "true believer" zealots and blackmail artists as well.

How can anyone suggest spending money on ADA today unless you "have" to?

Notwithstanding survival-style budget slashing everywhere, we suggest that a proactive ADA prevention approach is a critically necessary expense. What if a doctor reviewed your health scan tests and said: "You have a very high risk of heart attack in the near future unless you do something immediately." And what if medical science had advanced to the point that by paying $1,000 for a simple procedure or pill, you would have a 80-90% chance of avoiding the heart attack altogether. You might not want to spend $1,000 now, but most people would rather do that than suffer the risk of the heart attack and expense of the problem later.

In other words: "You can't afford not to do it!"

ADA compliance is very much the same.

Cost effective steps that can bring you into "good enough" compliance? The 80-20 rule.

With the practical experience gained over the past decade in handling more than 300 ADA cases, we have real time experience in the field, seeing what conditions and issues create the most trouble for hotels, restaurants and other facilities. We have seen how the same red flags are sure to catch attention. We have a broad experience and litigation-tested sense of as to what cost effective steps can bring you into "good enough" compliance to get you through most situations.

By having experts inspect your facility BEFORE the private litigants or government become 'interested" in your property, we find that a corollary of the 80-20 rule applies. This means that for something like 80% of the problems (the high-profile, red-flag items that usually catch attention) can be mitigated for something like 20% of the cost that would otherwise be involved once your property is under the scrutiny of a private plaintiff or the government in a litigation track.

Can you afford NOT to pay pennies today to save big dollars tomorrow?

A quick review on how ADA enforcement has taken on new prominence.

Considering that the Department of Justice started major ADA compliance sweeps under the conservative Bush Administration, we foresee activity stepping up to an entirely new level under President Obama. We think that this will be a sea change, not unlike the Kennedy and Johnson administrations stepping up civil rights enforcements.

You also need to remember that the ADA provides for enforcement by private litigants, and they have become extremely active on everything from "drive by" checks on parking lots and other exterior barriers, to web "surf bys", swimming pool and a seemingly endless array of issues. As noted earlier, the plaintiffs or their counsel are often disabled persons who are on a mission to make the world equally accessible to all disabled people, whatever the cost or practicality.

This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. We've done more than $50 billion of hotel transactions and more than 100 hotel mixed-used deals in the last 5 years alone. Who's your hotel lawyer?

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